Dalton Rushing will most likely catch Shohei Ohtani again when the Dodgers send Ohtani to the mound next. Dave Roberts said Friday that the pairing is expected to stay together after Wednesday night’s visibly rough outing against the Minnesota Twins.
Rushing and Ohtani stay paired
Roberts used the phrase “most likely” when asked about the catcher for Ohtani’s next pitching start. He also said, “I think he was in the moment,” referring to Rushing after the second inning broke down Wednesday night.
That game turned on a crossed-up 101.7 mph fastball in the second inning. The ball sailed to the backstop and allowed the first of three Twins runs in the inning, and from the third inning on Ohtani called his own pitches.
Rushing took the blame after the game and called the incident embarrassing. Ohtani, speaking through Will Ireton, said, “There are really a couple of ways of communicating,” and added, “One is by words, but the other way to be able to communicate is by example, and just taking the charge and showing Rush what kind of pitching style I’m capable of.”
Dodgers weigh limited options
The Dodgers have been leaning on Rushing because Will Smith has been out with an inflamed disk in his neck. Rushing has caught Ohtani’s last three starts, and Smith is still not doing baseball activities.
That leaves the club with a narrow set of choices behind the plate, with Chuckie Robinson the only alternative mentioned beyond Rushing. Roberts said the conversations about the problem continued over the last day and a half, and he tried to shut down the idea that the rough communication would linger.
“I really feel that going forward, we’ll all be on the same page. It’s not always going to be synced up, but I think that where it got to the other day, I really don’t see that happening going forward. They all care. Everyone cares.”
Roberts backs the battery
Roberts also said, “I think Shohei’s very particular in what he wants to throw,” before adding, “Most guys are not as, they’re more kind of gray. Where I think Shohei is just clearer on what he wants to throw.”
The numbers show why the Dodgers want cleaner communication. Ohtani has allowed nine earned runs in 18 2/3 innings with Rushing behind the plate, compared with five earned runs in 61 innings with Will Smith behind the plate.
Freddie Freeman, Mark Prior, Brent Walker and Roberts each spoke with Rushing after the second inning Wednesday night, a sign the Dodgers treated the problem as more than one bad pitch sequence. Ohtani’s next start now carries a simpler question for the club: whether the same battery can handle the next turn without another visible breakdown.
