3 biggest takeaways from Dodgers vs Guardians series ft. Shohei Ohtani's pitching void

The Cleveland Guardians and the LA Dodgers closed their three-game series earlier this week, with the visitors winning the first two games before the Guardians avoided a clean sweep.

With two wins and a loss for the Dodgers, they are now 34-22, leading the NL West division, while the Guardians slid to 30-25, good enough for second place in AL Central.

The series had some key takeaways, and here are three key points to take note of:

#1 Shohei Ohtani’s offensive surge for the Dodgers continues

Shohei Ohtani was busy in the series against the Guardians. In the opener, he homered on the first pitch, helping the Dodgers to a 7-2 victory by scoring thrice. He went deep again for the second straight game, hitting his MLB-leading 20th home run and contributing to a 9-5 win by scoring twice.

Ohtani went hitless in three plate appearances in the Dodgers' 7-4 loss in the series finale, though.

#2 Shohei Ohtani's pitching void

While Shohei Ohtani is yet to return to the mound in an MLB game, he has made significant progress off the field in terms of his return, which appears close.

While the Dodgers are plagued by injuries to their premium aces like Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell, Ohtani throwing a light bullpen session on Sunday comes as a massive boost.

Moreover, he threw against live hitters, and his fastball sat between 94-97 mph. Ohtani threw 22 pitches, recording two strikeouts and walking one batter along with a hit.

“I’m going to do live BPs once a week moving forward,” Ohtani said. “On the road, I’m sure it’s going to be a little bit difficult to get quality hitters to stand in at times, but at home I should be able to get good minor-league hitters to stand in.”

#3 Guardians' offense came together in series finale

While the Guardians' offense blew hot and cold in the first two games, they scored seven runs in the series finale, which was enough to overcome the Dodgers.

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw only gave up one run in five innings, and the Guardians had nothing but a run entering the seventh inning, trailing 4-0. They then scored their first run in the inning, followed by an offensive burst.

Angel Martinez's three-run home run in the eighth inning capped off a five-run rally. The Guardians added one more run to eventually win 7-4.

About the author

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

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Edited by Bhargav