Shohei Ohtani did something Tuesday for the first time ever in his career

Shohei Ohtani had a night to forget in Cincinnati.

Dodgers win, but Ohtani whiffs in first four trips to the plate

In a surprising turn, the Los Angeles Dodgers' superstar struck out in each of his first four plate appearances on Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds. It was the first time in his eight-year MLB career, spanning 981 games,  that he opened a game with four straight strikeouts.

It’s the sixth time overall that Ohtani has punched out four times in one game, and the second instance this season. The last came back on June 17 against the Padres.

Despite his struggles, Los Angeles managed to come away with a 5-4 win. Will Smith hit a game-winning double in the ninth, capping off a late comeback.

Lodolo moves into history books

Cincinnati left-hander Nick Lodolo didn’t shy away from the challenge. He became just the 13th pitcher to strike out Ohtani three times in one game.

In the first and fifth innings, Lodolo got Ohtani to chase breaking balls out of the zone. In the third, he froze him with a 94 mph fastball.

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“I attacked him the way we talked about,” Lodolo said. “I felt like I executed where I needed to.”

Reliever Graham Ashcraft followed by striking out Ohtani a fourth time in the seventh, this time with a slider inside.

Ohtani nearly made it five strikeouts, but in his final at-bat in the ninth, he flew out to right field on a 2-2 pitch. Smith stepped up next and drove in the winning run.

Ohtani's season still been strong

Ohtani entered the game riding a nine-game hitting streak, during which he hit .306 with six home runs and 13 RBIs. Even with the quiet performance on Tuesday, his season stats remain elite. He leads the league in home runs (38), runs scored (100), slugging (.612), OPS (.989), and total bases (254).

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t mince words about the performance.

“He just never looked comfortable,” Roberts said. “Lodolo had him off balance, and Shohei got a little too aggressive early in counts.”

Ohtani set to pitch in finale

Wednesday’s game also marks Ohtani’s seventh start of the season as a pitcher. He’s expected to throw about four innings as he continues building back from Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow.

In six starts this year, Ohtani has posted a 1.50 ERA without recording a decision.

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