Shohei Ohtani leaves the mound with cramping vs. Reds but hopes to make next start

CINCINNATI (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is hopeful that he will be able to make his next mound start after his outing Wednesday night was cut short by cramping in his right hip.

Ohtani was scheduled to go four innings on a hot, humid night against the Cincinnati Reds, but he left without recording an out in the fourth after he threw six straight balls, including two consecutive wild pitches.

The 31-year old reigning NL MVP said he started to cramp in the first inning.

“Just tried to work around it. I was able to do so up until the third and it didn’t quite work out in the fourth,” Ohtani said through an interpreter after the Dodgers’ 5-2 loss.

Ohtani and manager Dave Roberts both blamed the cramping on the weather. The temperature at first pitch was 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) with a heat index near 100.

Roberts went out with the trainer after Ohtani threw a 86.3 mph sweeper that was low and outside the strike zone for a 2-0 count to Spencer Steer. After a conference on the mound, Ohtani left with the trainer.

“I just saw a funky throw. The follow-through just didn’t look right. And then he threw another pitch and I just didn’t see the finish the right way,” Roberts said. “It was very concerning because I didn’t know what it was. He said it was his hip. I talked to him and he said it was the humidity. So I feel better knowing that.”

Ohtani — who leads the NL with 38 home runs — remained in the game at designated hitter, but went 0 for 5, a day after he struck out four times. He hit a line drive to Cincinnati center fielder Will Benson for the final out.

“I don’t play defense. That helped, but at the same time we were playing a close game and I wanted to help the team win,” Ohtani said.

This was Ohtani’s seventh mound start in his comeback from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, which occurred after the 2023 season. He did not pitch at all last season, his first for the Dodgers after signing a 10-year, $700 million contract, but he starred at DH — finishing with 54 homers and 59 stolen bases — and won his third MVP award.

Even though it was cut short, it still was Ohtani's longest outing of his pitching comeback.

He threw 51 pitches, 32 for strikes, and allowed two runs on five hits in three-plus innings. He struck out four and walked two.

“A good thing about today’s outing is my pitch count was where I wanted it to be. I think this is a step forward in a sense," said Ohtani, who has a 2.40 ERA in 15 innings. “I didn’t feel great to be honest physically the past couple days.”

Ohtani has allowed four runs, three in the first inning. He has faced 63 batters, striking out 17 and walking five.

Ohtani's most-used pitch in his first six outings was the fastball (49%), followed by the sweeper (25%). Against the Reds, he threw only 14 fastballs and 29 sweepers. All eight of the Reds' swing-and-misses came on the sweeper.

“Rather than pitch type it was manipulating the way I was throwing. Just not trying to get too deep on my delivery. Just trying to focus on mechanics,” Ohtani said.

Noelvi Marte led off the Reds’ fourth with a single and advanced to third on Ohtani’s two wild pitches to Tyler Stephenson, who then walked.

Ohtani threw two balls to Steer and was replaced by Anthony Banda, who walked Steer and gave up Will Benson’s sacrifice fly that tied the game at 2-all.

As long as everything checks out, Ohtani's next start would be Aug. 6 against St. Louis at Dodger Stadium.

“He'll have a week and it will be at home, so there won’t be humidity to deal with,” Roberts said.

Ohtani might start having second thoughts though about facing the Reds on the mound. Prior to Wednesday, his last pitching appearance against Cincinnati was Aug. 23, 2023, for the Los Angeles Angels. He left in the second inning with a torn ligament in his elbow, an injury that led to his second Tommy John surgery.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani pauses during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani sits in the dugout after being relieved during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani is taken out of the game during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani flies out during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani talks to the media after a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani pauses during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani sits in the dugout after being relieved during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani is taken out of the game during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

AL HENAKIYAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Ricky Brabec deliberately gave up his motorbike lead over Luciano Benavides in the Dakar Rally while Nasser Al-Attiyah was happy to cruise through another day closer to his sixth car title on Thursday.

Al-Attiyah started 346-kilometer stage 11 between Bisha north to Al Henakiyah with a 12-minute overall lead and let it drop to less than nine minutes over new second-placed driver Nani Roma in a Ford.

Al-Attiyah was content to let Dacia teammate Sébastien Loeb catch up and pass him to have a teammate nearby for any help and to minimize errors on the mazy, dirt track. Al-Attiyah was 17th, nearly 13 minutes behind stage winner Mattias Ekström, and said he needed to execute the same plan on Friday's last effective racing stage before the end on Saturday.

“If we lose two, three, four minutes no problem,” Al-Attiyah said. “We just need to finish this Dakar in first place.”

Honda cooked up a strategy in the Saudi desert for Adrien van Beveren to open the way and let Brabec catch up after the 190-kilometer pit stop and pick up time bonuses.

Brabec boosted his overall lead from 56 seconds to nearly four minutes just 25 kilometers from the finish. He was also within a minute of the stage lead but he slowed down so KTM rival Benavides was the new overall leader, but only by 23 seconds.

Brabec got his his wish to start Friday's stage 12 six minutes behind Benavides, so he can eye him. They head west to the rally starting point of Yanbu on the Red Sea coast on 311 kilometers of gravel, some river beds with a finish in the dunes.

“A little bit of strategy today and hopefully it pays off tomorrow,” Brabec said. "I feel like its going to be a good day. We’re going back into the rocks so it will be a little bit better for us.”

Brabec is counting on his experience of winning the Dakar in 2020 and 2024 to trump Benavides, who has a best placing of fourth last year.

“I've been in this situation before,” Brabec said. “For the whole two weeks I've been just trying to stay relax, stay comfortable and just be confident, so two days more. I'm gonna do the same thing tomorrow that I've been doing every day; ride dirt bikes and have fun.”

Van Beveren helped Brabec with navigation while fighting with another teammate, Skyler Howes, the entire day for the stage win.

Howes prevailed by 21 seconds for his first career major stage in his eighth Dakar. He was third in 2023 and sixth last year. He's running fifth, 34 minutes off the pace.

Benavides was fourth in the stage and believed the race will be decided on the final 105-kilometer sprint on Saturday.

“I played no strategy like Ricky. I don't care,” Benavides said. “I'm doing what I can to control what I can control.”

Ekström won his third car stage of this Dakar, a special so fast that 12 other drivers were within 10 minutes.

Ford achieved another 1-2-3 stage. Romain Dumas, a three-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours, was a career-best second just over a minute back and Carlos Sainz was third.

Only Toyota's Henk Lategan beat Ekström to a checkpoint but Lategan's podium hopes were wrecked after 140 kilometers when a bearing broke on his rear left wheel. Lategan was second last year and second overall overnight but he plunged out of the top 15, at least.

Loeb moved up to third overall, 10 minutes behind Roma and three minutes ahead of Ekström.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Rider Daniel Sanders competes during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Fabian Lurquin compete during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Rider Skyler Howes competes during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Henk Lategan, left, and co-driver Brett Cummings repair their car during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Nani Roma and co-driver Alex Haro compete during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)