Dave Roberts responds to Cubs manager's criticism of Shohei Ohtani rule as tensions mount

Everyone is always griping about Shohei Ohtani. Sometimes it's John Schneider and Blue Jays chirping about Ohtani getting extra time to warm up, and sometimes it's Cubs manager Craig Counsell complaining that the Dodgers get to carry an extra pitcher on their roster.

When talking about his own club's pitching woes, Counsell dragged Ohtani and the Dodgers into the conversation.

"I've never understood it," he said. "It's an offensive rule, essentially. It's a rule to help offense, more than anything, if you ask me. And then there's one team that's allowed to carry basically one of both, and he gets special consideration, which is probably the most bizarre rule. For one team."

Dave Roberts had a pitch-perfect response to Counsell's gripes. "The thing is it certainly benefits us because we have the player," he said. "But that's something that any team that had Ohtani would have that player. We're more than willing for other teams to go out and find a player who can do both. He's an exception because he’s an exceptional player. It is what it is."

That really says it all. If you want to be a beneficiary of the rule, go get a player who can do both.

Dave Roberts had the perfect response to Craig Counsell's criticism of Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani rule

Nowhere in the language around the Ohtani rule does it dictate that the Dodgers can be the only team to use it. In theory, Counsell could trot out Pete Crow-Armstrong as both a pitcher and a hitter and see how that goes.

The Dodgers have already proven that they can win with Ohtani on the mound but not in the lineup anyway. Last week against the Mets, he made his third start of the season while Dalton Rushing took over at DH. Rushing hit a grand slam, the first of his career, and the Dodgers walked away with an 8-2 win (though, to be fair, it doesn't take a lot to beat the Mets these days).

If the Dodgers were forced to keep Ohtani out of the lineup every time he pitches, the odds are that they would win anyway.

Counsell is clearly just salty about the state of his own pitching staff. Matthew Boyd and Cade Horton are missing from the rotation, and Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, and Daniel Palencia are missing from the bullpen. Tough break, man, but don't take that out on the Dodgers. Or just make PCA a starting pitcher, if you care that much. You can do it too, Craig.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow