Dodgers pull Shohei Ohtani after concerning stretch of wild pitches vs Reds

UPDATE: We're good, Dodgers fans! Ohtani had to leave his start due to cramps. Nothing serious!

While Dodgers fans anxiously checked their phones every two minutes to see if Andrew Friedman had woken up and made a deal ahead of the trade deadline, Shohei Ohtani was making his seventh start against the Reds. Ohtani was quick to surrender a run, but he got out of the second and third without anymore damage. Unfortunately, things started to go wrong in the fourth.

Noelvi Marte singled on a hanging sweeper, and then Ohtani's next two pitches went wild, sending Marte to third. Tyler Stephenson then walked on four straight balls — two way out of the zone — before Ohtani motioned toward the dugout.

Dave Roberts came out accompanied by translator Will Ereton and a trainer, then Ohtani left the mound looking frustrated. The Reds broadcast caught him still in the dugout — a good sign that there was nothing so urgent that he had to descend into the tunnel and get it checked out immediately — and he dutifully stepped up for his next at-bat before the fifth ended. Nonetheless, we're going to have to hold our breath and wait on official word from the team.

Dodgers fans hold their breath after Shohei Ohtani is pulled from a start against the Reds

The Dodgers have been handling Ohtani with so much care in his return to the mound for a reason: they can't afford to lose him from the lineup. In his last year with the Angels, he continued to hit even after having some elbow issues that ended his ability to pitch for the year, but he was taken out altogether by early September after undergoing surgery.

If Ohtani can still hit, great, but the worry still stands. If he doesn't pitch but continues to hit, will that exacerbate an elbow issue, which could then lead to even longer-term consequences down the line?

The Dodgers need to figure out what's wrong with Ohtani fast, while there's still time. If he needs an IL stint, could they go all gas, no brakes and attempt a trade for a slugger on the market before the Thursday deadline? If the Dodgers entered the Eugenio Suárez market, that'd be bad news for everyone else.

Of course, the best-case scenario here is that Ohtani was just dealing with some discomfort that he didn't want to push by staying out any longer. The Dodgers have already had their fair share of frustrations with injuries this year, and losing Ohtani might be an insurmountable blow.