Dodgers' reported loose timetable on Shohei Ohtani's return to pitching is all part of the plan

The Los Angeles Dodgers have not been playing their best baseball of late, and for fans, it's reasonable to start looking for a savior. While they snapped their seven-game losing streak and beat up on the lowly Kansas City Royals, dropping three out of four to the Milwaukee Brewers was concerning.

Since August 1, the starting rotation has put together a 4.54 ERA, ranking 20th in the majors. It's far from the only problem with the team, but it's a big one. The news that Shohei Ohtani has begun throwing makes it sound like help is on the horizon, but don't get too excited just yet.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that Los Angeles is expecting Ohtani back on the mound in September as long as there are no setbacks. It appears that this won't be a rush job, and that the club will ensure that his knee and biceps issues are fully resolved before pushing him back into action.

Similar to the idea behind the Blake Snell conspiracy theory the Dodgers were accused of, it seems like the team is taking no chances with Ohtani and also Tyler Glasnow. That's not because they're just hoping to roll them out for the playoffs. These guys are actually dealing with injuries, and the games in October simply matter more than the games they're playing now.

The Dodgers slow playing Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow is a double-edged sword

The Dodgers are afforded the luxury of taking their time with these injured arms, thanks in part to the foresight they showed at the trade deadline by holding on to a guy like Eric Lauer. Lauer is capable of giving them quality innings that should result in wins if the offense holds up its end of the bargain, but when push comes to shove, he's likely on the outside looking in at the playoff roster.

That presents an interesting dilemma, however. The offense has been struggling of late. LA ranks 21st in OPS (.672) and 25th in runs scored (50) since August 1. As good as a guy like Lauer is, he's not good enough to consistently emerge victorious with no run support.

The Dodgers want badly to win their third straight World Series title. That's what's driving the caution. However, being too cautious down the stretch could cost them and make the road to another ring that much more difficult.

Los Angeles stands to lose a first-round bye and home-field advantage if the club continues to falter down the stretch. If that happens, it could mean having to travel to Atlanta and Milwaukee for series-deciding games, rather than staying home.

So while you want to ensure that players like Ohtani, Glasnow, and Snell are healthy to fill out the playoff rotation behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto, you also don't want to substantially increase the degree of difficulty to reach the mountaintop.

That's where complementary baseball comes in. The Dodgers are going to need the offense to step up and help them through the next couple of weeks while they await the return of these all-important hurlers. If it can, things will fall into place nicely. If not, it will amp of the pressure when the lights are the brightest.

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