Ohtani's start cut short in 4th due to cramping

CINCINNATI -- Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani left his start Wednesday night against the Cincinnati Reds after dealing with cramping in his right hip, he said after the team's 5-2 loss.

Ohtani threw six straight balls in the fourth inning, including two consecutive wild pitches. After a conference on the mound, he left the game accompanied by a trainer with a 2-0 count against Spencer Steer.

Ohtani, 31, remained in the game at designated hitter and finished 0-for-5.

Asked if he feels he'll be ready for his next start, Ohtani said he wanted to focus on recovering well and see how he feels Thursday.

"I felt it in the first inning and just tried to work around it and I was able to do it up until the third, and it didn't quite work out in the fourth," Ohtani said through an interpreter.

It was Ohtani's seventh mound start in his comeback from 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.

Ohtani leads the National League with 38 homers this season.

The Dodgers' plan for Wednesday was for Ohtani to throw four innings, which would have been the 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 want it to be," Ohtani said. "So I think this is a step forward in a sense."

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.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.