On Thursday, Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly predicted Ohtani would do exactly that. "Pete Crow-Armstrong, James Wood, Kyle Tucker, and Pete Alonso are among the other players who would factor into the NL MVP race if it took place today, but Ohtani would probably win it," Kelly wrote.

The Dodgers and Astros play a three-game series on a holiday weekend. Los Angeles crowds are not fond of Jose Altuve and his Houston crew.

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani launched his 30th home run of the season on Tuesday night as part of a win against the Chicago White Sox (box score). In the process, Ohtani became the third player to clear the 30-homer mark this season (joining Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh and New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge) and tied a Dodgers franchise record by becoming the second player to tally 30 home runs before the All-Star break.