Shohei Ohtani leaves the mound early after suffering from cramping in his hip

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is hopeful that he will be able to make his next mound start after his outing Wednesday night was cut short by cramping in his right hip.

CINCINNATI — Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is hopeful that he will be able to make his next mound start after his outing Wednesday night was cut short by cramping in his right hip.

Ohtani was scheduled to go four innings on a hot, humid night against the Cincinnati Reds, but he left without recording an out in the fourth after he threw six straight balls, including two consecutive wild pitches.

The 31-year old reigning NL MVP said he started to cramp in the first inning.

"Just tried to work around it. I was able to do so up until the third and it didn't quite work out in the fourth," Ohtani said through an interpreter after the Dodgers' 5-2 loss.

Ohtani and manager Dave Roberts both blamed the cramping on the weather. The temperature at first pitch was 90 degrees Fahrenheit with a heat index near 100.