The National League MVP race was beginning to feel familiar. Shohei Ohtani would do something absurd, everyone else would applaud politely and voters would hand him another trophy.

Pete Crow-Armstrong has interrupted that little ceremony.

Ohtani remains the favorite, but his sore left knee has changed the race. He has not pitched since July 3, leaving voters to evaluate him primarily as a designated hitter. Crow-Armstrong, meanwhile, is building a case in nearly every part of the game.

This is suddenly a real argument.

Shohei Ohtani is missing half of his sales pitch

Ohtani is batting .292 with 26 home runs, 71 RBI and a .937 OPS. Those numbers would make him an MVP candidate even if he had never touched a pitching mound.

They do not make him untouchable.

What usually turns Ohtani’s candidacy into a landslide is everything he does as a pitcher. He went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA through 14 starts before his knee forced the Los Angeles Dodgers to shut down that part of his season.

Ohtani resumed playing catch Saturday, but Los Angeles does not need to hurry. The Dodgers acquired Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline and expect Blake Snell to return from the injured list. They can afford to let Ohtani recover without asking him to pitch through discomfort.

That is the sensible decision for October. It may cost him votes in November.

Pete Crow-Armstrong can win games in more ways

Crow-Armstrong begins the week with a .286 average, 26 home runs, 71 RBIs and a .931 OPS.

Look familiar?

He has essentially matched Ohtani’s offensive production while playing center field for the Chicago Cubs. Crow-Armstrong can save a run in the outfield, create one on the bases and then hit a ball into the bleachers during his next plate appearance.

Ohtani cannot make that defensive argument as the Dodgers’ designated hitter. When he was pitching, nobody cared. A 1.79 ERA tends to end those conversations rather quickly.

Without those starts, the comparison becomes far less comfortable for Ohtani.

Crow-Armstrong also has the benefit of playing for a team headed in the right direction. The Cubs are among the National League’s best clubs. Los Angeles has lost eight of its last nine and four consecutive series.

The Dodgers’ collapse is hardly Ohtani’s fault. He has hit .342 with three home runs across his last 10 games, including a two-homer performance against Chicago and the winning single Saturday in Arizona.

Still, voters notice when one candidate’s team is surging and the other is limping through August. They always have.

September could decide everything

Crow-Armstrong has not passed Ohtani yet. He has merely made it possible.

Ohtani can slam the door by returning to the mound and resembling the pitcher who dominated during the first half. Even a handful of strong starts would remind voters why comparing him with a traditional position player can feel ridiculous.

If he does not pitch again, Crow-Armstrong has a path. He must keep hitting, continue creating runs with his legs and remain brilliant in center field while Chicago chases a division title.

Ohtani has made MVP races boring through no fault of his own. He has simply been too good.

His knee has finally added some suspense. Crow-Armstrong now has two months to steal the ending.