The Los Angeles Dodgers are planning to break from what became a recent trend by having Shohei Ohtani in their lineup for his pitching start against the San Diego Padres in the series finale at Petco Park.
Manager Dave Roberts said over the weekend “my expectation is he will hit” on Wednesday, and reiterated before the first game against the Padres that it remained “my plan.”
Should that come to fruition, it’s going to be Ohtani’s first time hitting and pitching in the same game since April 22. It will snap a streak of Ohtani making three pitching-only starts.
Dalton Rushing was the Dodgers’ designated hitter and in the leadoff spot when Ohtani pitched on April 28 and May 5, and Will Smith filled that role on May 13.
So far this season, Ohtani has only carried out his full two-way ability in three of seven pitching starts this season. The Dodgers have committed to maintaining flexibility under an overarching plan of preserving his health. That included not having Ohtani in their lineup for back-to-back games last week, a first in his Dodgers career.
“I just feel like he’s more energized,” Roberts said on Monday. “I think the couple days off did his body and mind some good.”
Whether or not there’s a relation, Ohtani came out of the rest days swinging a hot bat.
“I just think that the workload he’s doing right now, the six innings, the seven innings, is much more than he did last year,” Roberts noted. “So it’s kind of re-adjusting the managing of the bat and preparation. He’s calibrating.”
As a pitcher this season, Ohtani is 3-2 with a 0.82 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 50 strikeouts over 44 innings pitched. His performance has further fueled the notion that winning the National League MVP and Cy Young Award this season are within grasp.
“I think if he continues to do what he’s doing, they’re very good,” Roberts said of Ohtani’s odds for the awards. “He’s pitching his tail off. I expect him to keep getting better with the bat, so I like his chances.”
Shohei Ohtani downplays impact of rest
Although Roberts firmly believes the two games off from hitting suited Ohtani well, the 31-year-old isn’t as convinced. Ohtani said he already was starting to make progress with his swing before that stretch and his improved “posture and set up is pretty much key to a lot of my success.”
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