Shohei Ohtani made a surprise start for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Friday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles, replacing scheduled starter Tyler Glasnow.
Glasnow was originally set to start the series opener against the Orioles, but was scratched due to back tightness. It is the second time this week the Dodgers have had a last minute change on the mound.
Ohtani himself supposed to expected on Monday against the Pittsburg Pirates but didn’t because of an illness.
Glasnow has accumulated a lengthy injury history in his short time with the Dodgers, but manager Dave Roberts is optimistic the right-hander will be back in the rotation during a series against the Colorado Rockies, according to Ian Quillen of MLB.com:
“The hope is that we push him back a few days and he can make a start early next week,” Roberts said.
The 32-year-old spent a significant amount of time this season on the injured list already due to right shoulder inflammation. Last season, Glasnow missed three weeks of the season due to back tightness. He also dealt with elbow tendinitis, which ultimately kept Glasnow sidelined for the rest of the 2024 season and through the playoffs.
Glasnow had made nine starts since being activated from the 60-day IL on July 9, owning a 3.02 ERA and racking up 58 strikeouts in 50.2 innings. Overall, he’s made 14 starts this year with a 3.41 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 81 strikeouts in 68.2 innings pitched.
The rest of the Dodgers’ probables against the Orioles should remain unchanged. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is slated to start on Saturday, while Clayton Kershaw takes the ball in the series finale.
Shohei Ohtani’s last minute replacement of Tyler Glasnow
After being scratched against the Pirates, Ohtani was then lined up to face the Orioles before the Dodgers pushed his start back again to the series opener against the Rockies at Dodger Stadium.
Roberts said the reason for that was because Ohtani was dealing with “some chest stuff” and fatigue stemming from his illness. However, Ohtani was the best option available for Friday with Glasnow a late scratch.
Ohtani threw 70 pitches over 3.2 innings in an admirable performance.
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