After finishing a costly homestand in which Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Mookie Betts were both lost to injuries, Shohei Ohtani is now in the leadoff spot of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup to start a four-game series with the Colorado Rockies.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had suggested Ohtani would take over for Betts, as the two-time American League MVP winner was the most obvious candidate. Additional Dodgers lineup changes include moving Will Smith to batting second, which Ohtani previously did.
That change splits up Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, which Roberts recently said he had been considering due to the offense sputtering.
Ohtani was in the leadoff spot once earlier this season when Betts was given a game off for rest, and otherwise did so on occasion throughout his career with the Los Angeles Angels.
Meanwhile, Smith is batting second for only the second time in his career. He previously did so when Ohtani was not in lineup on May 28 for the second game of a doubleheader against the New York Mets.
Defensively, Miguel Rojas gets the first opportunity to fill in at shortstop. Rojas figures to receive the majority of starts while Betts is out, but Kiké Hernández should see time there as well. The Dodgers are 19-0 this season when Rojas has at least one hit.
Rojas and the new-look Dodgers lineup look to provide run support for James Paxton in his 13th start of the season. Paxton enters 6-1 with a 3.92 ERA and 1.41 WHIP, and is coming off a bounce-back outing in which he held the Texas Rangers to just one run over six innings.
The Rockies counter with Cal Quantrill, who has gone 6-4 with a 3.30 ERA and 1.25 WHIP so far this season. He pitched just 4.1 innings and allowed four runs on nine hits in a start at Dodger Stadium earlier this month.
Miguel Vargas was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City as a corresponding move to Betts going on the 10-day injured list.
Dodgers lineup
DH: Shohei Ohtani
C: Will Smith
1B: Freddie Freeman
LF: Teoscar Hernández
CF: Andy Pages
RF: Jason Heyward
SS: Miguel Rojas
3B: Cavan Biggio
2B: Gavin Lux
Rockies lineup
CF: Brenton Doyle
LF: Nolan Jones
SS: Ezequiel Tovar
C: Jacob Stallings
RF: Michael Toglia
1B: Elehuris Montero
DH: Hunter Goodman
3B: Alan Trejo
2B: Adael Amador
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