Shohei Ohtani was lined up to be one of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starters for their series against the Pittsburg Pirates, but was replaced by Emmet Sheehan on Wednesday despite remaining in the lineup as the designated hitter.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained that Ohtani was scratched from his pitching start at PNC Park due to being under the weather. The initial expectation was for Ohtani to instead start at some point during the series against the Baltimore Orioles.
However, Roberts has since revealed the right-hander won’t pitch before the Dodgers finish their road trip this weekend. Ohtani’s next start instead has been pushed back Monday, in the series opener against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium.
The decision stemmed from wanting to provide Ohtani with ample rest to recover, per Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“Just to give him some extra time. Just to kind of get his body, all the stuff he’s going through,” Roberts said. “He’s still kind of dealing with some chest stuff and some fatigue … so I think that to give him the best chance to go five innings, I think that was kind of the thought.”
Ohtani should remain in the Dodgers lineup as their designated hitter going forward despite having his start on the mound pushed back.
He was primed to make his 12th start of the season for the Dodgers prior to falling ill. In his last outing, Ohtani completed five innings for the first time this season and also set a season high with nine strikeouts against the Cincinnati Reds.
The Dodgers had taken a strong stance on limiting Ohtani’s innings to five per outing, but their attitude seems to have to softened following this start against the Reds.
Not only did Roberts appear to leave the door open for Ohtani to potentially extend his innings limit in the future, but it’s also a possibility that the right-hander is open to exploring with his doctors and the organization.
However, Ohtani would have to receive a clear green light from his doctors before the Dodgers consider extending him. Roberts has previously stated that this decision would not be made out of desperation to gain ground in the division standings.
What Shohei Ohtani’s schedule means for Clayton Kershaw
Instead of Ohtani, it will be Clayton Kershaw taking the mound against the Orioles on Sunday. The start is going to Kershaw’s first career appearance against the Orioles and his first time pitching at Camden Yards.
After posting a 1.88 ERA across 28.2 innings last month, the left-hander surrendered four earned runs in five innings against the Pirates on Tuesday.
Overall, Kershaw has a 3.28 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 61 strikeouts in 93.1 innings this season.
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