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WEST SACRAMENTO — The Dodgers pushed Shohei Ohtani’s next pitching start back to Friday night, when he’ll take on the Padres at Dodger Stadium. He was originally scheduled to make his next start in Wednesday’s series finale against the A’s at Sutter Health Park.
Ohtani has gone 8-2 with a 1.58 ERA through 13 starts. He has generally pitched on a weekly schedule, getting six days off in between starts, but the Dodgers have been open about the possibility of seeking opportunities to give him even more rest as needed.
With the Dodgers in the middle of a stretch of 13 straight games without an off-day, the team decided that now is the time. Ohtani will get a season-high eight days of rest in between his previous start last Wednesday and his upcoming start on Friday.
Ohtani has not missed a pitching start this season, even while dealing with some lingering soreness in his left knee and a blister on his right hand. Ohtani said that something with his pitching mechanics may have aggravated his knee back when he injured it in early June.
“I don’t think he’s 100% with his knee,” manager Dave Roberts said on Monday. “But as far as his swing mechanics, where he’s at, he’s on balance, he’s 100% in the box.”
The Dodgers have yet to announce their revised pitching plans leading up to Friday, but they are likely to run a bullpen game on Wednesday. They shored up their bullpen on Tuesday by recalling right-hander Wyatt Mills from Triple-A Oklahoma City and designating for assignment righty Jonathan Hernández. Parting ways with Hernández also clears a 40-man roster spot for Evan Phillips’ impending activation from the 60-day IL by the end of this week.
For Thursday’s opener at home against the Padres, Roki Sasaki could start on five days’ rest, as he’s already done five times this season.
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