Shohei

Ohtani

Ohtani left with a one-run lead, but that was blown right away in the seventh in the eventual 4-3 loss. The Dodgers were hamstrung today after Ohtani’s very first pitch of the game was accidentally challenged; Ohtani was just adjusting his cap, but catcher Will Smith saw him and tapped his head, thinking Ohtani wanted an overrule. However, the ball was clearly low, and the Dodgers never risked using their second challenge, even though they had a couple of occasions when they should have. Ohtani ended up going 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts at the plate. He struck out only two on the mound and was often checking out his hand late in the outing, indicating that perhaps he was having a nail or blister issue. His velocity was better today; he averaged 98.3 mph with his fastball, up from 96.8 mph in his debut. He’ll probably make his next start on six days’ rest next Wednesday against the Mets.

Ohtani got a little scare in the game, as he was in some pain after getting hit on the back of his left elbow by catcher Brandon Valenzuela’s followthrough on an attempted pickoff at first base. It was probably just a funny bone issue, though. Valenzuela was also left with some sore fingers, but both continued without incident.

The Nationals were up 6-1 after five, but that wasn’t enough. Ohtani was responsible for the Dodgers’ one early run, taking Foster Griffin deep in the third. He has two homers and six RBI through nine games. His next start as a pitcher is due to come Wednesday in the finale of a three-game against the Blue Jays starting on Monday.

The cure for the offensive slump? More Miles Mikolas. Ohtani homered off the right-hander to open proceedings on a five-run Dodgers third inning, and added a sacrifice fly in the ninth to bring home Alex Call. The superstar has boosted his batting average to .217. We’re expecting that to keep climbing.

Roberts added that Justin Wrobleski will temporarily move into the rotation to build in some extra rest for everyone else. Ohtani simultaneously holds the longest active scoreless pitching streak (22 2/3 innings) and the longest active on-base streak (36 games) in baseball right now. The 31-year-old two-way superstar tossed six shutout innings on Tuesday against the Guardians while also reaching base safely three times. He’ll get a couple extra days of rest before taking the ball to close out a three-game rematch of last year’s thrilling Fall Classic.

Ohtani had an outstanding season debut on the mound, holding the Guardians scoreless over six frames. He allowed just one hit and issued three walks while striking out six on 11 whiffs. Ohtani topped out at 99 mph and sat 96.8 mph on a rainy night in Los Angeles. The 31-year-old two-way star added a hit and two walks at the dish. He lines up to make his next start on the mound Monday against the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Throughout the spring, the second base position had been framed as a platoon situation between Santiago Espinal and Alex Freeland, so naturally it’s Rojas who gets the start there on Opening Day. It’s likely just manager Dave Roberts respecting and giving the nod to the 37-year-old veteran for Opening Day. Here’s the full lineup against Zac Gallen on Opening Day: Shohei Ohtani (DH), Kyle Tucker (RF), Mookie Betts (SS), Freddie Freeman (1B), Will Smith (C), Max Muncy (3B), Teoscar Hernandez (LF), Andy Pages (CF) and Miguel Rojas (2B).

All of the runs came in the fifth, when he allowed three straight singles to open the inning and then got pulled. None of the singles were hard-hit. Through the first four innings, he’d allowed just one hard-hit ball and struck out more than two-thirds of the batters he faced, even though his velocity was down about two mph from last year. He’ll make his season debut as a pitcher Tuesday against the Guardians.

Sheehan will follow Opening Day starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto with Tyler Glasnow closing out a three-game season-opening series against Arizona. It’ll be Roki Sasaki followed by Shohei Ohtani early next week to kick off a three-game set against the Guardians at Dodger Stadium. There are some reasons for mild concern with Sheehan fantasy-wise after experiencing some diminished velocity this spring but he’s still going to be a viable mixed-league fantasy contributor. It’ll be Justin Wrobleski operating in a piggyback role, most likely with either Sheehan or Sasaki the first time through the rotation.

Katie Woo of The Athletic reported earlier Sunday that Sheehan might not get a start the first time through, but it’s now confirmed that he will. Justin Wrobleski, who was the alternative to Sheehan, will piggyback off one of the starters. Based on spring performance, Sasaki, who will start the final game of the opening series against the D-backs, would seem to be the most likely choice. Given how much Sasaki struggled in spring, fantasy managers in deeper formats could still roster Wrobleski in case Sasaki’s struggles force him into bulk relief appearances or a starting job. Sheehan and Ohtani will get the Guardians next Monday and Tuesday.