Shohei Ohtani takes the mound at a moment when the Dodgers are still managing his workload carefully, and the timing comes with a little extra intrigue. Los Angeles moved him back a couple of days to give him more recovery time between starts, a decision made with the bigger picture in mind as the club works through a stretch of 13 straight games without an off day.
Even with that adjustment, Ohtani has been dealing with what amounts to his toughest run on the mound this season. Over his last three outings, he has still been solid by most standards, giving up six earned runs in 18.2 innings - the kind of line that still averages out to a quality start. But the Dodgers have felt the strain elsewhere, and a blowout loss in a bullpen game kept them from sweeping the A’s in West Sacramento.
There’s also a new wrinkle behind the plate. Dalton Rushing is catching Ohtani instead of the injured Will Smith, and that change has already created some disruption.
Chuckie Robinson has started two of the last five games at catcher, and given the recent issues, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if the Dodgers had gone with him for Ohtani’s start. Instead, they chose to keep their young left-handed bat in the lineup and try to sort through the defensive problems.
On the other side, Michael King and the Padres are trying to stop a run of ugly results that has turned into a full-blown collapse on the scoreboard. San Diego has given up 35 runs over its last two games alone, including 12 to the Dodgers on Thursday and 23 to the Cubs before that. Even their previous two games, in which they allowed seven runs apiece, don’t fully capture how bad it’s been - you’d need the Dodgers’ last eight appearances to match the 18 innings in which the Padres have surrendered that many runs.
Friday’s game info
In Other News...
Kyle Tucker Just Sparked More Frustration Among Dodgers Fans
Kyle Tuckers first season in Los Angeles has already been a rough one on the field, and the off-field optics have not helped. With Tucker drawing far less media attention than many of his Dodgers teammates, the conversation around him has started to drift beyond baseball, especially after radio host Doug McKain pointed out that Tucker is seldom seen at his locker and suggested a little more availability could go a long way with fans.
Tucker then appeared to answer the chatter in his own way, posting a locker-room photo that seemed aimed squarely at the criticism. The image only added to the buzz around a player who has become an easy target for frustration, and it left Dodgers fans with one more reminder that in Los Angeles, even a quiet moment can turn into a storyline fast. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Face An Awkward Ohtani Dilemma Against The Padres
The Dodgers have settled on Dalton Rushing to catch Shohei Ohtani on Friday night against the Padres, a decision that comes after the club spent the previous day weighing its options. It is a notable pairing because the battery had a rough moment in the last outing, and Los Angeles has been trying to steady the situation while also managing Ohtanis workload with his start pushed back two days for extra rest.
Rushing has already taken accountability for his part in the previous game, and the Dodgers have been working with him on emotional control after several moments this season when his frustration has surfaced. With Will Smith still unavailable until after the All-Star break, the Dodgers do not have much flexibility behind the plate, which makes this matchup even more important as they try to keep Ohtani comfortable and avoid another awkward night. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Fans Should Be Watching Christian Zazueta Very Closely Right Now
Christian Zazueta has been one of the more encouraging arms in the Dodgers farm system this spring, and the early Double-A returns have only added to the buzz. The right-hander has opened his run with the Tulsa Drillers by working to a 1.00 ERA through his first two starts, a strong follow-up to a season that has already shown how quickly he can miss bats across two minor league levels.
The broader picture is what makes him worth tracking now. Zazueta has piled up 82 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings this year, and performances like his four-inning outing against Wichita, when he allowed one run and struck out eight, only sharpen the attention around him. For a Dodgers organization that is always weighing present needs against future value, a pitcher trending this well tends to draw notice fast, whether the conversation stays internal or starts to spill into the trade market. [Read more 🡒]