Kim Hye-sung (Los Angeles Dodgers) watches his teammate Shohei Ohtani's return to pitching from the bench. Despite facing an opposing right-handed starter, he was once again overlooked by the manager.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are gearing up for the first game of a four-game home series against the San Diego Padres on the 17th at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, U.S.
The Dodgers have set their starting lineup against San Diego's right-handed starter Dylan Cease, which includes Shohei Ohtani (pitcher), Mookie Betts (shortstop), Freddie Freeman (first baseman), Teoscar Hernández (right fielder), Will Smith (catcher), Max Muncy (third baseman), Andy Páez (center fielder), Michael Conforto (left fielder), Tommy Edman (second baseman).
With Kim Hye-sung excluded from the starting lineup against right-handed Cease, Edman will play second base and Páez will take over center field just like the previous day against the San Francisco Giants. Despite a remarkable record of a .382 batting average, 2 home runs, 11 RBIs, and 6 stolen bases over 30 games, Kim Hye-sung has faced the manager's oversight for two consecutive games.
The major topic for the Dodgers that day was the return of two-way player Ohtani to pitching. After finishing the previous day's game against the San Francisco Giants, Manager Roberts surprised everyone by naming Ohtani as the starting pitcher, marking his return to pitching 663 days after his last game as a pitcher on Aug. 24, 2023, against the Cincinnati Reds. Ohtani had been focusing solely on hitting since joining the Dodgers due to Tommy John surgery and left shoulder surgery.
Ohtani's career statistics as a Major League pitcher include 86 games, 38 wins, 19 losses, and an earned run average of 3.01. His career high came in 2022 with 28 games, 15 wins, 9 losses, and an ERA of 2.33 (166 innings, 43 earned runs), and in 2023, his last year playing both positions, he had 23 games, 10 wins, 5 losses, and an ERA of 3.14 (132 innings, 46 earned runs), while as a hitter, he played in 135 games with a .304 batting average, 151 hits, 44 home runs, 95 RBIs, 102 runs scored, and an OPS of 1.066.
San Diego submitted a lineup against Ohtani that includes Fernando Tatis Jr. (right fielder), Luis Arraez (first baseman), Manny Machado (third baseman), Gavin Sheets (left fielder), Xander Bogaerts (shortstop), Jake Cronenworth (second baseman), Trenton Brooks (designated hitter), Tyler Wade (center fielder), Martín Maldonado (catcher).
The Dodgers currently lead the National League West division with a record of 43 wins and 29 losses, while San Diego is in third place with 39 wins and 31 losses. The gap between the two teams is 3 games.
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