LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has established his starting rotation for this week’s Wild-Card Series against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers’ playoff rotation is so deep that all-world Shohei Ohtani isn’t officially in it, and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw isn’t on the Wild-Card roster.
Ohtani is the “possible” starter for Game 3 on Thursday evening if the best-of-three series goes that far, Roberts said. If it doesn’t, who knows? Kershaw, on the brink of retiring after 18 seasons, would be activated only if the Dodgers reach a National League Division Series, Roberts added. He probably won’t start.
Blake Snell, who missed four months with left shoulder inflammation, gets the call in Game 1 on Tuesday, and Roberts indicated Yoshinobu Yamamoto would start Wednesday’s evening’s Game 2.
So why isn’t Ohtani on the slate?
“The work load, and it’s the proper rest for Snell and Yamamoto,” Roberts said. “We don’t know what’s going to happen with Game 3, but there could be an off day after that. We’re just trying to think through everything.”
Ohtani, of course, will lead off as the designated hitter.
Where does Ohtani fit in as a pitcher? His use as a late-inning reliever wouldn’t seem to work because of the logistics–warming up in the bullpen at a time when he might still be hitting.
“With him being the best player in the world, he’ll fit in wherever he wants to fit in,” Mookie Betts said Monday. “If he wants to pitch, I’m pretty sure nobody in a Dodger uniform would say no.”
Ruth played for the Boston Red Sox in the 1916 and 1918 World Series, making three pitching starts and winning all three, two of them complete games including a Game 1 shutout of the Chicago Cubs in 1918. He also played a little left field in the series. Overall, he had one hit in 10 at-bats, a triple that drove in two runs in the 1918 series. There was no DH in those days; pitchers had to hit.
The Red Sox won those two Fall Classics, and didn’t win again until 2004, long after Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees. He didn’t pitch in any of the six World Series he played for the Yanks.
Ohtani won a World Series last fall when his Dodgers defeated the Yankees in five games. He didn’t pitch in those playoffs as he recovered from his second right elbow surgery and wasn’t actively back on the mound this season until June 16.
The buildup experiment seemed to work. He averaged about four innings a game across his first 13 starts until Sept. 23 at Arizona, when he maxed out at six innings and 91 pitches, allowing no runs on five hits with no walks and eight strikeouts.
At the plate, Ohtani hit 55 homers, drove in 102 runs and scored a Major League-leading 146 more. He’s a slam dunk for his third consecutive league MVP.
It all seemed to be set for Ohtani to open the playoffs on the mound and at DH. Then it didn’t happen. If he’s not hurt, what gives?
“I mean, we have four or five starters now, and we’re a lot deeper than when we went into the playoffs last year,” Betts said. “These guys are pitching well, and they all feed off each other. The front office did an amazing job giving us this kind of staff, and the boys have done an amazing job performing.”
To be sure, the Dodgers went into the 2024 postseason with only three healthy starters: Jack Flaherty, Walker Buehler and Yamamoto, with the latter two coming off injuries. Even in winning it all, they certainly could have used a healthy Ohtani.
Last year, Dodgers starters were 18th in Major League Baseball with a 4.23 ERA, which increased to 5.25 in the playoffs.
This year, because of an embarrassment of riches, Dodgers starters were ninth with a 3.69 ERA, and their entire staff was first overall with a 3.95 ERA heading into the postseason.
Last year, Snell was with the San Francisco Giants, but the Dodgers signed him in the offseason for five years, $182 million. He has rounded into shape following the injury, giving up just 14 earned runs across 52 1/3 innings in August and September.
“That’s why I came here,” Snell said. “To get to the postseason and see how good I can be.”
Yamamoto was 12-8 with a 2.49 ERA in 30 starts. Tyler Glasnow had a sore right shoulder at the end of last season but is fine right now. Kershaw came back off the scrap heap on May 17 and finished 11-2 with a 3.36 ERA in 22 games. Emmet Sheehan was 5-2 with a 3.17 ERA in 12 starts. And after struggling as a rookie starter, Roki Sasaki has looked sharper as a reliever since recently returning from a right shoulder injury.
Ohtani as a pitcher is now an afterthought. Just hit, and everything’s fine. The Dodgers are being cautious.
“This is as good a starting staff as I’ve had going into the postseason,” Roberts said recently.
Thus, he has some choices. When asked about his Game 2 and possible Game 3 starters on Monday, Roberts tried to demur. “No Game 3. Yamamoto will start Game 2,” he said.
Pressed on his plans for Ohtani, Roberts said, “If there’s a Game 3, he’ll probably start Game 3.”
It wasn’t a full-throated endorsement, but as Betts said, if Ohtani wants to pitch, nobody in a Dodger uniform is likely to say no.
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