Ohtani returns to mound and throws first sharp inning for Dodgers

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani pitched one hitless inning Sunday in his second mound start for the Los Angeles Dodgers, striking out two and allowing just one baserunner on an error by Mookie Betts. Ohtani threw 18 pitches against the Washington Nationals at Chavez Ravine, recording 12 strikes with one wild pitch. After leadoff hitter CJ Abrams grounded out, Betts dropped James Wood's popup in the sun, but Ohtani struck out Luis García Jr. and Nathaniel Lowe to end it. Ohtani then struck out on seven pitches as the Dodgers' leadoff hitter against Washington's Michael Soroka in the bottom half of the first. Ben Casparius replaced Ohtani in the second inning for the Dodgers, who likely saw what they hoped to see from their two-way superstar. Ohtani's fastball topped out at 98.8 mph after hitting 100 in his first outing, and he finished both of his strikeouts with breaking balls. Ohtani yielded two hits and a run while throwing 28 pitches in the first inning Monday against San Diego in his first mound outing since 2023. Before Ohtani faced Washington, Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said there's no firm timeline for the right-hander to extend his starts to full length. The Dodgers also have made no long-term decisions about how they will handle the day-to-day details of the dual pursuits of baseball's only serious two-way player in several decades. Roberts acknowledged that Ohtani could move out of his customary leadoff spot in the Dodgers' lineup on the days when he pitches, particularly at home. While Ohtani has told Roberts he isn't bothered by pitching the first inning and then going straight to the on-deck circle to be the Dodgers' first batter in the bottom half, Roberts recognizes it's not ideal. "He's said that he's completely fine with hitting leadoff (and) doesn't want to change," Roberts said. "So I think that for now, we'll stay status quo, but coming out of this one, you could say maybe it might make more sense to hit second or third or fourth." Ohtani went just 4 for 23 with 11 strikeouts at the plate in the Dodgers' previous six games before Sunday, and that includes his two-hit performance last Monday during his mound return. He had homered in just one of his past 18 games, although he still entered Sunday tied for third in the majors with 25 homers. The Dodgers will be patient with Ohtani as he readjusts to two-way life while managing the demands of both jobs. "I have not seen signs of fatigue," Roberts said. "I think that like all hitters, when you start chasing outside the strike zone, it's hard to have consistent success. I don't think that's a fatigue thing, but we'll manage it, and I think that I can only take him at his word, and the swing speed and stuff you track is still in line. Again, once we ramp up more, it might be a different conversation." Ohtani didn't pitch at all last season while recovering from arm surgery during his first season with the Dodgers under a 10-year, $700 million contract. He won his third MVP award while becoming the first player in baseball history with 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season, and the Dodgers won his first World Series championship. Ohtani entered Sunday third in the majors with a .996 OPS, but some of his other offensive numbers have gone down slightly this season while he returned to a steady throwing program. The Dodgers have no public concerns about Ohtani's production, remaining supportive of his two-way play — and they need his arm, given their season-long injury woes on the mound. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB