Shohei Ohtani skipping pitching start Wednesday against Athletics to get extra rest

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani will skip his scheduled pitching start Wednesday against the Athletics to get some extra rest, manager Dave Roberts said.

The Dodgers are in the midst of playing 13 games in 13 days, and Roberts wanted to make sure that the Japanese sensation got a break. Ohtani is slated to pitch in San Diego on Friday.

“If there’s any opportunity to give him some extra rest, we’re going to try to take advantage of it,” Roberts said. “So pushing him to Friday allows us to have him still take two starts before the break and get on two division opponents. In that vein, there’s just no downside. This made too much sense.”

Ohtani is 8-2 with a 1.58 ERA in 13 starts this season. The four-time MVP has 82 strikeouts and 24 walks in 79 2/3 innings this season.

Roberts indicated that Ohtani will be the Dodgers designated hitter for the series finale against the A’s on Wednesday.

“It’s mostly schedule-driven,” Roberts said. “We talked to Shohei and he was agreeing to whatever we felt, knowing it’s best for him. There’s no downside with him losing starts, get more rest. That was the whole driver.”

Roberts said the Dodgers will go with a bullpen game in Ohtani’s absence on Wednesday.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb