Shohei Ohtani was originally slated to start Wednesday night on the mound against the Pirates, but the Dodgers changed plans. Emmet Sheehan, who after a pair of off days surrounding the weekend was going to be skipped this time through the rotation, will start instead in the middle game of this mid-week series at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
Manager Dave Roberts told reporters in Pittsburgh that Ohtani wasn’t feeling well Tuesday, and will pitch at some point during the weekend series against the Orioles.
Ohtani remains atop the Dodgers lineup as the designated hitter, as he’s started all but three games this season, missing two for the birth of his daughter in April, then getting a rest day at Coors Field on August 21 the day after a pitching start.
Four of Ohtani’s previous five pitching starts came on a Wednesday directly before a scheduled Thursday off day for the team. Over the weekend at Dodger Stadium, manager Dave Roberts said he didn’t plan to sit Ohtani offensively down the stretch, calling the Coors Field reset day “pretty much a one-time situation when we were in Colorado.”
Sheehan last pitched on August 25, last Monday against the Reds when he struck out 10 in a career-high seven scoreless innings. He was available out of the bullpen over the weekend, and was warming up to potentially pitch the 10th inning and beyond against the Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon, but Will Smith in a pinch made sure Sheehan’s services were not required on that day.
