Shohei Ohtani And Justin Wrobleski Team Up To Lead Dodgers Over Rays

Whenever Shohei Ohtani is questioned, it seems, he does thing spectacular.

On Tuesday, pinch chat still swirling complete whether his knee problem from nan week earlier would power his two-way readiness erstwhile he took nan mound Wednesday, Ohtani collapsed unfastened a scoreless standoff pinch a sixth-inning solo location run.

It held arsenic nan winning run, arsenic the Dodgers went connected to hit the Rays 1-0.

Up to that point, neither team’s starting pitcher had flinched.

Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski had fixed up conscionable 3 hits successful six scoreless innings. And he hadn’t allowed much than 1 baserunner successful immoderate inning, squashing nan scrappy Rays’ expertise to manufacture a run.

Though nan Dodgers had made much viable scoring threats against Rays starter Drew Rasmussen, they’d travel up short for 5 innings.

They moreover came wrong a mates feet of scoring successful nan 2nd inning, but nan Rays pulled disconnected a instrumentality play to propulsion retired Kyle Tucker astatine home.

Rays catcher Nick Fortes tags retired Kyle Tucker trying to people successful nan 2nd inning.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

With runners connected first and third, Alex Freeland laid down a bunt to Rasmussen. When he fielded it cleanly, Tucker shuffled backmost toward 3rd base. But past Rasmussen turned and fired toward 2nd base, and Tucker took off. Rays shortstop Taylor Ward trim disconnected nan propulsion successful beforehand of nan guidelines and trim down Tucker arsenic he slid headfirst for nan plate.

For nan adjacent 3 innings, nan Dodgers (47-27) grounded to scope base.

Then Ohtani happened.

Leading disconnected nan sixth inning, Ohtani pounced connected a cutter that drifted toward nan bosom of nan plate.

He launched it to straightaway halfway field, wherever it bounced connected nan netting beyond nan fence.

Rasmussen lasted done nan seventh inning, leaving that location tally arsenic nan only blemish connected his outing. Then
the 2 bullpens duked it retired to a tie successful precocious innings.

Justin Wrobleski delivers during nan first inning Tuesday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Hours before, Ohtani threw disconnected a mound to trial his knee earlier his scheduled pitching commencement Wednesday.

“On what my eyes saw, I consciousness beautiful bully astir it,” head Dave Roberts said aft watching Ohtani play catch.

Roberts will, however, beryllium keeping a adjacent oculus connected Ohtani, aft his bout of knee inflammation precocious past week. Ohtani theorized complete nan play that problems pinch his pitching mechanics whitethorn person aggravated his knee.

“He wants to beryllium retired there, he wants to make his start,” Roberts said. “But nan drawback play, really he feels, nan swelling is wholly dissipated. So those signs correct location springiness america assurance that he’s going to beryllium fine.”

Before nan crippled Tuesday, Roberts said he hadn’t yet decided whether Ohtani would besides deed Wednesday.

Glasnow hopes to statesman throwing soon

In retrospect, it’s clear to right-hander Tyler Glasnow that he tried to commencement throwing a small excessively quickly aft backmost spasms pulled him retired of his commencement against nan Astros connected May 6. But astatine nan clip of nan injury, Glasnow, who is nary alien to backmost problems, was encouraged.

“It didn’t consciousness arsenic bad erstwhile I first did it,” Glasnow told The Times connected Tuesday.

Nearly a period and a half later, Glasnow has doubly tried to restart throwing, and doubly he’s had to unopen it backmost down.

“Frustrating, for sure,” Glasnow said. “Just because it happens truthful frequently. A batch of times I conscionable want to find a measurement to reside nan underlying issues of why it happens.”

He has yet to find that semipermanent solution, but he said he does not expect to person to yet move to surgery.

Glasnow, encouraged by his improvement, said he expects to commencement throwing again “soon.”

“We’re conscionable waiting for it to beryllium fully, afloat healed,” he said.

Edman activated

As expected, nan Dodgers activated Tommy Edman (right ankle surgery) disconnected nan injured database Tuesday and designated inferior man Santiago Espinal for assignment.

Edman didn’t make his play debut Tuesday but Roberts said he’ll play a substance of 2nd base, 3rd and near field, pinch his playing clip dictated by factors specified arsenic opposing pitcher matchups and near fielder Teoscar Hernández’s (strained near hamstring) travel backmost from nan IL.