It was all about Shohei Ohtani today, making his first start this spring and showcasing the stuff that makes him one of the filthiest pitchers in the game—Ohtani pitched into the fifth inning when he was relieved by Edgardo Henríquez, helping Los Angeles on their way to a 5-1 win over the Giants. Possessing one of the more vast arsenals in the game, Ohtani sat roughly a mile per hour slower on his two fastballs (sinker and four-seamer), which is to be expected. The more surprising bit was that all of his off-speed pitches came significantly slower than usual, not that it had any negative effect on his performance. For instance, the sweeper came in at an average of 82.8 MPH, 2.2 lower than his average last season.
Other than a couple of free passes, not finding the zone quite so frequently with his four-seam fastball, Ohtani didn’t give the Giants much of a chance, allowing only a hit in his 4.1 innings of work. Keeping track of his workload, Ohtani left the game on 61 pitches, pretty much ready for the start of the regular season.
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It’s only spring training, but don’t tell Freddie Freeman that. The Dodgers’ star first baseman has been on fire this spring and managed his first long shot, going down below the zone to connect on a curveball against Landon Roupp. Reaching base safely twice against Roupp, Freeman is now hitting .423 in 28 at-bats, the second-highest mark among Dodger regulars. Freeman only trails Teoscar Hernández, whose outstanding spring offers a bit more hope that he can turn the page on what was a disappointing regular season in 2025. The Dodgers’ starting left fielder was responsible for one of the five RBI from the Dodgers.
Maybe it was Freeman who was hot, or perhaps just his spot in the lineup, given that his replacement proceeded to hit the second Dodger home run of the game. Former Red Nick Senzel went yard, thus raising his OPS this spring above 1.000.
The Giants’ sole run of the game came on a solo shot allowed by Tanner Scott in the eighth inning. The latest victim of Victor Bericoto, one of the standout performers for the Giants this spring.
Up next
The Dodgers are off on Thursday, returning to action against another divisional opponent on Friday as Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start against the San Diego Padres, his last start before the beginning of the regular season. The first pitch is at 6:05 PM Pacific time.
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