Dodgers Announce Last-Minute Pitching Switch in Pittsburgh Affecting Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani won't start the middle game of the Dodgers' three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, after all.

Emmet Sheehan, not Ohtani, was listed as the starter for Wednesday's game at PNC Park. No reason was given when the lineup was announced.

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Ohtani is listed as the Dodgers' designated hitter, however, suggesting he is not dealing with an injury that requires a full day of rest or a trip to the injured list.

The Dodgers hadn't announced their starting rotation for their series against the Baltimore Orioles, so it was unknown when Sheehan — who last pitched Aug. 25 — was going to start during the Dodgers' road trip.

The right-hander is 5-2 with a 3.56 ERA in 10 starts this season.

Ohtani last pitched Aug. 27, when he allowed one run in five innings in a victory against the Cincinnati Reds.

Since returning to pitching in June, Ohtani is 1-1 with a 4.18 ERA. He allowed nine runs in a span of two starts on the road in Denver and Anaheim on Aug. 13-20, and six runs in his other nine starts combined.

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Right-hander Braxton Ashcraft (4-2, 2.58 ERA) will start for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The switch from Ohtani to Sheehan is a bummer for fans in Pittsburgh hoping to see their own promising rookie face off against an all-time great, but perhaps the issue is a minor one in the context of the Dodgers' season.

Blake Snell is slated to oppose Paul Skenes on Thursday in Pittsburgh, another star-studded matchup pitting a two-time Cy Young Award winner against the reigning National League Rookie of the Year.

If the Dodgers choose to push back Ohtani and Snell's next starts by a day, Thursday's game would instantly become an even more hyped pitching matchup.

The task before Sheehan is not small. Clayton Kershaw struggled through five innings Tuesday against the Pirates en route to a 9-7 loss. The Dodgers are hoping to use their road trip to Pittsburgh and Baltimore — six games against two last-place teams in their respective divisions — to gain ground in the National League standings.

If the regular season ended today, the Dodgers would play the New York Mets in a best-of-three Wild Card series to begin the postseason.

Fortunately, nearly a month remains as the Dodgers look to clinch the National League West and a first-round bye. Sheehan has been a surprising part of their success to this point in the season, effectively winning a starting rotation job over Dustin May, who was traded to the Boston Red Sox on July 31.

Wednesday, Sheehan will have even bigger shoes to fill.

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