Ohtani struggled to command the ball at times, particularly to the glove side of the plate, and he was aided by a couple of perhaps generous strike calls from plate umpire Tripp Gibson.

Shohei Ohtani could return to a major league mound in the next two weeks but Los Angeles Dodgers rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki has paused his throwing program and is set for a lengthy layoff.

Ohtani will be the Dodgers' opener on Monday night and will be expected to throw for only an inning or two in his return to the mound after suffering a UCL tear in Aug. 2023.