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.

A three-time MVP, Ohtani is hitting .297 with an NL-leading 1.035 OPS, 25 homers and 41 RBIs.