Ohtani's bounce-back start becomes learning opportunity for Rushing

MINNEAPOLIS -- Dominance has been the baseline expectation for Shohei Ohtani whenever he steps onto a Major League mound. But his assignment Wednesday night at Target Field served as a clear testament to his resilience.

Faced with resetting after his first true rough patch of the 2026 season -- and pitching through a much-discussed right middle finger blister and left knee inflammation -- the Dodgers' two-way superstar responded by dialing up the volume. Literally.

Ohtani left his mark on both sides of the ball against the Twins, anchored by a fastball that averaged a career-high 100 mph.

By the time he handed things over to the bullpen, his final line stood at six innings, five hits, three runs (two earned), two walks and eight strikeouts on 89 pitches, as the Dodgers won, 4-3, to complete the sweep.

Ohtani’s most difficult inning was a chaotic bottom of the second, a frame defined by early miscommunication with rookie catcher Dalton Rushing. After yielding a leadoff single to Victor Caratini, a pair of one-out singles and a passed ball allowed Minnesota to tie the game before Ryan Kreidler ripped a two-run single to put the Dodgers in an early 3-1 hole.

"There were two pitches called," Ohtani explained through interpreter Will Ireton. "The first one was offspeed. The second pitch was a fastball. Rush thought that he was getting an offspeed because I started moving after the first pitch was called, but what I had in mind was the second pitch, which was a fastball."

Rather than letting the inning unravel, the battery adjusted by having Ohtani take complete control of the pitch-calling duties starting in the third.

The results came right away. Ohtani struck out the side in the bottom of the third -- fanning Byron Buxton, Kody Clemens and Josh Bell -- and went on a tear, retiring 13 of the final 15 batters he faced to finish out his night with four consecutive scoreless frames.

"There's really two ways of communicating ... one is by words, but the other way to be able to communicate is by example, and just taking the charge and showing Rush what kind of pitching style I'm capable of," Ohtani said of the decision to take over the game-calling. “In an ideal world, where I want to be is [in a place] for both of us to pitch in and really be able to shine because we have very different talents. That's the goal I want to go towards."

Roberts spent an extended period in the dugout during the game talking with Rushing -- who has been enduring a recent stretch of rookie growing pains on both sides of the ball -- to keep the young backstop anchored.

"I don't think it was a blow [to his ego]," Roberts said regarding Ohtani taking over the pitch calling. "I actually think it freed [Rushing] up. I think that if there's ever any doubt, the pitcher always has the right of last refusal and can call his own game. So I think once we decided to do that, then it was pretty clean after that."

Roberts also acknowledged the emotional weight the young catcher has been carrying: "He wants to do really well and expects a lot of himself. ... The last few games, he's had a tough go of it and swinging through some fastballs, which is a strength of his. It's a learning curve for everything. He's still trying to find his way in the big leagues."

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In the clubhouse after the win, a visibly frustrated Rushing did not pull any punches regarding his own performance.

"I thought Shohei did a good job. I didn't do a great job, start to finish. It was pretty embarrassing," Rushing admitted. "Thankfully, he's as good as he is and he could take control of a game. ... It’s a pretty tough pill as well, both sides of the ball. It was not a great show, and it hasn't been great as of late, and I'm gonna be better."

When asked if taking a back seat to Ohtani's pitch calling helped him learn the veteran’s preferences, Rushing said, "Yeah, I got a better idea, and I'm gonna be better."

The Dodgers head into a much-needed team off-day Thursday before a weekend series against the Padres in San Diego. For a young catcher looking to put a tough month behind him, the mental reset comes at the perfect time.

"Every off-day is great," Rushing said. "Reset, forget about what's happened this last month. And like I said, luckily, we've won baseball games. I just want to get back to doing my part."