Ohtani (0.82 ERA) set to hit as he starts on mound vs. Padres Wednesday

SAN DIEGO -- The two-way show is back in action on Wednesday night at Petco Park.

After solely serving as a pitcher in his last three starts on the mound, Shohei Ohtani is expected to hit and pitch in the Dodgers' series finale against the Padres. Ohtani brings a 0.82 ERA into the contest, the best mark among all Major Leaguers who have pitched at least 25 innings this season.

Ohtani is pitching against the Padres for the first time since last June 16, which marked his return to the mound after spending close to two years rehabbing from a second major surgery on his right elbow. Ohtani gave up one run in one inning back then, the first step of a regimented buildup at the big league level.

Since that outing against the Padres, Ohtani has been one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. In that span, Ohtani has struck out 112 hitters across 90 innings in 20 starts, leading Major League starters with a 1.80 ERA (min. 35 innings).

The version of Ohtani who takes the mound at Petco Park on Wednesday will be very different than the one who faced the Padres last June. Back then, Ohtani was facing hitters for just the fourth time in his rehab progression. Now, Ohtani has his feet under him and is pitching like a Cy Young contender.

"We've all seen that transformation," manager Dave Roberts said after Ohtani twirled seven scoreless innings in his previous start. "He wants to be the best pitcher in baseball, and right now, he's doing it. And so you can tell he's hyper-focused on the preparation part of it, and then obviously the days that he starts, the execution."

While Ohtani was dominating on the mound, he was still finding his footing at the plate. He admitted to feeling some extra motivation to pitch well when he's not contributing as a hitter, and last week, he was out of the starting lineup in back-to-back games for an opportunity to reset.

It seems to have served him well. Including the solid game he had before his two-game reset, Ohtani has hit safely in six straight games. He ended a drought with one homer that left the yard -- and one of the Little League variety that did not.

"My strike-zone awareness is a lot better. I feel like I'm seeing the ball better, the K-zone better," Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. "But also the angle of the baseball that's taking off from my bat, the higher I see, the more home runs I would expect to see."

Ohtani has just one hit in 10 at-bats in the games he's pitched this season. As he starts to heat up at the plate, he'll look to carry that into the two-way performance that only he is capable of putting on.