The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night on a Will Smith walk-off homer. They have now won five straight games, rising from an NL West tie to a 4.5 game lead in a matter of days. But the biggest story in Chavez Ravine has been on the mound. Shohei Ohtani is pitching for the first time as a Dodger, throwing one inning on Monday. Dave Roberts announced Ohtani's next outing after the Smith walk-off.

“Shohei Ohtani’s next pitching outing is Sunday against the Nationals, Dave Roberts said,” Fabia Ardaya of The Athletic reported.

Ohtani pitched just one inning to start Monday's game against the Padres, allowing two hits and one run. In the same game, he was the designated hitter as well and picked up two hits. He underwent Tommy John surgery after the 2023 season with the Angels, which knocked him out for all of 2024. Considering he is unable to go to the minors to rehab, he is ramping up in live innings.

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The Padres were a tough test for Ohtani in his first Dodgers start. The Nationals will not be. They have lost the first three games of their series against the Rockies, looking to avoid a sweep on Thursday. Then, they will fly across the country to face the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Ohtani's start will come in the second game of the series.

Even with the pitching rehab going on in the background, Ohtani has been dominant in the box. He leads the National League with 25 homers, a 1.014 OPS, and a 183 OPS+. His 73 runs scored lead all of baseball. If he can keep up those offensive numbers while pitching every fifth day, he could run away with his fourth MVP in his last five seasons.

The Dodgers look for a sweep of the Padres on Thursday.