Shohei Ohtani is set to take the ball against the Giants on April 22, 2026, with a chance to make it four straight starts of exactly six innings. The Dodgers star has opened the season 2-0 in three starts, and another six-inning outing would already put him at least halfway to last year’s regular-season workload after returning from elbow surgery.
What makes that line stand out is how steady Ohtani has been against a lineup that still has questions. Rafael Devers, signed to help lead San Francisco’s offense, has only four extra-base hits in 93 at-bats this season and is two for 12 against Ohtani with no home runs and no runs batted in. Matt Chapman is the only other Giant with double-digit at-bats against him, and he has two home runs in 19 at-bats.
The matchup comes with both teams carrying recent baggage. The Dodgers had just faced Landon Roupp after a barrage of walks, and they have also been reminded how quickly a game can slip after being held scoreless for the final seven innings in a loss to the Rockies on Saturday night before falling 9-6 at Coors Field on Sunday. Tyler Glasnow, meanwhile, had just struck out a cleaner line for Los Angeles, allowing two hits over seven innings in a 7-1 win over Colorado, with Max Muncy hitting two home runs.
For San Francisco, the concern is not just one pitcher. Tyler Mahle has allowed six of the Giants pitching staff’s 24 home runs, a sign of how much power damage has already been done. And if the Dodgers continue to lean on a rotation that has been among the best in baseball, Ohtani’s latest outing is less about flair than proof that the long comeback from surgery is still moving the right way. The Dodgers and Rockies were also set to meet for the first time in 2026, a reminder that the calendar is still early enough for every clean start to matter.
That is why this one feels bigger than a mid-April outing. Ohtani is not just pitching; he is building a season one six-inning start at a time, and the Giants are the latest club trying to find a crack in a pattern that has held for three straight turns.
