Dodgers Make Shohei Ohtani Announcement After Padres Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Los Angeles Dodgers have continued to assert their dominance in the NL West, sitting atop the division with a 46-29 record that has expanded their lead to 4.5 games over the San Francisco Giants (41-33) and the San Diego Padres (39-34).

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Michael Conforto is usually a serviceable hitter, but that has not been the case this season. The 32-year-old is slashing .168/.305/.277 with four homers and 13 RBI through 65 games thus far, well below the "Mendoza Line" .200 batting average.

Shohei Ohtani made his long-awaited pitching debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 16. Nearly 22 months after his last big league start—and following a second major elbow surgery and a record-breaking deal with the Dodgers—Ohtani returned to the mound in Monday night’s 6-3 win over the San Diego Padres.