Notes: Ohtani, Freeman, Rushing

Shohei Ohtani was finally able to show off his dominance on both sides of the field on Sunday against the Washington Nationals, striking out two hitters in the first inning on the mound before adding a triple and home run in the box.

Throughout Ohtani’s time with the Angels, he never hit in the leadoff spot, usually hitting second or third in the lineup even on start days. Although Ohtani is comfortable with the idea of continuing to hit leadoff on his start days, Dave Roberts is prepared to shuffle the lineup to accommodate for Ohtani’s dual role, per Elliot Teaford of the Orange County Register.

“I think right now we’ll play it status quo, but you know coming out of this one (start against the Nationals) it might make more sense to drop to second or third or fourth,” Roberts said of shifting Ohtani out of the leadoff role. “But right now, we’ll remain status quo. I have not seen signs of fatigue.”

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Freddie Freeman is continuing to mire in arguably his worst month during his time with the Dodgers, as he is a .200 hitter (15 for 75) in the month of June and he hasn’t gone deep since homering back on Mother’s Day.

His ankle hasn’t been the reason for his struggles, nor is it his quad that he tweaked during the Dodgers’ series at Petco Park, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

“I haven’t been very good for a while,” Freeman said Saturday night… “No aches. No pains,” Freeman said. “The only pain is the swing.”

Dalton Rushing served as a catalyst at the nine spot in the Dodgers’ lineup on Sunday, becoming the first baserunner for the Dodgers off of Michael Soroka and reaching base four times for the first time in his young career.

Rushing spoke with David Vassegh of SportsNet LA about his his comfort level being the secondary option behind Will Smith and being the rally starter in Sunday’s contest.

“I don’t think it was anything really different that I’ve done the last few times. Maybe I’m getting a little more comfortable in the role, but, good results today, capitalized on top of some hits, walks, and Max having a big day and driving in some runs.”