SAN FRANCISCO — Once upon a time, Shohei Ohtani wasn’t expected to start pitching this season until after the All-Star break, if not longer.
In hindsight, how much more dire things would be for the Dodgers had they ultimately stuck to that initially conservative plan.
Needing a spark, a jolt or just some shred of momentum Saturday to snap a season-long seven-game losing streak, the Dodgers got it from Ohtani, who opened their skid-halting 2-1 win over the San Francisco Giants with his best performance as a pitcher yet.
Still managing a limited workload as he builds up following a second career Tommy John surgery, Ohtani only pitched three innings — the first time he’d gone even that far in his five pitching starts this season.