Sports

Dodgers Notes: LA Officially Releases Pitcher, Key Reliever May Need Surgery, Shohei Ohtani Cy Young?

By Gabe Smallson Sports Illustrated

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres, 4-0, on Wednesday evening to clinch the series win. LA improved to 31-19 on the year and extended their lead in the National League West to 1.5 games.

On the very first pitch of the game, starting pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hammered a 405-foot blast to get the first run on the board.

With all the questions swirling on how the four-time MVP would fare in his first game pitching and hitting in about a month, it is safe to say that they were put to rest because of his performance.

When he did get to the bump, he unleashed five scoreless innings, striking out four and allowing just three hits on the day. He lowered his ERA on the year to an incredible 0.73.

In other news, the Dodgers recently released a pitcher from the organization. The 33-year-old inked a minor league deal this offseason, but registered a 9.22 ERA across 17 relief appearances with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

In other news, a key pitcher in the Dodgers' bullpen may require surgery. The last time the right-hander touched a mound was Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, and despite various setbacks to his arduous rehab assignment, general manager Brandon Gomes said that the organization is "trying to exhaust all options" to get him back on the bump.

Finally - and it was as apparent as ever on Wednesday night - Shohei Ohtani is making quite the case to be the next National League Cy Young award winner. MLB Network analyst Harold Reynolds spoke on what he believes is the conditional reason that Ohtani will win the honor.

"If you have an under 1.00 ERA, let's just imagine that. There is no way that he doesn't win the Cy Young if his ERA is under 1.00," Reynolds said. "Shohei has to go five innings [a game], and if he's under 1.00, he wins. These other guys can throw 200 innings [and it wouldn't matter]."

Here's all the latest Dodgers news and stories (click the headline for the full article):

Dodgers Officially Release 6-Year Veteran Amid Disappointing Season

Dodgers' Hard-Throwing Reliever Could Undergo Surgery in Brutal Update

Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Will Win Cy Young Under One Condition, Says Analyst

Dodgers Suddenly Have Secret Weapon Against Padres Star Mason Miller

Dodgers' New Addition Eric Lauer Clarifies Controversial Comments

Dodgers Lineup vs Padres: Shohei Ohtani Pitching and Hitting for First Time in a Month

Dodgers Tweets of the Day

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/dodgers/onsi as Dodgers Notes: LA Officially Releases Pitcher, Key Reliever May Need Surgery, Shohei Ohtani Cy Young?.

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This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 5:59 AM.

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