scratched

BALTIMORE — The Dodgers’ pitching plans were thrown into flux again Friday.

The team’s scheduled starter for their series opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Tyler Glasnow, was scratched with what manager Dave Roberts said was back tightness. And in his stead, Shohei Ohtani was tapped to fill in on short notice, offering to take the ball two days after having his own scheduled pitching start on Wednesday scratched because of an illness.

“Shohei was up to it, feels good physically,” Roberts said. “Wants the ball tonight.”

According to Roberts, the team is hopeful Glasnow’s issue is not serious. They are targeting to have him pitch again early next week.

“We just didn’t want to put him in harm’s way,” Roberts said. “It’s not something where we got to the point where he’s hurt or anything like that. It’s back stiffness. So we feel that to not take this start will allow him to be able to start hopefully early next week.”

In the meantime, Ohtani will be on the mound Friday for the first time since Aug. 27, when he completed his first five-inning start of the season in his continued progression back from Tommy John surgery.

Roberts said Ohtani’s start Friday “could be a little shorter,” given the short-notice nature of how it came together.

But he was also hopeful that Ohtani’s willingness to take the mound now — as opposed to Monday, when he had been next scheduled to pitch — could provide the team a much-needed jolt, as they try to bounce back from a sweep against the Pirates in Pittsburgh earlier this week.

“For a guy who is a starter that’s got a routine, that was going to pitch a couple days later, to then change course speaks a lot to what this team needs,” Roberts said. “So I expect our guys to respond to that.”

PITTSBURGH — The Dodgers have had an illness running through their clubhouse lately.

And on Wednesday, it forced an alteration in their pitching plans.

While Shohei Ohtani was in the Dodgers’ lineup as designated hitter for their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the two-way star was scratched from his scheduled pitching start at PNC Park after feeling “under the weather” the past few days, according to manager Dave Roberts.

“When you’re sick and potentially dehydrated, the tax of pitching in a game wasn’t worth it,” Roberts said.

Instead, Emmet Sheehan will take the mound for Wednesday’s game, while Ohtani’s next pitching appearance will be pushed to “sometime this weekend” against the Baltimore Orioles.

“Just to give him a few more days to recover,” Roberts said.

Ohtani’s sickness certainly didn’t seem to hamper him at the plate Tuesday, when he had two doubles and a career-high 120 mph exit velocity on a solo home run –– his 46th of the season and 100th as a Dodger.

However, Roberts said Ohtani’s pregame catch play on Tuesday was cut short, and that the risk of overexerting the reigning National League MVP by having him make a full-length start Wednesday wasn’t worth it.

“The toll of taking four or five at-bats versus pitching five innings, there’s no comparison,” Roberts said.

Ohtani’s symptoms have included chest and sinus “stuff” as well as “a deep cough,” Roberts added.

Several other Dodgers players have dealt with similar issues recently. Max Muncy was so sick last week, the team sent him home to rest and delayed the start of his minor-league rehab assignment to this week.

“We’re trying to manage it,” Roberts said. “But there are guys that are just not feeling great right now.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky Derby dropped to 19 horses on Friday when Grande was scratched from the race with a foot bruise. Grande is trained by Todd Pletcher and was to be ridden by John Velazquez. The owner is Mike Repole.

Grande joins Rodriguez, trained by Bob Baffert, as scratches since the race was drawn last Saturday. Both are coming out of the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. Rodriguez won the race and Grande was second.

Two years ago, Forte, also trained by Pletcher and owned by Repole, was scratched as the morning-line favorite. This is the first time in 21 years that Pletcher has not had a Derby starter. Pletcher has won the Derby twice with Super Saver in 2010 and Always Dreaming in 2017.

Grande did not race as a 2-year-old and had only run three times. He won his maiden and then an allowance before finishing second in the Wood. A son of Curlin, he was purchased for $300,000.

He was scheduled to break from nine, wearing the saddlecloth of 10. All horses on the outside of him will move in one gate.