Looking for a Ray of hope, Dodgers offense faces star lefty
Shohei Ohtani takes a day off from hitting to focus on his start. Dodgers' offense gets a tough task against Robbie Ray
Apr 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas (72) singles in the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images For mere mortals, an off-day means an off-day, but for Shohei Ohtani, the definition of it is a bit different. For the fourth time this season, the Dodgers will take the field without Ohtani as their designated hitter.
If the recent track record serves as an indicator, it’s one of those bad with him and worse without him moments for the Dodgers offense. In the two most recent games without the reigning back-to-back NL MVP hitting, the Dodgers have scored one run in each, wasting a pair of great Ohtani outings, as his performance on the mound has been second to none in the National League this season. Held in check by the bottom of the Giants’ rotation over the first two games of this series, the Dodgers’ offense will have a far more difficult challenge this time around.
One of the few bright spots of what’s been a melancholic season for the Giants, Robbie Ray will face the Dodgers for the first time this season, having missed them in the earlier series at Oracle Park. As they look for anything to be optimistic about, the Dodgers might rely on the fact they’ve seen Ray well in recent duels—in fact, the former Cy Young winner allowed a combined 10 runs in back-to-back losses against the Dodgers in September of last year, his last two starts of that campaign. Dalton Rushing filled in as the Dodgers’ DH in the other three times Ohtani took a seat, as they all came against left-handers.
However, with multiple righty platoon specialists on the bench, it’s unlikely that Rushing will retain that position even if a minuscule sample size actually has him faring well against southpaws, going five for 15 this season. Miguel Rojas is likely to start over Hyesog Kim in the infield, leaving the DH spot to either Alex Call or Santiago Espinal, with the advantage to Call based on their 2026 numbers. Wednesday’s game info Teams: Dodgers vs.