Since joining the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani has played as a designated hitter 347 times and a designated hitter/starting pitcher 20 times (including playoffs). On Wednesday, he will play his first game as a pitcher only.

Ohtani was not in his usual leadoff spot in the lineup against the New York Mets for the Dodgers’ Jackie Robinson Day game, but was penciled in to make his scheduled start on the mound.

Kyle Tucker, the team’s usual No. 2 hitter, took over leadoff duties, while Freddie Freeman got bumped up from cleanup to No. 2.

The last time Ohtani started as a pitcher without hitting was May 28, 2021 during his career with the Los Angeles Angeles. That start also predated the Ohtani rule, which allows him to remain in the game as a DH after being done as a starter.

Once he’s finished throwing Wednesday, he’s out of the game.

The decision to give Ohtani a break as a hitter comes two days after he took a hit-by-pitch to the shoulder from Mets pitcher David Peterson. He went 0-for-7 at the plate after that between Monday and Tuesday.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Wednesday that Ohtani is still sore from the HBP, but it didn’t play a factor in Ohtani not hitting. Instead, he said the set-up “gives him the best chance to stay loose during the outing.”

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

There were also complaints from the Toronto Blue Jays during Ohtani’s last start over how much time he was given to warm up between innings after coming off the basepaths, continuing a debate from last year’s World Series. Again, it’s unclear if that has any bearing here, but it at least illustrates that being a two-way player requires more than the already formidable task of becoming elite at both hitting and pitching.

Ohtani entered Wednesday as the only real starting pitcher to have not allowed an earned run so far this season. He has looked like a somewhat different pitcher in his two 2026 starts, but most important for the Dodgers is he remains healthy.

Ohtani playing as a pitcher only also won’t endanger his MLB-best 48-game on-base streak, already a record among Japanese-born players.

The most telling statistic in the San Francisco Giants’ 2-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds is the two teams’ pitch counts. Four Giants pitchers combined to throw 145 pitches in eight innings. The Reds got through nine innings against the free-swinging Giants in just 111 pitches, an average of 12.3 per inning.

The Giants had seven hits but only one walk, getting their lone run when Willy Adames crushed his third home run of the season in the 5th inning. Cincinnati got only three hits in the game but two of them were solo home runs off Robbie Ray (2-2), which gave the Reds the first game of the series. The defining moment came in the bottom of the 4th, when Reds first baseman Sal Stewart fouled off four pitches before going deep on Ray’s ninth pitch of the at-bat.

Sal Stewart slugs his 5th home run of the season 💪 pic.twitter.com/rhX7XY3FeV

— MLB (@MLB) April 14, 2026

The Giants pitchers didn’t make too many mistakes apart from that fastball to Stewart and a hanging slider that Spencer Steer turned into a 401-foot bomb in the 3rd.

Way to get us started, Spence‼️@spenc__erpic.twitter.com/D607kcODZq

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 14, 2026

Reds starter Brady Singer pitched a solid six innings of one-run ball, striking out only one batter, hitting another, but walking none. That’s less of a challenge with the walk-averse Giants, but it allowed him to get through six innings in only 75 pitches. The Giants never had more than one runner on base at a time Tuesday, thanks to a caught stealing in the first inning and a Matt Chapman GIDP in the 8th.

Both teams had runners erased in the opening frame, with Cincinnati’s Tyler Stephenson throwing out Adames trying to steal and Gold Glover Patrick Bailey gunning down Matt McClain. Perhaps traumatized, neither manager called for a steal the rest of the game.

Adames did crush one in the 5th inning, reaching the second deck in left after sitting on Singer’s sweeper.

¡Willy Adames directamente para el segundo piso! 🏌️ pic.twitter.com/NnNhIQqZUT

— MLB Español (@mlbespanol) April 15, 2026

But that was it for the Giants offense, besides two singles by Luis Arraez, who went 3-for-4 and raised his batting average to .333. Jung Hoo Lee had a single and a double, but six Giants starters went hitless.

Even the team’s leading hitter, Daniel Susac, couldn’t come through Tuesday. He pinch-hit for Bailey with two outs in the 9th and hit one to the wall, but the ball fell short and lowered his average to .583. What a bum!

The Reds bullpen was excellent. Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan, and Emilio Pagan (5 saves) struck out four Giants in three innings, giving up only a single to Arraez and an unintentional-intentional walk to Rafael Devers. Ashcraft was particularly filthy, getting Jared Oliva to whiff on a pitch at least five feet wide of home plate.

SF’s relievers were solid as well, with Keaton Winn and Ryan Walker throwing no-hit innings and Caleb Killian escaping a two-on, no-out jam in the 6th with a strikeout and a timely double play.

It’s the third game in a row that the Giants have scored two runs or fewer. It’s the ninth time in 17 games this season they’ve scored two or fewer and they’re 0-9 in those games.

Tony Vitello may be considering dramatic lineup changes. The most obvious move might come in left field, where Heliot Ramos has two extra-base hits all season, though the team isn’t exactly flush with options. Harrison Bader has struck out in a third of his at-bats. Oliva has one hit this season. Jerar Encarnacion might have the most upside — at least based on exit velocity.

If you can’t hit in the Great American Ballpark, that’s a very bad sign. It’s encouraging for the Giants pitching staff but another rough data point for the sputtering Giants hitters.

Seventy-nine years after Jackie Robinson first took the field with the Brooklyn Dodgers, every player and coach in MLB took the field Wednesday wearing No. 42.

MLB celebrated its annual Jackie Robinson Day on April 15, an occasion honoring the man who broke baseball’s color barrier. The event goes back to 2004, with the tradition of wearing No. 42 beginning with Ken Griffey Jr.’s request to don the retired number in 2007. Soon, all the players were doing it.

The day holds special significance for Robinson’s Los Angeles Dodgers, who were hosting the New York Mets, the team that plays closest to Robinson’s old stomping grounds in Brooklyn. Prior to the game, the two teams met at the Robinson statue outside Dodger Stadium in honor of the civil rights hero.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, one of only two African-American managers in MLB alongside Will Venable of the Chicago White Sox, addressed both teams and spoke of Robinson’s character:

“You look at New York, you look at Los Angeles, probably the two most diverse cities in the world. Jackie would look back and be very proud that the guys that are suiting up tonight reflect his dream, his vision on what equality, unity look like.

“Jackie loved baseball so much, and we love things so much, but are we willing to take on hate from your coworkers, your teammates, your coaches, opponents, people that work for you, people that are rooting against you and still go out there and play and do something that you love to do? He was willing to pay that price.”

Also in attendance was Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. He provided a history lesson, explaining that Robinson’s entry into MLB helped spark the civil rights movement:

“We make the rather bold assertion that Jackie’s breaking of the color barrier wasn’t just part of the civil rights movement, it was the beginning of the civil rights movement. You have to remember: This is 1947. So this is well before those more noted civil rights occurrences.

“This is before Brown v. Board of Education. This is before Rosa Parks’ refusal to move to the back of the bus. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. … was merely a sophomore at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, when Jackie signed his contract to play in the Dodgers organization. Our very own president Harry S. Truman would not integrate the armed forces until a year after Jackie. So for all intents and purposes, this is what started the ball of social progress rolling in this country. Baseball.”

The Dodgers also ensured their fans would be wearing No. 42 for the game:

The Robinson tributes, of course, stretched well beyond the Dodgers and Mets. Every team honored Robinson in its own way, such as welcoming youth programs to stadiums, making donations to organizations and hosting informative events.

Even the inside of caps was used as a way to recognize Robinson:

New York Yankees catcher J.C. Escarra took his look a step further:

Teammate Jazz Chisholm Jr. had his own tribute:

By and large, players seem legitimately excited to wear the No. 42, including Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout:

Seventy-nine years after Jackie Robinson first took the field with the Brooklyn Dodgers, every player and coach in MLB took the field Wednesday wearing No. 42.

MLB celebrated its annual Jackie Robinson Day on April 15, an occasion honoring the man who broke baseball’s color barrier. The event goes back to 2004, with the tradition of wearing No. 42 beginning with Ken Griffey Jr.’s request to don the retired number in 2007. Soon, all the players were doing it.

The day holds special significance for Robinson’s Los Angeles Dodgers, who were hosting the New York Mets, the team that plays closest to Robinson’s old stomping grounds in Brooklyn. Prior to the game, the two teams met at the Robinson statue outside Dodger Stadium in honor of the civil rights hero.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, one of only two African-American managers in MLB alongside Will Venable of the Chicago White Sox, addressed both teams and spoke of Robinson’s character:

“You look at New York, you look at Los Angeles, probably the two most diverse cities in the world. Jackie would look back and be very proud that the guys that are suiting up tonight reflect his dream, his vision on what equality, unity look like.

“Jackie loved baseball so much, and we love things so much, but are we willing to take on hate from your coworkers, your teammates, your coaches, opponents, people that work for you, people that are rooting against you and still go out there and play and do something that you love to do? He was willing to pay that price.”

Also in attendance was Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. He provided a history lesson, explaining that Robinson’s entry into MLB helped spark the civil rights movement:

“We make the rather bold assertion that Jackie’s breaking of the color barrier wasn’t just part of the civil rights movement, it was the beginning of the civil rights movement. You have to remember: This is 1947. So this is well before those more noted civil rights occurrences.

“This is before Brown v. Board of Education. This is before Rosa Parks’ refusal to move to the back of the bus. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. … was merely a sophomore at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, when Jackie signed his contract to play in the Dodgers organization. Our very own president Harry S. Truman would not integrate the armed forces until a year after Jackie. So for all intents and purposes, this is what started the ball of social progress rolling in this country. Baseball.”

The Dodgers also ensured their fans would be wearing No. 42 for the game:

The Robinson tributes, of course, stretched well beyond the Dodgers and Mets. Every team honored Robinson in its own way, such as welcoming youth programs to stadiums, making donations to organizations and hosting informative events.

Even the inside of caps was used as a way to recognize Robinson:

New York Yankees catcher J.C. Escarra took his look a step further:

Teammate Jazz Chisholm Jr. had his own tribute:

By and large, players seem legitimately excited to wear the No. 42, including Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout:

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards heard the ovation Kevin Garnett was getting from the Minnesota crowd and hustled across the court for a pregame bear hug, as the Hall of Fame forward and Timberwolves icon was soaking in his warm welcome from the fans last week.

Edwards found plenty of inspiration from Garnett’s first visit to Target Center in eight years, at the end of a rather uninspiring regular season for the team overall.

“He’s the greatest Timberwolf of all time,” Edwards said after practice on Wednesday. “That was big for us, getting him back in the building, and hopefully we can get him back for the playoffs to give us some energy.”

After the reaching the Western Conference finals in each of the last two years, the Timberwolves will take plenty of confidence and experience into these NBA playoffs beginning on Saturday at Denver. But they’ll have to show some serious reinvigoration from the so-so performance over the last three months.

“We know the team we can be and who we have been. It’s about whether we can maintain that,” coach Chris Finch said. “You don’t ever really want to be a flip-the-switch team, but we do have a switch to flip, and we have to flip it now. When we do that, everybody kind of becomes the best version of themselves and that brings out that continuity and connection that we need.”

Just like Garnett fueled the Timberwolves teams of a previous generation, culminating in their Western Conference finals appearance in 2004, the engine of the current group originates with Edwards.

The four-time All-Star guard, who has helped lead Minnesota to the playoffs in five of his six years in the NBA, has been part of the problem this season during certain lulls in the team’s focus and spirit.

“It felt like that at times, like we were just trying to get through the season to get to the playoffs, but we’re here now, and all the other excuses are out the window,” said Edwards, who averaged 28.8 points per game in 2025-26 on 48.9% shooting including 39.9% from 3-point range, all career highs.

Minnesota’s biggest regression this season was on defense, finishing eighth in the league in defensive rating after placing sixth in 2024-25 and first in 2023-24. That uneven focus and spirit undoubtedly did the most damage to the results at this end of the court.

“When our group doesn’t have a choice, usually it shows up, and so once again it’s all in our hands. It’s all in our power,” center Rudy Gobert said. “We’re facing a great opponent, and we know that if we don’t come out hungry, we don’t have a chance.”

Edwards, for his part, will be well-rested. He was limited to a career-low 61 games this season, sidelined for eight of the last 11 games with persistent knee pain. But he said on Wednesday he used the time to trim some body fat and reduce his weight to 218 pounds — his lowest since he was 18.

“I haven’t played a lot in the last month,” Edwards said, “so I’m trying to get back in shape.”

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

INDEPENDENCE — The Cleveland Cavaliers had 41 different starting lineups throughout the regular season. That was mostly due to injuries and major trades that shook up the roster at the deadline. But of those 41 different combinations, one has yet to stick out with the playoffs starting on Saturday.

As of now, head coach Kenny Atkinson isn’t ready to name a fifth starter to go alongside the core group of James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. He was asked again after practice on Wednesday who the starting small forward would be, and declined to name one.

“I don’t want to say something [now and then] we change [it],” Atkinson said on Wednesday.

Atkinson mentioned that who that fifth starter would be is matchup dependent. And those matchups depend on who’s in the lineup for their opponent.

The Raptors’ starting point guard, Immanuel Quickley, has a hamstring injury. He participated in individual work on Wednesday, but his status is still day-to-day heading into the series. Quickley’s availability could impact who the Cavs insert into the fifth starting role.

Atkinson has been steadfast in not naming a permanent starting small forward. Dean Wade, Max Strus, Sam Merrill, and Jaylon Tyson have all gotten looks this season in that role. Each brings something different to the table that could be useful, depending on who the opponent is.

Based on those comments, it seems like we won’t get an answer on who will start at the three until just before Game 1 on Saturday. And whoever starts isn’t guaranteed to do so throughout the entire postseason.

“That position is going to be flexible in terms of starting and finishing,” Atkinson said earlier this month. “You have to earn it.”

The Golden State Warriors play the Los Angeles Clippers tonight in a win-or-go-home play-in game, and Anthony Slater just told us Steve Kerr’s coaching future won’t get resolved in the immediate aftermath of the season. He’s taking time for “bigger picture conversations” before any ultimate choice gets made.

So let’s be clear about what we’re watching tonight: This might be Steve Kerr’s final game coaching the Golden State Warriors.

There won’t be clarity on Steve Kerr’s coaching future in the immediate aftermath of the season. He intends to take time to have the necessary bigger picture conversations before ultimate choice.

GSW segment on NBA Today including a bit on Kerr pic.twitter.com/H2C5SliTQi

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 15, 2026

The timing almost feels scripted. The man who pushed this franchise from feisty underdogs into a dynasty that redefined basketball is coaching on the last year of his contract, leading a banged-up 37-45 squad into Los Angeles for a game that ends their season if they lose. And we just found out there’s no fast resolution coming, no matter what happens.

Think about the position everyone’s in right now. Kerr’s been here for over a decade, winning four championships and the magical rollercoaster of the 73-win season. His deadly motion offense became the league standard. The way he maximized Steph Curry’s gravitational pull while creating space for everyone else built something that felt permanent even though nothing in sports ever is.

Now he’s coaching a team that wheezed out of the regular season missing Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody to season-ending injuries. This entire season rests on tonight’s contest. And Kerr knows what win-or-go-home basketball feels like. He hit the series-clinching shot for the Bulls in the ’97 Finals. He won five championships as a player before coaching four more. He’s been in elimination scenarios his entire life, but this one carries different weight because it’s wrapped up in organizational uncertainty that won’t resolve quickly.

What makes this complicated is that Kerr wants to be here. He said it himself after the initial contract report that he’d love to continue with the Warriors beyond this year. But he also acknowledged it’s fluid, that the organization might look at where things stand and decide to move in a different direction.

So tonight becomes more than just Warriors versus Clippers for the right to advance. It becomes Steve Kerr coaching a team he built, possibly for the last time, in a game that could end their season before any of those bigger picture conversations happen. Watching Kerr navigate a win-or-go-home scenario while his own future remains unresolved adds another layer to what’s already the highest-stakes game of this season.

Championship pedigree doesn’t guarantee job security and Kerr knows this better than anyone. Tonight we find out if that pedigree can deliver one more time when everything’s on the line.

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The drama in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament should be at a fever pitch, with Steve Ballmer’s arena going against Steph Curry.

There may be other names involved when the Golden State Warriors face the Los Angeles Clippers tonight, but all eyes will be on the Dubs’ superstar point guard.

My Warriors vs. Clippers predictions and these NBA picks trust Curry on Wednesday, April 15.

Tip-off is set for 10:00 p.m. ET from the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, with the game airing on Prime Video.

Warriors vs Clippers prediction

Who will win Warriors vs Clippers?

Warriors:I won’t do it. I will not bet against Steph Curry when his season is on the line. No one expects Golden State to go on some magical run this postseason, but a win or two to spark the NBA’s interest this week? That is reasonable.

More sincerely, the Clippers backed into the postseason in a worrying way. Twice in the last two weeks, they had clear chances to hold onto a spot in the preferred half of the Play-In Tournament, instead losing twice outright to Portland.

Win either of those games, both obvious opportunities, and the Clippers’ postseason hopes look much brighter. Dropping the ball then inspires no faith now.

Warriors vs Clippers best bet: Steph Curry Over 4.5 threes (+125)

Do you really want to bet against Steph Curry in a single-elimination moment? Sure, some of you are too young to remember the Davidson run in March of 2008, but everyone saw the 2024 Olympics gold medal game against France, right?

You want to bet against that?

Obviously, sportsbooks have raised this 3-pointer prop because they recognize just how lethal Curry can be, but that now means we get plus-money odds on the Golden State Warriors’ superstar doing what he does best.

Worry not that he has been back for only four games since his knee injury. Curry shot 5-for-10 from deep in his first game back, part of shooting 15-for-36 (41.7%) from beyond the arc in those four games.

And the Los Angeles Clippers are only middling defending against 3-pointers, ranking No. 16 in both opponent 3-pointer frequency and percentage made since James Harden left the rotation. Recognize, No. 16 in the NBA at this point of the season is actually a massive worry.

This may be the end of the Warriors’ relevancy in the Curry era, ending not with a “Bang!” but with a whimper, but rest assured, Curry will go down firing.

Warriors vs Clippers same-game parlay

Curry’s ball movement has been a bit slow since his return. Then again, this roster never really allowed Curry to move the ball much, averaging just 4.8 assists before he missed two months with a knee injury. Dropping to 3.5 assists per game in the last four is not terribly glaring in that context.

Draymond Green has been moving the ball, however. He’s played in three of Curry’s four games back, averaging 8.3 assists in those three games. There may be a sample size worry in that thought, but if anyone is going to excel with Curry’s return, it is Green.

Warriors vs Clippers SGP

• Steph Curry Over 4.5 threes
• Steph Curry Under 4.5 assists
• Draymond Green Over 5.5 assists

Our “from downtown” SGP: One last ride!

For one more night, perhaps one last night, two of the three key pieces to this Warriors dynasty can rekindle those memories. No “Wall” will bother Curry or Green.

They have faced Kawhi Leonard countless times before, and with veterans like Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis now their running mates, Golden State as a whole should embrace this road atmosphere.

Warriors vs Clippers SGP

• Steph Curry Over 4.5 threes
• Steph Curry Under 4.5 assists
• Draymond Green Over 5.5 assists
• Warriors moneyline

Warriors vs Clippers odds

• Spread: Warriors +5 (-110) | Clippers -5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Warriors +165 | Clippers -200
• Over/Under: Over 220.5 (-110) | Under 220.5 (-110)

Warriors vs Clippers betting trend to know

All four matchups between these two teams went Under their totals this season and by an average of 17.25 points per game. Find more NBA betting trends for Warriors vs. Clippers.

How to watch Warriors vs Clippers

Warriors vs Clippers latest injuries

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