Shohei Ohtani continued to knock on Casparius to help the Dodgers win

The San Diego Padres were sinister in the early stages of the line, but the Dodgers' rookie right-hand thrower, Ben Casparius, was able to take it off with ease. In today's 5-2 win over the Padres on the road, he opened the game with straight Padres first-run strikeouts to end the first inning with a strikeout to Padres star third baseman Manny Machado. Machado swung a four-seam fastball into the outside corner and saluted Casparius.

Dodgers Japanese star Shohei Ohtani served as the first batter of the game, hitting 1 hit in 5 hits and 1 hit to run back to 1 point, and the fifth third base hit in the season and was hit twice by a strikeout.

The night before the game, the night before the game, Captain Casparius would start the Dodgers-Padres series tiebreaker. Head coach Dave Roberts has called him a "versatile pitcher" this season — a key role in both a long relay and a right-hand pitcher.

"The cowshed was supposed to maximize its value, and now it has proven to be good enough to be the No. 5 starter," Roberts declared. "

Casparius responded: "I've been a starter many times in my career, so I'm familiar with the preparation process. "

The Dodgers' left-hand shooting strategy was already strategic: after running out of 111 pitches, starting pitcher Matt Sauer (conceded nine runs in 4.2 innings) and then using tool man Kiké Hernández to digest the remaining innings (1-11 at the end) and ensure that the bullpen was fully staffed for the tiebreaker, a move that allowed Casparius to start.

Justin Wrobleski, who was scheduled to start left, was replaced, and the change paid off: Casparius scored 54 goals and conceded just one point in four games.

The only crisis appeared in the second game: after one was out, he was knocked five times in a row. Andy Pages made a 99mph long pass to the outfield to complete a home plate at a pivotal moment (the Statcast record equals Kevin Kiermaier's record for the fastest outfield assist on Aug. 14, 2024). Casparius tackled the last seven hitters in a row after conceding points to Martín Maldonado at home. Michael Conforto tied the game in the fifth inning, and Teoscar Hernández sealed the win with a three-pointer in the sixth.

Casparius has a 2.86 ERA in 22 games (two starts) this season, and is second only to Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Dustin May in 44 innings pitched. His start-up transition was put on hold due to barn balance considerations, but now Kirby Yates and Michael Kopech have returned to strengthen the barn, with Tony Gonsolin's injury leaving the vacancy.

Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki and Gonsolin could return to the team in the future or end their starting assignments, but Casparius has proven his adaptability: "The back-up mindset helped me control the tempo, and it was a bonus. "