Shohei Ohtani and Justin Wrobleski team up to lead

Whenever Shohei Ohtani is questioned, it appears, he does one thing spectacular.

On Tuesday, with dialogue still swirling over whether or not his knee drawback from the week before would affect his two-way availability when he took the mound Wednesday, Ohtani broke open a scoreless standoff with a sixth-inning solo home run.

It held as the successful run, and the Dodgers went on to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0.

“That’s just him,” Dodgers beginning pitcher Justin Wrobleski said of Ohtani. “He’s obviously the best player of all time. I’m super lucky and blessed to be his teammate and watch him play. It’s been super cool.”

Up to that level, neither team’s beginning pitcher had flinched.

Wrobleski had given up just three hits in six scoreless innings. And, along with 5 strikeouts, he hadn’t had more than one baserunner in any inning, squashing the scrappy Rays’ capability to manufacture a run.

Though the Dodgers had made more viable scoring threats against Rays starter Drew Rasmussen, they’d come up short for 5 innings.

They got here within a couple of toes of scoring in the second inning, but the Rays pulled off a trick play to throw out Kyle Tucker at home.

With runners on first and third, Alex Freeland laid down a bunt to Rasmussen. When he fielded it cleanly, Tucker shuffled back toward third base. But then Rasmussen turned and fired toward second base, and Tucker took off. Rays shortstop Taylor Ward cut off the throw in entrance of the bottom and cut down Tucker as he slid headfirst for the plate.

For the next three innings, the Dodgers (47-27) failed to attain base.

Then Ohtani occurred.

Leading off the sixth inning, Ohtani pounced on a cutter that drifted toward the guts of the plate.

He launched it to straightaway heart discipline, where it bounced on the netting past the fence.

Rasmussen lasted through the seventh inning, leaving that home run as the only blemish on his outing. Then the 2 bullpens duked it out to a draw in the late innings.

Justin Wrobleski pitched six scoreless innings.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Ohtani’s home run stood alone.

It was his fifth home run in 9 video games, bringing his season complete to 14.

After a slow start, by his requirements, Ohtani lamented his lack of energy. Now, with the second-highest on-base-plus-slugging proportion in the National League (.966), just barely trailing the Washington Nationals’ James Wood (.967), Ohtani has that going for him too.

“He was hitting the ball hard, some doubles, singles,” supervisor Dave Roberts said. “And if he was just missing a little bit [before], there was going to be slug. So that’s what’s happening. Seeing the baseball well. Swinging at good pitches. And when he uses the big part of the field, there’s just no one better.”

The home run Tuesday, however, was not enough to declare a spot in the batting order Wednesday. Not in an extra-early 12:10 p.m. sport. Not just days eliminated from a bout of inflammation in his left knee.

Before the sport, Ohtani threw off a mound to check his knee before his scheduled pitching start the next day. It went nicely enough that he’ll be taking the mound, Roberts confirmed Tuesday evening. But he is not going to be hitting.

Roberts will keep a close eye on Ohtani, who left the sport last Thursday with a swollen knee and then sat out Friday. Ohtani theorized over the weekend that points with his pitching mechanics might have aggravated his knee.

Said Roberts: “He wouldn’t start if we felt that we were going to put him in harm’s way.”

Glasnow hopes to start throwing soon

In retrospect, it’s clear to right-hander Tyler Glasnow that he tried to start throwing a little too rapidly after back spasms pulled him out of his start against the Houston Astros on May 6. But at the time of the injury, Glasnow, who is no stranger to back issues, was inspired.

“It didn’t feel as bad when I first did it,” Glasnow told The Times on Tuesday.

Nearly a month and a half later, Glasnow has twice tried to restart throwing, and twice he’s had to shut it down.

“Frustrating, for sure,” Glasnow said. “Just because it happens so frequently. A lot of times I just want to find a way to address the underlying issues of why it happens.”

He has yet to discover that long-term resolution, but he doesn’t anticipate to have surgical procedure.

Glasnow, inspired by his current enchancment, expects to start throwing again “soon.”

“We’re just waiting for it to be fully, fully healed,” he said.

Edman activated

As anticipated, the Dodgers activated Tommy Edman (proper ankle surgical procedure) off the injured record Tuesday and designated utility man Santiago Espinal for project.

Edman didn’t make his season debut, but Roberts said he’ll play a combination of second base, third and left discipline, with his taking part in time dictated by elements such as pitcher matchups and the supply of left fielder Teoscar Hernández’s (strained left hamstring), who’s still on the IL.