Ohtani struggled to command the ball at times, particularly to the glove side of the plate, and he was aided by a couple of perhaps generous strike calls from plate umpire Tripp Gibson.

Shohei Ohtani could return to a major league mound in the next two weeks but Los Angeles Dodgers rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki has paused his throwing program and is set for a lengthy layoff.

Ohtani helped the Dodgers win their eighth World Series title — and his first — last season, the first of a $700 million, 10-year contract.

Aaron Judge, the slugger who leads the majors in batting average, and Shohei Ohtani, who have combined to win five of the last eight Most Valuable Player awards, are lapping the rest of Major League Baseball in the first batch of All-Star Game balloting.