Dodgers notes: Shohei Ohtani, Gavin Lux, Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Shohei Ohtani spoke with reporters before Wednesday’s games at Nationals Park in Washington D.C., and was naturally asked about Ippei Mizuhara, his longtime friend and former interpreter charged with bank fraud and accused of stealing over $16 million from Ohtani.

From Andy McCullough at The Athletic:

“The investigation is currently still going on, so I can’t really say much about that,” Ohtani said through Ireton before Wednesday’s game against the Nationals. “But it made me really realize how supportive the teammates, the organization, the staff have been towards me. It’s just allowed me to really reflect on how grateful I am to be surrounded by them.”

Multiple times since Mizuhara was fired on March 20, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has remarked how Ohtani has been more approachable now, with Mizuhara previously acting as a buffer (and as the federal criminal complaint alleged, in more ways than one).

Also in Wednesday’s interview, Ohtani was asked about the Dodgers upcoming trip to face the Blue Jays this weekend, with Ohtani actually on a plane to Toronto this time.

From Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register:

“In regards to the offseason, I was as surprised as any fans, in terms of the news that was going around,” Ohtani said. “But I did meet with the Blue Jays organization. And the impression that I got was it was a really, really great organization. The fans are really good. The city, too. So I’m really looking forward to going to Toronto.”

On the field, Ohtani is on quite a a tear, with three doubles Wednesday and six extra-base hits in his last four games. His third double last night was off the wall in left center, narrowly missing his seventh home run of the season, which would have tied Roberts for most in Dodgers history by a player born in Japan.

Jay Jaffe at FanGraphs on Monday looked at the many ways the Dodgers are struggling out of the gate, including how Thursday starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto has left too many fastballs right in the middle of the plate.

Gavin Lux had a nice game on Wednesday, with two hits, including a two-run single that broke the game open. It’s been a horrendous start for Lux, even with those two hits now hitting .167/.236/.182 on the season, albeit in 72 plate appearances after missing all year with a major knee injury.

From Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic:

“I just got to get my brain to say, ‘F— it, it’s fine. Just go. Turn it and burn it, because it’s fine,’” Lux said. “We’re working on that, just trying to get over that hump.

“You’ve got to f—ing find a way to still perform when your brain’s still telling you to be safe.”