Ohtani throws bullpen session before Wednesday's game at Phillies

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani threw a bullpen session prior to Wednesday's game at Philadelphia.

Ohtani had been scheduled to start against the Phillies in the finale of the three-game series. But left knee irritation that kept him out of last week’s All-Star Game scrapped those plans.

The four-time MVP last pitched on July 3. He received a lubricant injection in his balky knee, which does not bother him while batting.

Ohtani was in the lineup Wednesday batting leadoff as the designated hitter. The two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers are scheduled to visit the White House on Thursday, an off day. They begin a three-game series at the New York Mets on Friday.

Ohtani threw about 30 pitches in the bullpen.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called that "a big sign."

“The grass, the flat ground, all that stuff is good,” Roberts said before the game. “The arm’s fine. It’s kind of just going down the slope, getting over your front side. That’s the big test.”

Roberts said the Dodgers still did not have a timetable for Ohtani's return to the mound.

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