GLENDALE, Ariz. — Tony Vitello knows well enough that two-way players aren’t uncommon in the amateur game. Bryce Eldridge, for example, was drafted as a two-way player. So was Reggie Crawford. Casey Schmitt was a closer at San Diego State. Drew Gilbert contributed some innings out of the bullpen for Vitello at Tennessee.

The pro game has a way of filtering out two-way players with haste. Eldridge never pitched after turning pro. Neither did Gilbert nor Schmitt. Crawford had 40 plate appearances before committing to pitching full-time. For all the pomp and circumstance of someone being drafted as a two-way player, those experiments usually end before they begin.

There’s a certain Dodger, however, who has no intention of ending his two-way ambitions anytime soon.

The Giants’ 5-1 loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday afternoon at Camelback Ranch marked Vitello’s first time managing against four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, who pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings with four strikeouts. This game marked a rare instance in which Ohtani just pitched, but he is expected to hit during his regular-season start days, as per the norm.

“The swings were good,” Vitello said after Wednesday’s game was cut short due to the heat. “Obviously, he’s up there trying to get his work in. You saw a little bit of a difference in stuff when guys were on base or in scoring position. But for the most part, the guys’ at-bats were competitive. You got a couple guys like (Heliot) Ramos and some other guys that had gone like two, three days without playing with us and they didn’t seem to skip a beat.”

It wasn’t too long ago that Vitello had the privilege of watching Ohtani solely as a fan.

Shortly after becoming the Giants’ 40th manager in franchise history, Vitello had an opportunity to watch Ohtani and the Dodgers clash with Max Scherzer, his close friend, and the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series. Vitello was in attendance at Dodger Stadium for Game 3, where he saw Scherzer allow three runs over 4 1/3 innings and Ohtani go 4-for-4 with two homers, three RBIs and five intentional walks.

It’s one thing to admire a truly generational talent as a spectator. It’s another thing to now be watching that same generational talent and figuring out ways to defeat him and his team.

“I think good baseball is something to admire no matter what’s going on, whether you’re sitting in the stands, in the dugout or you’re on the field. But you do kind of have a job to do,” Vitello said. “Fortunately, with my job, yeah, there will be stressful moments, but it’s not as high intensity as actually having cleats on and being out there.”

Whether Ohtani’s in the box or on the mound, there’s always a high level of intensity whenever baseball’s best player is on the field.

Ohtani has only made one regular-season appearance on the mound against the Giants as a Dodger, pitching three scoreless innings with four strikeouts at Oracle Park on July 12. Including his time with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani has allowed one run over 15 innings (0.60 ERA) with 18 strikeouts in three career starts against the Giants.

While San Francisco will only have to contend with Ohtani, the pitcher, a couple of times per season, the team constantly has to deal with Ohtani, the hitter, whenever these teams meet. Since joining the Dodgers, Ohtani has hit .314/.421/.667 with 10 home runs and 19 RBIs against the Giants. Since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, the only Dodger with a higher OPS against the Giants (min. 100 plate appearances) than Ohtani (1.088) is Manny Ramirez (1.277).

GIANTS START MAKING SIGNIFICANT CUTS

With Opening Night against the New York Yankees a week away, the Giants have started to make their first significant cuts of spring. After optioning right-hander Blade Tidwell to Triple-A Sacramento on Monday, San Francisco also optioned left-hander Carson Whisenhunt and catcher Jesús Rodríguez to Sacramento on Tuesday.

“We’re to the point where they’re all tough decisions, to be honest with you,” Vitello said. “Even at the start of things, camp has gone by fast, but it’s long enough that there’s relationships in place. I would say any decision that’s not best-case scenario is tough, but … I’d say for some guys, it is best-case scenario. Go out, get reps, get repetitions. I think that’s the case for a couple guys.”

With Tidwell and Whisenhunt no longer in camp and right-hander Hayden Birdsong potentially headed for Tommy John surgery, right-handed starter Trevor McDonald has an even stronger chance to make the Opening Day roster as a reliever. McDonald, who has allowed four runs over 13 innings (3.27 ERA) this spring, only pitched one inning on Wednesday, marking his shortest outing since his first game of Cactus League play.

With Rodríguez being optioned to Sacramento, catcher Daniel Susac has all but solidified his spot on the Opening Day roster. Susac was already the favorite to be Patrick Bailey’s backup since he has Rule 5 Draft status, but he’s solidified his case by hitting .303 with a home run (technically two since he had one not correctly called) and an .816 OPS.

WORTH NOTING

Vitello said on Wednesday morning that Webb could potentially start on Thursday evening against the Colorado Rockies, which would give him six days of rest before Opening Night. Vitello originally said Webb would start on Friday after naming him the team’s Opening Day starter.
Right-hander Keyner Martinez, the Giants’ No. 7 prospect per Baseball America, will start the Giants’ Spring Breakout game on Thursday.