In the lead-up to starting the Angels' opener in Oakland, the right-hander was spinning brilliantly the potential benefits of his team's expanded rotation.
"If you can get 28 crispy starts instead of 28 crispy starts and five soggy ones, I think the team would take the former," Richards said. "Hopefully, it will boost our performance."
To better approximate the schedule that helped make Ohtani a two-way star in Japan, the Angels will be giving the members of their rotation more rest to start this season.
No, the Angels aren't playing this aspect of their promising season by the book.