Dodgers fans collectively held their breath Thursday when two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani was lifted for a pinch hitter in the 7th inning against the Pirates. The team officially listed the reason as “left knee inflammation”, but downplayed how severe the injury was following the contest.
“We tried to be smart about it and get him out of the game,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He told the trainer that he felt a little something behind his knee and I just didn’t see any sense in risking it.”
The 31 year old appeared to tweak something on a steal attempt which ultimately resulted in a foul ball earlier in the contest. Ohtani was not made available to media after the game for follow up questions.
While the team didn’t officially confirm it, Roberts mentioned that he was optimistic that Ohtani would be available for the series opener on Friday against the White Sox. Ohtani is in the midst of another MVP calibre season with Los Angeles, hitting .305 with 40 RBI. As a pitcher, he’s 6-2 with a 1.06 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 67.2IP.
Los Angeles also watched as starter Justin Wrobleski was forced out of the game after taking a line drive off the bat of Bryan Reynolds in the 5th inning. The team listed him as day to day with a left hamstring contusion, though the hurler told reporters afterwards that he doesn’t anticipate missing a start.
“I’ll get some treatment on it and I’ll be fine,” Wrobleski said. “I don’t think it’s a big deal. Just a little frustrating.”
The Dodgers are once again atop the NL West division standings with a 44-25 mark on the year. That’s good for an 8 game cushion over the 2nd place Padres at the moment.
Los Angeles once again took 2 of 3 to earn the series victory over the Pirates to keep humming along in June. One needs to go all the way back to the team’s May 8-10th series against the Atlanta Braves to find the last time they didn’t at least split a series with an opposing team.
Chicago will look to buck that trend on Friday when they welcome LA into town. The White Sox are the surprise team of the first half, currently sitting atop the AL Central with a 0.5 game lead over the Cleveland Guardians at 36-31.
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