Shohei Ohtani’s status remains up in the air as the Dodgers get ready to open a three-game series against the Washington Nationals.
Dave Roberts said a stint on the injured list is “unlikely” for the two-way star, though the club will keep watching him closely with 22 games left in the regular season.
“Right now, I would consider it unlikely,” Roberts said. “Unlikely, but not impossible.”
“I think it’s up to us to kind of figure out how we navigate these next three and a half, four weeks,” Roberts said. “But I’m very confident that we’ll see the guy we all expect to see.”
The Dodgers already sat Ohtani on Thursday after he went 0-4 with four strikeouts in Wednesday’s 8-6 extra-inning loss to St. Louis. His absence was noticeable for most of Thursday’s game, but Los Angeles still pulled out a 3-2 walk-off win over the Cardinals thanks to a late rally.
Teoscar Hernández delivered the finishing blow with a two-run double that helped the Dodgers avoid a sweep. He finished the series 6-13 with two doubles and two RBI, and he told Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA that patience was the key against Riley O’Brien in the ninth.
“First, I was just trying to be more patient. He was a little wild in that inning.
Just trying to get focused on the middle of the plate and get a good pitch to hit… We know we’re not playing the best baseball that we know we can play. We know we’re not hitting we know we can hit.
One thing they should know is that we’re going to go out, we’re going to battle, fight every at-bat and just try to win every game.”
On the other side, Tarik Skubal was able to limit the damage even as the Cardinals racked up a season-high 10 hits against him. He allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings, walked one and struck out six in a no-decision.
After the game, Skubal spoke with Watson about staying committed to his approach despite the traffic and a few calls not going his way.
“I think, early, the changeup was a little bit elevated. They put some good hits on it.
At the end of the day, they were all singles, so it’s not like I needed to change my approach. It’s not like they were slugging anything.
Just gotta stay true to myself. I bet there was 10-15 throws that were less than two inches off the plate both ways.
If those were over the plate, then that’s 10-15 more strikes.”
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Dodgers Lose Two Bats Late And Suddenly Face A Bigger Concern
The Dodgers arrived for their game against the Washington Nationals with another late shakeup to the lineup, and this one landed at a sensitive spot for a team already juggling health concerns. Dalton Rushing was scratched because of right elbow discomfort tied to a slightly torn UCL, while Max Muncy was also pulled because of illness, leaving Los Angeles to adjust on the fly before first pitch. Shohei Ohtani was still out of the lineup as well, adding to the sense that the Dodgers are trying to piece together offense while waiting for key names to clear.
Rushings situation is the one that naturally carries the bigger worry, because elbow trouble connected to a UCL is never the kind of detail a club wants to hear around a young bat. Muncy being sidelined by illness is more routine, and Ohtanis absence was already part of the picture, but losing another hitter right before a game forces the Dodgers to keep one eye on the scoreboard and another on the trainers room. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Could Get An Important Outfield Boost At The Perfect Time
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Tommy Edman has handled most of the center-field work in Pages absence, giving the Dodgers a steady stopgap while they wait for more clarity on Pages timeline. The encouraging part for Los Angeles is that a return before the postseason still appears to be in play, which would give the club another option in the outfield right when October decisions start to matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Suddenly Have A Rotation Problem They Can't Ignore
Eric Lauers rough outing against the St. Louis Cardinals turned into something more than just a bad night, as the Dodgers placed the left-hander on the 15-day injured list because of left elbow inflammation. Dave Roberts said Lauer was not feeling well during the start, and the timing leaves Los Angeles with a rotation issue it cant really brush aside for long.
The Dodgers are now down to four starters and have to sort through internal options while they wait on Lauers status. Emmet Sheehan, Roki Sasaki and Gavin Stone are among the names in the mix, which gives the club some possibilities, but also underscores how quickly one injury can put added pressure on a staff that was supposed to have more stability. [Read more 🡒]