Dodgers hold off Pirates as Ohtani exits with knee inflammation

PITTSBURGH — The Dodgers accomplished their primary goal Thursday afternoon at PNC Park.

They won the series.

Behind another productive day from Shohei Ohtani and timely offense throughout the lineup, the Dodgers held off the Pirates for an 8-6 victory to improve to 44-25 on the season. The win sends the Dodgers to Chicago with momentum as they prepare to open a three-game series against the White Sox on Friday.

Yet by the time the final out was recorded, the clubhouse's attention had shifted towards two injury situations that could have much larger implications moving forward.

The biggest concern involves Ohtani.

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Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) circles the bases on a solo home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the third inning at PNC Park.

The two-way superstar was unexpectedly removed from the game in the seventh inning with what the Dodgers described as left knee inflammation. The knee is particularly noteworthy because it is the same knee Ohtani underwent surgery on in September 2019.

Ohtani had just thrown 102 pitches over 6.2 innings on Wednesday night, using that left leg as his landing leg throughout the outing. 

Ohtani was back in the leadoff spot on Thursday. 

Every other starting pitcher gets a recovery day after throwing more than 100 pitches. Ohtani doesn't have that luxury because he also happens to be one of baseball's most dangerous hitters.

Dave Roberts has often kept Ohtani out of the lineup the day after he pitches in an effort to keep him off his feet and maximize recovery. This time, Roberts elected to play him, and the Dodgers are now hoping the inflammation proves to be nothing more than temporary soreness.

To his credit, Roberts attempted to calm concerns after the game.

He said his level of concern is "not high" and added that he feels good about Ohtani's chances of returning to the lineup Friday.

The Dodgers certainly hope that's the case.

Before exiting, Ohtani was dominant once again, going 2-for-2 with a home run, an RBI, and two walks. His third-inning blast was his 13th home run of the season and his second homer in his last three plate appearances. It was another reminder that Ohtani was beginning to hit another gear offensively while simultaneously establishing himself as a legitimate Cy Young Award contender.

Any extended absence would be a major setback on multiple fronts.

Not only would the Dodgers lose their most impactful player, but Ohtani's Cy Young chances could take a significant hit. Given his anticipated workload limitations this season, he likely needs to average deep outings the rest of the year to accumulate enough innings to remain firmly in the award conversation.

For now, the Dodgers are hoping Friday brings encouraging news.

The concern doesn't end with Ohtani.

Justin Wrobleski also left Thursday's game after a frightening sequence in the fifth inning.

First, Wrobleski was struck by a comebacker on his right leg. Moments later, he became tangled up with Bryan Reynolds near first base on a play that ultimately forced his exit from the game.

The Dodgers later announced Wrobleski suffered a right hamstring contusion.

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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski (70) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park.

Like Roberts did with Ohtani, he downplayed the severity afterward, saying the team does not believe the injury is significant and that he expects Wrobleski to make his next scheduled start.

The Dodgers can only hope that projection proves accurate.

Wrobleski has been one of the team’s most reliable pitchers this season, with a 7-2 record and a 2.95 ERA.

His final line wasn't his sharpest performance, 4.2 innings, six hits, four earned runs, two walks, one strikeout, and two home runs allowed, but simply avoiding a more serious injury would represent a major victory.

The Pirates made him work throughout the afternoon.

Rafael Flores Jr. connected for the first home run of his major league career in the fifth inning before Brandon Lowe followed with a two-run blast that suddenly cut a comfortable Dodgers lead to 5-3.

An RBI single from Spencer Horwitz later trimmed the margin to 5-4 and put pressure on a Dodgers bullpen forced into action earlier than expected.

Will Klein delivered one of the game's most important moments, escaping a fifth-inning jam and getting a called third strike confirmed through the ABS challenge system.

The offense ultimately made sure those outs mattered.

The Dodgers jumped on Pirates starter Mitch Keller early.

Ohtani opened the scoring with his third-inning homer before Keller lost command of the inning, hitting two batters after the blast. Kyle Tucker capitalized with a bloop two-run single, extending the lead to 3-0 and continuing a hot stretch that has seen him record an RBI in four consecutive games.

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Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Ryan Ward (67) congratulate first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) after Freeman scored a run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the third inning at PNC Park.

Freddie Freeman added an RBI single in the fourth to score Ohtani and make it 4-0.

Andy Pages later crossed home on a Keller wild pitch, pushing the advantage to 5-0.

After Pittsburgh climbed back within one run, the Dodgers responded with insurance in the seventh.

Alex Call scored on Miguel Rojas' fielder's choice to make it 6-4 before Dalton Rushing came home on a wild pitch from Evan Sisk for a 7-4 advantage.

Rojas added a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to extend the lead to 8-4.

The extra run proved important.

The Pirates scored twice against Edgardo Henriquez in the bottom half of the eighth to make things interesting, but the Dodgers held on for the 8-6 victory.

It was another series win for a team that continues to find ways to overcome adversity.

Still, Thursday's story wasn't ultimately about the offense, the standings, or even another Ohtani home run.

It was about health.

The Dodgers leave Pittsburgh with a series victory, but they'll spend the next 24 hours waiting for updates on Ohtani and Wrobleski.