The Los Angeles Dodgers could be without designated hitter Shohei Ohtani for a second consecutive game as they open a three-game home series against the Washington Nationals on Friday.
Ohtani was given the day off in Thursday’s 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals with continued right biceps and left knee discomfort. Manager Dave Roberts also added neck soreness into the mix.
The day of rest came after Ohtani struck out a season-high four times on Wednesday against the Cardinals.
Ohtani’s biceps soreness has lingered most of the season and his knee issue has kept him from pitching since July 2. And yet, the Dodgers (83-57) still say they have not seen enough to put him on the injured list just yet.
“I’m either going to play him or not play him if it’s a benefit to the team,” Roberts said. “What I’ve seen recently, you see him kind of laboring and not feeling close to where he needs to be and certainly (Wednesday) was a tipping point. We got to see as he cranks up (Friday) and see how it feels.”
The Dodgers are set to send left-hander Blake Snell (2-1, 2.42 ERA) to the mound. On Saturday at Detroit, Snell made his fourth start since his return from a procedure to remove loose bodies from his elbow and gave up one run on three hits over five innings.
Snell had 10 strikeouts and threw a season-high 99 pitches.
In seven career starts against the Nationals, he is 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA.
The Nationals (67-75) will send left-hander Jackson Kent (1-2, 5.59) to the mound for his fifth career start and first against a National League West opponent.
Kent is coming off the best start of his young career when he held the visiting Miami Marlins to one run on three hits over seven innings last Friday to earn his first win. He threw 106 pitches in the outing.
“I think what impressed me the most was how he was able to dig deep and reach back for more when he was approaching that 100-pitch count in a time where we really needed him to,” Nationals manager Blake Butera said.
Said Kent: “I’m going to … get after guys and compete until they take the ball from me.”
Washington could use another strong start from Kent after absorbing a 9-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday while using five pitchers. On offense, the Nationals were limited to two hits, both singles.
The club will arrive in Los Angeles after catcher Keibert Ruiz left Wednesday’s game in the fourth inning. The former Dodgers prospect, who went to the Nationals in the 2021 Max Scherzer/Trea Turner trade, took a foul ball directly off his catcher’s mask before departing.
James Wood returned Wednesday for the first time in a month after recovering from a left oblique strain, and had one of the two hits. In nine career games against the Dodgers, Wood has five home runs with 11 RBIs.
“It felt good just getting on the board, just getting back into the swing of things,” Wood said.
–Field Level Media
