Dave Roberts watched the most fiery moment of the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ 2026 season unfold June 25. He’s now hoping there’s no repeat of the tense moment involving catcher Dalton Rushing and pitcher Shohei Ohtani.
Both will start in their respective positions Friday against the San Diego Padres, that’s why.
Fans inside Chavez Ravine will eye the cohesion between the two. Ohtani and Rushing got embroiled in a heated moment on the mound after a passed ball against the Minnesota Twins. The error drove one runner home, which witnessed a communication breakdown between Ohtani and Rushing.
Rushing walked to the mound and spoke with a visibly upset Ohtani. The catcher revealed he expected a different pitch than the passed ball. Whereas Ohtani showed confidence in that type of throw despite the end result. Now, Roberts sent out an expectation to Rushing Thursday.
What Dave Roberts Expects From Dalton Rushing
Once again, this lineup becomes the first Rushing/Ohtani pairing since that narrow win over the Twins.
Roberts fired off this expectation via ESPN MLB insider Alden Gonzalez.
“Dalton understands this is what he signed up for. And that the job of a catcher is to be a servant to the pitcher,” Roberts said.
So Roberts expects Rushing to embrace the teachable moment from that game. Although he’s not the only member of the Dodgers who believes the catcher learned a valuable lesson that day.
Max Muncy and Mookie Betts React to Dalton Rushing Miscue
Two Dodger veterans downplayed the moment between both players.
Mookie Betts and Max Muncy spoke about the moment on the former’s On Base podcast. Muncy views this situation as an educational one for the catcher and even two-time World Series winner Ohtani.
“Think it’s a good growing moment for both guys, Sho’s not always going to be able to throw to Will [Smith], and this is one of those moments where it was like, ‘Hey, sometimes Sho wants to throw a pitch that maybe isn’t the best pitch to throw.’ You learn how to deal with that the more you’ve been in those types of situations,” Muncy said.
But Betts chimed in with what he liked about the aftermath of the moment.
“What I really enjoyed was how ‘Rush’ later on took accountability. He knows that he has a lot on his plate,” Betts said.
Dodgers aim to Return with Winning Ways
So now the Dodgers will aim to see Rushing and Ohtani co-exist in the Friday showdown. But there’s more to the budding chemistry between both that’s at stake.
Los Angeles must shed the 7-1 loss to the Athletics quick. Especially as the Dodgers aim to strengthen their lead in both the NL West and MLB standings. LA remains with the league’s best record, but the As loss placed the Milwaukee Brewers three games behind the Dodgers in the NL race.
Meanwhile, Roki Sasaki took to the mound for the Thursday battle against the Padres. He surrendered seven hits and six earned runs while striking out three batters in three innings on the hill. Will Klein relieved him with LA up 8-6 through the first five innings.
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