Dodgers beat Pirates but Shohei Ohtani, Justin Wrobleski leave with injuries

PITTSBURGH — Secure from red alert.

Justin Wrobleski and Shohei Ohtani each left with injuries during Thursday’s 8-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the concern level was “not high” and neither is expected to miss any playing time.

Wrobleski left in the fifth inning with a contusion to his right hamstring after taking a comebacker off his leg.

“I’ll get some treatment. Get the swelling to go down and I’ll be good to go,” Wrobleski said. “It’s a little bruise right now but I’ll be fine.”

Alarm bells went off in the seventh inning when Santiago Espinal was sent up to pinch-hit for Ohtani – who hit his 13th home run of the season earlier in the game – with two runners on in a close game. The official reason was left knee inflammation but Roberts explained that it was “discomfort” in the back of Ohtani’s knee.

“I think it’s more hamstring versus knee,” Roberts said. “It’s behind the knee, but I think it’s the attachment of the knee and the hamstring.”

Ohtani was on base four times in the game – on two walks, a single and his home run. The single came in the fourth inning and Roberts said he thinks Ohtani felt the pain in his leg after breaking from first base on a steal attempt. Andy Pages fouled the ball off and Ohtani went back to first.

Since stealing 59 bases in 2024, Ohtani has tempered his baserunning efforts after returning to pitching. He stole 20 bases in 26 attempts last year and is 6 for 8 so far this year. Ohtani declined a post-game interview request Thursday.

“My assumption is – I haven’t talked to Shohei yet – but my assumption is it was trying to steal second base, but I don’t know,” Roberts said. “Obviously, I think that you just gotta be smart on the bases and not take chances we don’t really need to.”

Roberts said his initial expectation is for Ohtani to play Friday – and make his next scheduled pitching start on Wednesday – but he will be re-evaluated.

“We just tried to be smart about it,” he said, calling the decision to pull Ohtani from the game a “proactive” move. “I feel good about him being in there tomorrow.”

Wrobleski held the Pirates scoreless for the first four innings Thursday despite walking two and giving up two hits. He got one double play and only one of those baserunners made it to second base.

The Dodgers staked him to a nice five-run lead, driving Pirates starter Mitch Keller from the game with 13 baserunners in the first four innings – seven hits, four walks and two hit batters.

One of those hits was a solo home run by Ohtani in the third inning (his second home run in a span of three plate appearances). Pages followed with a single and Keller loaded the bases by hitting Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy with two outs. Two runs scored when Kyle Tucker’s pop-up dropped in shallow left field.

Two more runs scored in the fourth inning when Ohtani, Pages and Freeman strung together three consecutive two-out singles and Keller wild-pitched a run home.

The Dodgers’ night began to get uncomfortable starting with the fifth inning.

The Pirates went deep twice on Wrobleski – a solo home run by catcher Rafael Flores Jr. (his first MLB home run) and a two-run drive by Brandon Lowe after there were two outs. Wrobleski’s night ended on his next pitch.

Bryan Reynolds sent a first-pitch fastball back at Wrobleski. The 96.2 mph comebacker bounced off the back of Wrobleski’s right leg and ricocheted between first and second base. Freeman retrieved it and fired to Wrobleski covering first base. But Wrobleski couldn’t find the base and clipped legs with Reynolds as he crossed the base.

Roberts and a trainer came out from the Dodgers’ dugout to check on Wrobleski who hobbled back to the mound, ready to stay in the game. But Roberts called for the bullpen.

“It got me straight in the hamstring,” Wrobleski said. “Then I’m trying to get over there and make a play. It’s really hard to get over there on a play where Freddie’s got to throw it and I’ve got to catch it, find the bag and get a guy who’s a pretty good runner. It’s a tough play to make. I just missed the base.”

Roberts said he was “very confident” Wrobleski would be recovered in time to make his next start.

“He’s fine,” Roberts said. “He’s just more frustrated with his performance tonight, and wanted to go deeper in the game.”

Will Klein came in and gave up back-to-back singles, which cut the Dodgers’ lead to 5-4 before getting out of the inning.

The Dodgers stretched their lead with two runs in the seventh inning and another in the eighth, Ohtani exiting along the way.

That cushion was almost not enough. Wrobleski’s early departure left the game in the hands of a Dodgers’ bullpen that has struggled in June and gave up a lead in Wednesday’s loss. This time, Alex Vesia and Jack Dreyer handed a four-run lead to Edgardo Henriquez in the eighth inning. He gave up half of it on three consecutive extra-base hits – a triple and two doubles – before Tanner Scott came on for a four-out save, striking out the side in the ninth.

The win was just the third in the Dodgers’ past 11 games at PNC Park. By taking two out of three, they won a series here for the first time since 2021.

“It’s always good to win a series. But here – it just seems like it’s hard to win baseball games here,” Roberts said. “These guys play us tough. They’re young. They can really pitch, as far as the starting pitching, typically is very good. And it’s a scrappy team. They’re young, they’re athletic, and they play with a lot of enthusiasm. So it’s actually fun to play against guys like that, albeit wins are hard to come by here.”