PITTSBURGH -- The Dodgers defeated the Pirates, 8-6, on Thursday night at PNC Park, but it was a costly victory.
Superstar Shohei Ohtani was pinch-hit for in the bottom of the seventh inning of Thursday night's series finale vs. the Pirates with left knee inflammation.
Per manager Dave Roberts, Ohtani experienced pain in his left knee/hamstring area after a stolen base attempt that was a foul ball, and the decision to remove him was purely precautionary. The Dodgers are not yet ruling him out for Friday's game vs. the White Sox.
Ohtani hit a solo homer in the third inning off Mitch Keller to open the scoring and reached base all four times he stepped to the plate, singling and walking twice. Santiago Espinal entered as pinch-hitter and remained in the game as DH.
Ohtani is hitting .305/.421/.543 in 67 games this season with 13 homers and six stolen bases. As a pitcher, his record is 6-2 in 11 starts with a 1.06 ERA, including a quality start on Wednesday vs. the Bucs (four runs, three earned, on eight hits over 6 2/3 innings with six strikeouts).
Two innings prior, left-hander Justin Wrobleski exited with a right hamstring contusion when he collided with Pittsburgh left fielder Bryan Reynolds at first base.
Reynolds hit a ball back through the box that caromed off Wrobleski and toward first baseman Freddie Freeman. Wrobleski raced to cover first base and collided with Reynolds at the bag while taking the throw from Freeman. Reynolds beat the play for a single as both he and Wrobleski tumbled to the ground.
Wrobleski was attended to by the Dodgers athletic trainers and then pulled from the game with Will Klein coming on in relief.
Wrobleski allowed four runs on six hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings, recording just one strikeout.
Ohtani and Andy Pages had two hits, RBIs and runs scored apiece, and Kyle Tucker hit a two-run single to power the Dodgers' offense.