Shohei Ohtani Prepared to Pinch-Hit as Dodgers Defeat Nationals 7-5

On Sunday night, Shohei Ohtani was prepared to pinch-hit for the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to manager Dave Roberts. Ohtani had been sidelined for four consecutive games due to issues with his knee, biceps, and neck. Roberts indicated that if either of the first two hitters in the eighth inning had reached base, Ohtani would have replaced Alex Call. However, after Alex Freeland popped out and Max Muncy flied out, Roberts decided to keep Call in the game to face Nationals left-handed pitcher Will Dion, as the Dodgers were trailing by one run. "To be quite honest, versus lefty right there, I just felt Call had a good chance to get on base," Roberts stated. "And nothing against Shohei, but he hadn’t played in four days and lefty’s on the mound, so I figured we’ll just try to keep the line moving and get Tommy (Edman) up there." The decision to not substitute Ohtani proved beneficial as Mookie Betts hit a home run, leading the Dodgers to a 7-5 victory. Roberts expressed optimism about Ohtani's return to the lineup, stating, "My expectation is he’ll be in the lineup tomorrow." When asked about the possibility of batting Edman leadoff instead of Ohtani, Roberts confirmed that the plan is for Ohtani to continue batting first.