Just a few hours after the Los Angeles Dodgers placed Will Smith on the Injured List, they took the three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates by an 8-6 final. 

The series win came at a price, as the Dodgers rode the win with the sudden absence of starter Justin Wrobleski and Shohei Ohtani. 

Wrobleski was removed from his latest outing in Pittsburgh after 4.2 innings under his belt. 

After the Pirates came across three runs in the fifth inning by home runs from Brandon Lowe and Rafael Flores Jr., Wrobleski was drilled with a 96.2 mph comebacker to his thigh by Bryan Reynolds. 

The hit would result in an infield single, but Wrobleski was visibly shaken up. He tried to throw a warm-up pitch off the mound, but he would have to exit the game. 

Just a series of unfortunate events, especially for the Dodgers' bullpen, which has been struggling as of late. 

Luckily, the Dodgers' offense sparked once more during this series.

Ohtani made a splash in as many days, launching his 13th home run of the season, in the third inning. 

But more unfortunate luck would strike the Dodgers in the midst of them adding some more runs on the board. 

With runners one first and second and one out in the seventh, Ohtani's place in the lineup was next to bat, but he was nowhere to be found. 

Instead, Santiago Espinal was up to the plate and immediately made it turn worthwhile, smacking a base knock that loaded the bases. 

Coming off the bench since the Dodgers re-signed him, Espinal is 3-for-3. 

Before his removal, Ohtani went 2-for-2 with a home run, an RBI and two walks. 

The Dodgers later announced that Wrobleski left the game with a right hamstring contusion and Ohtani left the game with left knee inflammation. 

On the subject of Ohtani's knee; he underwent season-ending surgery in September of 2019 to combat his bipartite patella.

That is a condition that simply states that Ohtani was born with two kneecaps instead of one. 

For a surgery like that, a recovery time of eight to 12 weeks is standard. 

Even with that, Roberts is not concerned about the future status of his two-way player. 

"Not high. I think we try to be smart about it. Talked to the trainer and said he had a behind-the-knee, little hamstring…Just wanted to be smart and not push it," Roberts said. 

Roberts added that Ohtani will do his regular routine in Chicago before any decisions are made. 

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