PITTSBURGH -- On a night when Shohei Ohtani was scratched from his scheduled start on the mound, the Dodgers' planned starting battery took another hit when catcher Will Smith exited Wednesday's 3-0 loss to the Pirates at PNC Park after two innings.
X-rays came back negative and a CT scan showed nothing of further concern for Smith, who departed with a right hand contusion after taking a foul ball off the back of his throwing hand during the second inning. The starting backstop is expected to avoid the injured list, manager Dave Roberts said.
On Friday in Baltimore, Roberts said Smith would not play in the series opener against the Orioles but did not rule out a return during the second or third game of the set.
Rookie Dalton Rushing is poised to start behind the plate in the interim, and the Dodgers will carry three catchers on the active roster.
L.A. selected Ben Rortvedt, who was acquired from the Rays at the Trade Deadline, from Triple-A Oklahoma City before Thursday's finale in Pittsburgh. In corresponding moves, No. 3 prospect Alex Freeland (MLB Pipeline's No. 42 overall) was optioned to Triple-A and former All-Star Alexis Díaz was designated for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
"We can’t afford to lose him," Roberts said of Smith on Wednesday. "I guess we’ll know more in the coming days."
Rushing pinch-hit in Smith's spot in the top of the third and replaced him at catcher, going 1-for-2 with a single. He also took a ball off his right hand before drawing a walk in the seventh and was able to stay in the game.
"It was concerning. I’m happy he’s OK," Roberts said. "I don’t like the swinging at a 3-1 pitch that hits you, either. But we made it out OK."
With the loss, the Dodgers squandered the chance to extend their lead beyond 2 1/2 games in the NL West after the Padres were swept by the Orioles. They were also unable to gain a game on the Phillies, who have a two-game cushion for the second seed -- and first-round postseason bye -- in the National League.
Missed opportunities were a theme for the Dodgers' offense, which twice stranded the bases loaded in the early innings and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
"Obviously, we had good at-bats getting on-base today. We just didn’t get the hit today," first baseman Freddie Freeman said. "The game of baseball is hard. The concept is easy. Hit the ball, catch the ball, get the hits when you need to. We obviously didn’t do that tonight. Just gotta move on to tomorrow.”
Inconsistent production has been an issue for the team over the past two months, but the Dodgers would be in a worse spot if Smith needs to miss any time.
Through July, Smith was the Dodgers' steadiest hitter, leading the National League with a .325 batting average and reliably coming through in clutch moments. But the starting backstop slumped badly in August, hitting .159 with a .630 OPS while working through mechanical tweaks to his swing.
Smith ended last month on a strong note, though, walking off the D-backs with a pinch-hit blast on Sunday.
The Dodgers have already spent extended time without one of their key cogs in the heart of the order, third baseman Max Muncy, who is on the IL for the second time this season with a right oblique strain. Losing another in Smith would be a major blow.
Since July 1 -- two days before Muncy went on the IL for the first time -- the Dodgers' 230 runs rank 23rd in the Majors. Before then, they led all 30 teams with 477 runs, 24 more than the second-ranked Cubs.
The Dodgers' .463 win percentage since July 1 ranks 21st in the Majors, better than only the Braves, Cardinals, Nationals and Rockies in the National League.
In the first half of the season, the Dodgers were able to get by with an injury-ravaged pitching staff in no small part because they could outhit some of their problems. Now that the team's starting pitching, in particular, has become a bona fide strength, the bats have cooled.
The Dodgers intend to play their best baseball down the stretch, with the division and postseason seeding on the line. Two games into September, they're not off to a good start.
"I do believe that the guys that we have in the room are capable of putting together consistent team at-bats of urgency from the first pitch on," Roberts said. "But at the end of the day, I'm sure our players are echoing the same message that we just got to get it done. I can talk about it as much as I want, but we got to get it done."