Dodgers hold Ohtani out of lineup 3rd straight day

Shohei Ohtani is out of the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup for a third straight game Saturday, but the team has not placed him on the injured list.

On Friday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani, who expressed soreness in his neck and along his right arm late in Wednesday's 8-6 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, is still day-to-day, though he softened his stance about a potential stint on the injured list.

"Hopeful," Roberts said when asked about Ohtani not going on the IL, "but I wouldn't say confident. Hopeful. We'll see."

After Friday's 5-3 series-opening win over the Washington Nationals, Roberts said he didn't expect Ohtani in the lineup on Saturday, though he was prepared to make a final determination after the superstar was to be reevaluated by the training staff.

If the discomfort lingers through the weekend, the Dodgers might have to temporarily shut him down, something they have avoided as he battled small ailments throughout the season.

Los Angeles began play 84-57, in first place in the National League West, and tied with the Atlanta Braves and Tampa Bay Rays with the second-best record in the majors, behind the Milwaukee Brewers.