Dalton Rushing and Shohei Ohtani are about to find out if their last conversation actually fixed anything — or just swept it under the rug.
The Dodgers catcher and their two-way superstar will work together again Friday night against the San Diego Padres, according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez. It’s the first time they’ve been paired since that weird, tense moment against the Twins nearly 10 days ago turned into a whole thing online.
You remember. Passed ball. One run scored. Rushing jogged to the mound, and the body language was terrible. They clearly weren’t on the same page about what pitch Ohtani wanted to throw. The clip went viral, and suddenly everyone wanted to know if the rookie catcher had already alienated the most important player on the roster.
Manager Dave Roberts tried to smooth it over Thursday, saying Rushing understands his job is to serve the pitcher. Which is manager-speak for “he’s the catcher, not the star.” But it’s also true. Rushing admitted as much himself after that game, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and saying he was embarrassed by how much support he needed.
“They always have my back. It’s embarrassing that I need support like that… Hasn’t been great as of late. I’m gonna be better.”
That’s about as honest as a rookie gets after a brutal night. No deflection. No blaming the pitcher. Just owning it.
Mookie Betts and Max Muncy called it a growing moment, which is the veteran way of saying “chill out, it’s one game.” And they’re probably right. But fans at Chavez Ravine will be watching every exchange between Rushing and Ohtani on Friday, looking for signs of real chemistry or lingering weirdness. That’s what happens when you’re the backup catcher having a rough stretch and you’re catching the biggest name in baseball.
The Dodgers Need to Bounce Back Anyway
The catcher-pitcher drama is the headline, but the Dodgers have bigger problems. They just got smoked 7-1 by the Athletics in Sacramento to close out that series. At 56-31, they’re still comfortably in first place, but that loss stung. The offense went quiet, the pitching had no answers, and now they’re facing a Padres team that’s itching to close the gap in the NL West.
Rushing catching Ohtani might be the subplot, but the main story Friday is whether Los Angeles can reset and play like the team that’s been dominant all year. If they drop another one at home, the conversation shifts from “growing moment” to something a lot louder.
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