(Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images)

Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani will be on the injured list and unavailable on Friday night when Los Angeles visits the Miami Marlins to start a three-game series.

The Dodgers (89-57) have won seven straight games. The Marlins (72-75) have lost six of their past seven.

Ohtani, a four-time league MVP and six-time All-Star, has missed six of the Dodgers' past seven games due to left knee and right biceps injuries. The biggest issue right now is his right arm.

'He had a swing on Monday that didn't feel great,' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Ohtani. 'Talking to the doctors ... taking (Ohtani's playing time) off the table was the best course of action.'

Ohtani said he has been dealing with nagging injuries since June. He recently said that he likely won't pitch again this season, and that's a shame for the Dodgers, as he is 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA, 26 walks and 95 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings over 14 starts.

As the designated hitter, Ohtani has recorded 25 doubles, four triples, 30 home runs, 80 RBIs, 11 steals in 14 attempts and a .902 OPS.

Miami likely holds fond memories for Ohtani, who had an especially huge game against the host Marlins on Sept. 19, 2024. On that day, Ohtani went 6-for-6 with three homers, two doubles, one single, a Dodgers-record 10 RBIs, four runs and two steals. Also on that day, Ohtani became the first major leaguer to reach 50 homers and 50 steals in the same season.

'This was a win for Major League Baseball,' Roberts said following that 20-4 Dodgers win. 'I know people all over the globe were watching this game.'

It remains to be seen what the Dodgers can accomplish next, but they already have a double-digit lead in the National League West.

On Friday, the Dodgers figure to have a pitching advantage with left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 1.97 ERA) going up against Marlins right-hander Ryan Gusto (1-4, 4.23).

Snell is 2-2 with a 2.92 ERA in seven career starts against the Marlins. In three starts in Miami, he is 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA.

Gusto has a good, albeit brief, track record against Los Angeles. Gusto faced the Dodgers once, on July 6, 2025, while pitching for the Houston Astros. Gusto allowed four hits, one walk and just one run in six innings, earning the win as the Astros prevailed 5-1 on the road.

Ohtani, by the way, went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in that game.

The Marlins showed plenty of fight in a 15-14 home loss to the New York Mets on Wednesday. The Marlins trailed 8-0 and tied it 8-8. The Marlins later trailed 14-8 and nearly won the game in the bottom of the ninth with three runs, before coming up one run short.

'It was a roller coaster,' Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. 'There were a wide range of emotions.'

Snell goes up against a Marlins roster loaded with left-handed hitters, such as 2025 All-Star Kyle Stowers, catcher Joe Mack, third baseman Graham Pauley, and outfielders Griffin Conine, Jakob Marsee and Owen Caissie.

Marsee is hot, batting .406 in September (13-for-32), including nine hits in the three-game home series against the Mets.

--Field Level Media