Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 9-5 win over the Pirates.

Ohtani's blast sparked a five-run rally for the Dodgers in the third inning. He's gone just 6-for-30 (.200) over seven games in August, but three of his knocks in that span have been homers, giving him 35 on the year -- one ahead of Atlanta's Marcell Ozuna for the National League lead. Ohtani is slashing .302/.389/.622 with 83 RBI, 87 runs scored, 32 steals, 29 doubles and four triples over 113 contests this season.

Pederson went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 3-2 win versus the Phillies.

The Diamondbacks designated hitter cracked a 393-foot long ball off Zack Wheeler in the third inning to push the team's lead to 2-0. Pederson has been scorching hot since the All-Star break, batting .350 (14-for-40) with six homers, 10 runs scored and 13 RBI across 16 games. It has been a resurgent year for the 32-year-old in Arizona, as he's now slashing .284/.392/.554 over 328 plate appearances this season.

McCutchen isn't in the Pirates' lineup Friday against the Dodgers.

McCutchen will sit down for a second consecutive game Friday despite going 6-for-15 with a homer and four RBI since the start of August. His absence will put Joey Bart in as the designated hitter while Yasmani Grandal starts behind the plate.

Blankenhorn is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Angels.

Blankenhorn will be withheld from the starting nine for a third consecutive game, though Friday's outing is the first of that stretch against a right-handed pitcher (Jose Soriano). The lefty-hitting Blankenhorn is 3-for-20 (.150) with a 38.1 percent strikeout rate in nine games this season. Harold Ramirez will bat seventh and DH on Friday.

Ozuna went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run and two RBI in Thursday's loss to the Brewers.

It was a rough night for Atlanta overall in a 16-7 rout, but Ozuna did what he could with a solo shot in the seventh inning off Bryse Wilson and an RBI groundout in the eighth. The veteran slugger is up to 33 homers and 88 RBI on the season, and he's been on a rampage over the last month, slashing .323/.377/.656 in his last 25 games with 10 long balls, 15 RBI and 19 runs.

Pederson isn't in the Diamondbacks' lineup Thursday versus the Phillies.

Pederson will get a chance to rest as the Diamondbacks match up against left-hander Kolby Allard in Thursday's series opener. Ketel Marte will instead serve as Arizona's designated hitter while Kevin Newman picks up a start at second base.

Ohtani (elbow) hopes to begin throwing off a mound by early September, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

Ohtani's current throwing program as he comes back from right UCL surgery has him playing catch from 150 feet three days per week at 85 percent intensity. He will progress to four days per week and then five before being cleared to throw off the mound. As long as all of those stages go off without a hitch, the hope is Ohtani will be able to face hitters either via live batting practice or a simulated game by October. He would then be shut down for a while before eventually ramping things back up in the offseason. Ohtani is aiming to be a two-way player again in 2025.

Blackmon is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mets.

Blackmon will take a seat along with fellow left-handed hitters Ryan McMahon and Jake Cave as the Mets send southpaw David Peterson to the hill. Kris Bryant will get a day off from the outfield and will replace Blackmon as the Rockies' designated hitter.

McCutchen is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Padres, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

McCutchen went deep in the Pirates' extra-inning loss to the Padres on Wednesday, but he'll take a seat for Thursday's matinee. Bryan Reynolds will get a start at the designated hitter spot while Bryan De La Cruz, Michael Taylor and Ji Hwan Bae patrol the outfield.

Blankenhorn is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants.

The Giants are sending a lefty (Kyle Harrison) to the hill for the second day in a row, so the lefty-hitting Blankenhorn will once again head to the bench. Platoon mate Harold Ramirez will get another turn as the Nationals' designated hitter and will slot sixth in the batting order.