Uncharacteristic start from Shohei Ohtani, poor offense proved to be too much as Los Angeles Dodgers lose 2-1.
There would be no heroics Tuesday night as the Los Angeles Dodgers fall to the Miami Marlins 2-1.
Before the game had commenced and starting lineups were announced, there was plenty to take away from Dave Roberts' lineup.
For one, the hot-hitting Dalton Rushing was in the leadoff spot and hitting as the designated hitter. It's a spot that has been exclusively inhabited by two-way star Shohei Ohtani.
Roberts hinted before Monday's game at the idea of having Ohtani solely pitch on his start days.
Roberts added that the Dodgers and Ohtani's ultimate goal was to get him through every start of his 2026 campaign. And, with that has to come compromise and load management when it comes to the hitting side.
This will be a common phenomenon as the season goes on for Ohtani.
For his fifth start of the year, this was an out-of-character start for Ohtani. From the jump, it wasn't painting out to be that.
He began his outing by striking out the first two Marlins hitters before giving up his first hit to Otto Lopez.
Miami scored first in the second inning as a throwing error from Ohtani turned into an Owen Caissie sacrifice fly. That earned run was the first one that Ohtani had given up since March 15.
From this point on, Ohtani's command would suffer while his walk rate ballooned.
Though he was heavily manned in traffic down the stretch of his start and was up to three walks, Ohtani only gave up two earned runs. His strikeout rate remained consistent as he finished with nine.
"Pitch count was under control for the first four innings," Ohtani said. "Stuff wise; wasn't that great...I wasn't quite happy with how the runs scored too. So overall, it wasn't that of a great outing."
Unlike Monday, where the Dodgers' offense came alive in the latter innings, Tuesday wouldn't be the case. Los Angeles hitters were 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.
With the loss, the Dodgers drop to 20-10 throughout the first 30 games of the season. Los Angeles looks to take the rubber match on Wednesday as Tyler Glasnow toes the rubber.
Join the Community
Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!