Dodgers Come Up Short Against Astros with Shohei Ohtani on Mound
Despite Shohei Ohtani's performance on the mound, the Houston Astros took Game Two of the series with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were unable to replicate their explosive offense from their series-opening win against the Houston Astros on Monday. Even with Shohei Ohtani toeing the rubber in Houston, the Dodgers' offense showcased the bad habits thought extinct in a 2-1 loss on Tuesday night at Daikin Park. Los Angeles had no answer for Astros starter Peter Lambert, who delivered seven scoreless innings and allowed only three hits.
That is the first time in his career that he reached the seventh inning and had struggled mightily against the Dodgers in the past. Kyle Tucker provided the only source of run support as he put the Dodgers on the board in the eighth inning with a two-out RBI single. There were plenty of chances for the Dodgers to score.
Runners came plenty, but the offense left eight men on base and were an abysmal 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Ohtani took the mound for his sixth start of the year and pitched into the seventh inning for the first time this season. That also marks the first time he's reached the seventh inning since July of 2023.
In addition to that, Ohtani gave up two home runs. The first came from Dodgers killer Christian Walker as he launched a moonshot to the train tracks in left field. The second home run came from the unlikely source of Astros third baseman Braden Shewmake.