LOS ANGELES, CA — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts decided that Shohei Ohtani would start on the mound Tuesday night but not bat. This decision has become easier to make as the young season progresses, because Los Angeles has Dalton Rushing in the lead-off spot as their designated hitter. With only 13 games under his belt before Tuesday night’s matchup between the Marlins and Dodgers, he was batting .385 with seven home runs and 16 RBI—numbers similar to Ohtani’s.
“It’s almost like a half-day for him (Ohtani),” Roberts said before the game. “I think that in itself is a win for his mind and body.”
As Miami countered with 30-year-old right-hander Janson Junk, boasting a 3.67 ERA ahead of the outing, the Marlins got things started when 2025 National League LatinoMVP Rookie of the Year Agustín Ramírez (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) led off the second inning by getting hit by a pitch from Ohtani, stole second, and went to third on a throwing error by Shohei.
Agustín Ramírez was named the 2025 National League LatinoMVP Rookie of the Year by the Latino Sports Writers and Broadcasters Association – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
The 24-year-old catcher then scored on a sacrifice fly to give the Marlins a 1-0 lead without even getting a hit.
In the meantime, Junk was looking like Greg Maddux, keeping the Dodger lineup guessing with a clever mix of pitches. He had excellent command and changed speeds as he put LA down through the first four innings.
As for Ohtani (104 pitches, 67 for strikes), if not for that second inning of flubs, he matched Junk through his first four frames of work, but seemed a bit off. A bit off still gets you a pitching line of six innings, two runs allowed (1 ER), five hits, three walks and nine strikeouts..
Shohei Ohtani went for six innings on the mound Tuesday night vs. the Marlins and allowed two runs on five hits and three walks – Image Credit: Francisco Rodriguez/Latino Sports
One thing Miami likes to do is run and play small ball, using that idea to successfully in the fifth inning with a walk, a sacrifice bunt, and a soft base hit to plate another run.
And with Junk (74 pitches, 55 for strikes) going through LA’s lineup like butter, that’s all Miami needed to take a 2-0 lead into the seventh inning. He left with a line of six innings pitched, three hits, zero runs, and four strikeouts. I believe he could have gone one or two more innings, as the Dodgers didn’t seem to have a clue on how to hit him.
With Junk gone, the Dodgers managed to score one run in the bottom of the eighth inning, but it was too little too late for the back-to-back champs.
Final Score: Marlins 2 – Dodgers 1
On Wednesday, the final game of this three-game series, the Marlins (14-16) plan to send out right-hander Sandy Alcántara (3-2, 3.05 ERA) while the Dodgers (20-10) go with RHP Tyler Glasnow (3-0, 2.45 ERA).
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