Ohtani Pitches 6 Innings, Dodgers Fall

0:00It's April 29th. Welcome to MLB News Today, powered by AI and Ready for First Pitch. Shohei O'Connor took the mound for the Dodgers Tuesday night against the Miami Marlins, striking out 9 over 6 solid innings. The 31-year-old superstar allowed just 2 runs, one earned, on 5 hits and 3 walks, throwing 104 pitches. Dodgers fell short in a 2-1 loss, but O'Connor kept things tight. This marked his second start this season, pitching only. Skipping his usual designated hitter spot. Manager Dave Roberts called it, almost a half-day-off for O'Connor's mind and body. Part of a careful plan in his first full-two-way year, with L.A. chasing. Another World Series. O'Connor wasn't thrilled, saying through his translator, his stuff wasn't sharp, and he hated how those run scored. Roberts agreed he wasn't fully synced, but praised navigating 6 innings with minimal damage. Even without O'Connor batting leadoff, Roberts expects the lineup to produce wins. His ERA, ticked up from 0.38 to 0.60 across five starts and 30 innings, still elite with

1:08just two earned runs. Total. He joined Fernando Valenzuela in his own 2024 self, as the only Dodgers pitchers allowing one run or less in their first five starts. O'Connor bounces back to hitting Wednesday in the series finale, batting 278 with six homers so far. Those are balancing his dual role for the long haul, figuring out what's sustainable as the season rolls on.