Dodgers Fall Short Yet Again in Shohei Ohtani Start

TL;DR

The Los Angeles Dodgers lost 2-1 to the Houston Astros, leveling their series. Shohei Ohtani pitched seven innings, striking out eight, but the team struggled offensively, scoring only two runs in 18 innings.

Key points

Dodgers lost 2-1 to Astros in second game of series
Shohei Ohtani pitched seven innings, striking out eight
Ohtani allowed two runs from solo home runs
Dodgers scored only two runs in last 18 innings
Series is tied at one game each

Los Angeles DodgersHouston AstrosShohei Ohtani

Apr 28, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) reacts after a pitch in the fifth inning against the Miami Marlins at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers lost their second game of a three-game set against the Houston Astros, 2-1, leveling the series.

Shohei Ohtani got the nod on the mound, but didn’t hit for the team yet again. He threw seven innings—reaching that milestone for the first time in nearly three years—while striking out eight batters. The right-hander allowed two runs, both of which came via solo homer.

Ohtani has exclusively pitched in three of his last four starts, and the Dodgers have failed to generate much offense without him in either game, scoring just two runs over the course of 18 innings.

The first run of the game came off the bat of Christian Walker in the bottom of the second inning, as he sent a high fly ball over the Crawford Boxes to give the Astros the lead. Nine hole hitter Braden Shewmake added onto the lead in the bottom of the third, sneaking a homer over the left field fence to double the hosts’ lead.