Baseball: Ohtani battles through tough fifth inning as Dodgers sweep Rays

LOS ANGELES, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Jun, 2026) Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani hung in to get the decision in Wednesday's 5-4 comeback win over the Tampa Bay Rays after allowing multiple earned runs in back-to-back starts on the mound for the first time this year.

Ohtani (7-2) surrendered a season-high four runs, all scored in the fifth inning, before Los Angeles rallied to sweep the series at Dodger Stadium.

He did not start in the batting lineup but pinch-hit for designated hitter Miguel Rojas in the sixth inning.

The reigning National League MVP gave up seven hits, also a season high, while striking out five and walking one across six innings as his ERA rose to 1.47, the second-lowest mark in Major League Baseball among pitchers with at least 50 innings.

"You can't always go out there at 100 percent, so to still come away with the win like that was big," said Ohtani, who has been dealing with left knee inflammation since his previous pitching start.

<?php /*?> <?php */?>

Ohtani dispelled concerns about his knee, as well as a blister on his right hand, as he breezed through his first four frames.

But the Rays lineup sprang to life in the fifth, with a leadoff walk to Victor Mesa Jr. setting the tone for Ohtani's toughest inning so far this campaign. He faced nine batters and threw 26 pitches as the Rays turned a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 lead.

The Dodgers regained the lead on a Freddie Freeman two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth, taking Ohtani off the hook for a loss.

"I had good and bad moments in the game," said Ohtani, who grounded out in his one at-bat. "My only regret is that fifth inning. Leading it off with a walk was not good."

In other MLB action, Seiya Suzuki hit a second-inning RBI double and went 2-for-3 as designated hitter for the Chicago Cubs in their 8-6 win over the Colorado Rockies at Wrigley Field.