TLDR Summary:
- Ohtani delivered a dominant performance on the mound with six innings, nine strikeouts, and just one earned run, but the Dodgers fell 2–1 due to lack of run support.
- Despite slightly shaky command, his 100+ pitch outing signals growing confidence from the team as he continues returning to full workload after surgery.
- Around the league, attention turns to elite pitching matchups and the Yankees’ deep rotation, highlighting how dominant arms are shaping the season.
Host: Let's go to baseball.
Well, we're at a Shohei time all the time. Ohtani with another stellar outing on the mound. Six innings. Five hits, one earned run, nine Ks against the Marlins. His first full season pitching since surgery. He threw 104 pitches. His most in a Dodgers uniform, but he lost. Ohtani didn't hit to limit his effort and LA scored one run in a 2-1 loss. Baseball insider Jeff Passan is here now. Jeff, what stood out to you about Ohtani's performance last night?
Jeff: You know, he didn't have the command he had in recent starts and you know we're nitpicking when the guy who has a 0.60 ERA, the best in Major League Baseball this season, we're saying oh he walked three guys but more than that, Shohei Ohtani threw more than 100 pitches, Jay, for the first time since 2023. And he's had elbow surgery and was shut down and slowly brought along between then and now. But this doesn't just signal that he's breaching that 100 pitch barrier. It shows that over time, the Dodgers are going to be willing to push him deeper into games in all five of his starts this season he has thrown six innings. We're bound to see more than that down the stretch and certainly come postseason time when he's going to be in a rotation that has Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell, now the same rotation that won them the World Series last year.
Host: Okay, as we look ahead to today's game. Some more notable names taking the mound.
Take us through who you're going to be watching starting with the Tigers ace Tarik Skubal.
Jeff: Best pitcher in baseball versus the best team in baseball right now, Jay and Tarik Skubal has been his usual awesome self this year, you know, up to 100 from the left side, the nastiest change up in all of baseball and facing an Atlanta lineup that finally after two years of down
production is looking like itself again and the interesting thing is normally Tarik Skubal dominates left-handers, Michael Harris can hit lefties, Matt Olsen can hit lefties, and Drake Baldwin can hit lefties as well, so it's going to be a fascinating matchup and then we're in the Bronx and the New York Yankees are bringing up another starting pitching arm. It seems like there's an endless supply with the Yankees. Elmer Rodriguez is going to be making his Big
League debut today and they acquired him in the very rare Red Sox Yankees trade last year. Carlos Narvaez, the Red Sox catcher went back to Boston in that deal and Elmer Rodriguez now is going to be in a rotation that has Cam Schlittler, who's put up the best numbers of any pitcher in baseball this season as well as Max Fried. And oh, by the way, let's not forget Gerrit Cole, on his way back from Tommy John surgery. Carlos Rodon on his way back from an injury that's kept him out all season long. The Yankees are the best team in the American League, and it is because of their starting pitching. And come October, not many teams are going to be able to match up with them in terms of their power arms and their ability for those starters to dominate games.
Host: Jeff Passan, my guy, always a pleasure.
Jeff: Thank you, sir.