Miami Marlins pitcher Janson Junk delivered a stellar performance on the mound Tuesday night, throwing six shutout innings to help his team secure a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers and tie their three-game series.
The visiting Marlins got offensive support from Otto Lopez, who collected three hits, while Owen Caissie and Kyle Stowers each contributed RBI performances. The victory improved Miami’s record to 2-3 during their current six-game road swing through the West Coast.
Junk earned his second win of the season against two losses, surrendering just three hits while walking one batter and striking out four. The right-hander has now thrown back-to-back scoreless outings after struggling in his two previous starts, where he allowed nine runs with seven earned.
Tyler Phillips stepped up in relief to secure his second save of the season, throwing a clean ninth inning. Phillips got the save opportunity after regular closer Pete Fairbanks was placed on the injured list earlier Tuesday due to nerve irritation.
On the opposing side, Shohei Ohtani took the loss to fall to 2-1 on the season. The Japanese superstar allowed two runs, though only one was earned, on five hits across six innings of work. He issued three walks and recorded nine strikeouts while pitching on five days’ rest for the first time this season. Despite the loss, Ohtani maintains an impressive 0.60 ERA.
The Dodgers’ offense struggled without Ohtani in the lineup, marking just the second time in five starts that the two-way star didn’t bat when he pitched. Will Smith led Los Angeles with three of the team’s seven hits, as the Dodgers were limited to one run or fewer for the fourth time this season.
Miami struck first in the second inning through a combination of hustle and Los Angeles mistakes. Agustin Ramirez took a pitch to his left wrist, then stole second base and moved to third on an errant throw by Ohtani. Caissie brought him home with a sacrifice fly to give the Marlins a 1-0 advantage.
The visitors doubled their lead in the fifth inning when Christopher Morel drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on Jakob Marsee’s one-out bunt. Stowers then delivered a clutch single to right field, scoring Morel for a 2-0 Miami lead.
Morel was making his first appearance in a Marlins uniform after signing as a free agent during the offseason. He had been sidelined with an oblique strain suffered during batting practice before the season opener.
Los Angeles managed to cut the deficit in half during the eighth inning. Freddie Freeman’s one-out single put runners on first and third base, setting up Smith’s RBI single to right field off reliever Michael Petersen that made it 2-1.
