The Los Angeles Dodgers couldn't carry their momentum from Monday's series-opening win into Tuesday night, falling 2-1 to the Houston Astros at Daikin Park—even with Shohei Ohtani on the mound.

Ohtani delivered a gritty performance in his sixth start of the season, reaching the seventh inning for the first time since July 2023. He struck out eight batters over seven innings on 89 pitches, allowing just four hits and two earned runs. His fastball was electric all night, consistently lighting up the radar gun. But baseball's ultimate two-way star found himself on the wrong side of the scoreboard, thanks to a Dodgers offense that couldn't find its rhythm.

Houston starter Peter Lambert was the story early. In a career-best outing, he blanked the Dodgers over seven innings, surrendering just three hits. It was a stunning turnaround for a pitcher who had struggled mightily against Los Angeles in the past—and the first time he's ever worked into the seventh inning.

The Dodgers had their chances, but old habits crept back in. They left eight runners on base and went a dismal 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Kyle Tucker provided the only spark, driving in a run with a two-out single in the eighth inning, but it wasn't enough to overcome the early damage.

Ohtani ran into trouble on two pitches. The first was a moonshot from Christian Walker—a notorious Dodgers killer—that sailed to the train tracks in left field. The second came from an unlikely source: Astros third baseman Braden Shewmake, who turned on an 0-1 fastball and sent it 337 feet over the left-field wall.

After those two swings, Ohtani locked in, retiring the next 10 batters he faced before exiting. But with the bats silent and the bullpen unable to erase the deficit, the Dodgers dropped the second game of this three-game series.