Conforto and Ohtani homer as NL West-leading Dodgers hold off last-place Rockies 9-7

DENVER (AP) — Michael Conforto hit a three-run homer, Shohei Ohtani added a two-run shot and the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers held off the last-place Colorado Rockies 9-7 on Tuesday night.

Trailing 2-0, the Dodgers got their bats cranked up in a six-run fourth inning. Conforto sent a knuckle-curve from Germán Márquez (3-9) over the fence in right.

Ohtani lined his 27th homer of the season into the left-field seats in the sixth to make it 8-3. Ohtani finished 1 for 5 with a strikeout. His homer was the 300th of his career across Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball, according to research on Baseball Reference.

Jordan Beck had a two-run double for Colorado in eighth to make it an 8-7 game. Teoscar Hernández added an insurance run with an RBI double in the ninth. Tanner Scott closed it out with a game-ending double play to record his 16th save.

Justin Wrobleski (3-2) pitched five innings and allowed two runs while striking out seven. He took over after Jack Dreyer handled the first.

It was a rough fourth frame for Rockies first baseman Michael Toglia, who committed two fielding errors and threw wide on another occasion trying to get a runner at home. Toglia had a productive night at the plate with three double and two RBIs.

Márquez allowed six runs (four earned) over four innings.

The Rockies dropped to 18-61 overall and 8-30 at Coors Field. They have yet to win back-to-back home games this season.

Third baseman Max Muncy made a nifty barehanded play on a slow roller to throw out Thairo Estrada in the first inning and save a run. Estrada was originally ruled safe but the Dodgers challenged and the call was overturned.

The Dodgers have 11 comeback wins in June over 22 games.

The Dodgers will send RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-6, 2.76 ERA) to the mound Wednesday while the Rockies counter with RHP Chase Dollander (2-7, 6.19).

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Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani looks on from the dugout in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Germán Márquez works against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Jack Dreyer works against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Michael Conforto gestures to the bullpen as he circles the bases after hitting a three-run home run off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Germán Márquez in the fourth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)