Shohei Ohtani gives up his first homer of the season, then hits a 2-run shot of his own

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani gave up his first home run of the season when Minnesota’s Byron Buxton took him deep. He promptly answered with a two-run shot of his own.

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar left a breaking ball over the plate on his second pitch of the game and Buxton drove it 410 feet to the left field pavilion on Monday night. It was just the second time in six appearances as an opener this season that Ohtani has allowed a run.

Ohtani topped Buxton in the bottom of the inning. He blasted a two-run shot — his 35th of the season — 441 feet into center field off David Festa, giving the Dodgers a 2-1 lead after Mookie Betts led off with a walk.

He struck out swinging in the third.

Ohtani is the first Dodgers pitcher to homer in the first inning since Rick Rhoden at Montreal in July 1977. He has homered in three straight games for the slumping Dodgers, who have lost six straight at home for the first time since September 2017.

Ohtani allowed one run and four hits in three innings. He struck out three and walked one on 46 pitches, 30 for strikes.

“I like the demeanor on the mound,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “What to improve on I think the only thing right now in this small sample is just to continue to build up. The fastball, strike-throwing, the secondaries are all in a good spot.”

Ohtani pitched three scoreless innings against the San Francisco Giants in his previous mound start as he continues to work his way back from elbow surgery. He did not pitch at all last season, his first for the Dodgers.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto hit a tying single in the seventh inning, Francisco Alvarez delivered a big double in his return from the minors and the New York Mets rallied past the Los Angeles Angels 7-5 on Monday night.

Brett Baty launched a two-run homer for the Mets, who erased an early four-run deficit to match their largest comeback victory this season. They scored the go-ahead run in the eighth on an error by catcher Logan O’Hoppe, and Brandon Nimmo added a sacrifice fly that made it 7-5.

Brooks Raley (1-0) pitched a scoreless eighth in his second outing since coming back from Tommy John surgery, earning his first win since April 2024.

Edwin Díaz struck out the 2-3-4 hitters in the ninth for his 20th save in 22 opportunities.

Taylor Ward had three RBIs for the Angels, who tagged ineffective Mets ace Kodai Senga for four earned runs in three innings. O’Hoppe, who grew up on Long Island about 45 miles from Citi Field, hit a solo homer.

Baty’s homer off starter Tyler Anderson trimmed it to 4-2 in the fourth.

Trailing 5-2, the Mets loaded the bases with nobody out in the seventh. Francisco Lindor beat out a potential double-play ball to drive in a run, then stole second. Soto tied it when he grounded a two-run single off reliever Reid Detmers.

José Fermin (2-1) walked Baty with one out in the eighth, and he went to third when Alvarez doubled off the right-field fence over Chris Taylor’s head.

Third baseman Yoán Moncada went to his knees to snag a grounder by pinch-hitter Ronny Mauricio, then spun around and had difficulty getting the ball out of his glove. Moncada’s low, wide throw to the plate went off O’Hoppe’s mitt, allowing Baty to score.

Senga had permitted three earned runs or fewer in 31 straight starts dating to June 23, 2023, which was the longest active streak in the majors. … Lindor went 0 for 5 and is hitless in his last 26 at-bats. … Anderson is winless in 16 starts since beating San Francisco on April 18. He is 0-6 during that stretch.

Angels RHP Kyle Hendricks (5-6, 4.88 ERA) faces RHP Frankie Montas (2-1, 5.03) Tuesday night.

This story has been corrected to show the Angels’ third baseman was Yoán Moncada.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb