Shohei Ohtani homered twice, Mookie Betts did so once, and Clayton Kershaw notched another win following a Dodgers loss in a 5-2 victory over the Orioles on Sunday afternoon in Baltimore to salvage a game on an otherwise awful road trip.
Ohtani hit solo home runs off Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano in the first and third innings for the Dodgers first two runs. Betts followed Ohtani with a solo shot of his own in the third, his second home run and third extra-base hit of the series.
Ohtani also doubled and walked in his only two plate appearances facing Sugano while with Nippon Ham against Yomiuri in Japan, giving him a perfect four plate appearances and a tidy 4.333 OPS against the right-hander.
Othani also walked three times on Sunday, reaching base five times for the first time this season. His 96 walks on the season tie his career high.
Miguel Rojas has been a rare bright spot on this road trip, and scored the Dodgers’ fourth run with an interesting trip around the bases in the fourth inning. He singled — the infielder is 6-for-18 (.333) with a pair of doubles this week — then stole second, and advanced to third on a Hyeseong Kim single that caromed off Sugano’s right foot.
Sugano had to exit the game after the play, and one out later with bunt-showing Ben Rortvedt at the plate, the Orioles had Rojas dead to rites straying too far off third base. But catcher Alex Jackson uncorked a terrible throw into left field, which allowed Rojas to trot home easily, putting his hands together in prayerful thanks as he did so.
Clayton Kershaw did not allow a run until the sixth inning, when a two-out RBI double ended his day for the Orioles’ first run. That doubler, Emmanuel Rivera, scored on another double by Jackson off reliever to Edgardo Henriquez to close Kershaw’s ledger.
Kershaw struck out a season-high eight, and his most in any start since June 8, 2023. He improved to 8-1 in 12 starts following a Dodgers loss this season, with the team winning nine of those games.
Kershaw’s three biggest strikeout games this season (also seven strikeouts on June 8 in St. Louis, and six on August 26 against the Reds) have come on four days rest. He’s pitched on four days rest four times this season, with a 2.18 ERA and 24 strikeouts against only three walks in 20 2/3 innings.
The rest of the Dodgers staff this season has pitched on four days rest a total of five times this season.
Justin Wrobleski worked around two singles in the seventh inning to strike out five in a row in his two scoreless innings. After he also pitched two scoreless innings on Wednesday, Wrobleski was relieved by Jack Dreyer for the ninth inning.
By then the Dodgers got an insurance run, but they could have had more. With runners on first and second and nobody out in the top of the ninth, Mookie Betts hit a ball off the top of the wall to score Rortvedt from second base. But Ohtani, who was on first, somehow only got to second base on the play either from a terrible read or watching what he thought was a home run. A fly out by Freddie Freeman could have been a sacrifice fly for another insurance run, but instead the inning ended on a double play grounder by Michael Conforto.
It didn’t cost them in this game, but the Dodgers haven’t been playing well enough to afford such lapses. But right now they’ll take a win however they can get it.
Home runs: Shohei Ohtani 2 (48), Mookie Betts (17)
WP — Clayton Kershaw (10-2): 5 2/3 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
LP — Tomoyuki Sugano (10-8): 3+ IP, 7 hits, 4 runs, 1 strikeout
Sv — Jack Dreyer (3): 1 IP, 1 hit, 2 strikeouts
The Dodgers are back home to play the Rockies, though the last few months have shown that who the Dodgers play hasn’t mattered all that much. Maybe the third time playing another last-place opponent in a row will be the charm. Tyler Glasnow most likely starts on Monday night (7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA), with rookie Chase Dollander on the mound for the Rockies. Max Muncy and Alex Vesia might be active as early as Monday.