Press enter or click to view image in full sizeShohei Ohtani hit two home runs on Sunday for his fourth multi-homer game this season. (Alyssa McDaniel/MLB)
By Megan Garcia
The Dodgers are back in the win column. A five-game losing streak filled with heartbreaks and stunning lows is over.
They beat the Orioles 5–2 to salvage the series in Baltimore on Sunday. It’s the first time in six games that the offense produced more than three runs. The Dodgers end the road trip with a 1–5 record.
Their lone win was a result of Shohei Ohtani’s power at the plate and Clayton Kershaw’s command on the mound. It increased their lead in the National League West to 1 1/2 games. The second-place Padres play the Rockies on Sunday.
“Shohei starting the game with a homer was huge. You could see the life in the dugout, which we saw last night,” said manager Dave Roberts. “Clayton picked up where Yoshinobu left off and really competed, like he always does.”
Ohtani clubbed two home runs for his fourth multi-homer game this season. His leadoff home run marked his 12th of the season, which tied Mookie Betts (2023) for the most in a single season in franchise history.
His next homer, in the third inning, was against a 2–0 fastball inside the strike zone. He’s now hitting .286 (77-for-269) against fastballs this season. Ohtani’s 48 home runs trail Phillies’ slugger Kyle Schwarber, who leads the National League with 49.
Betts followed Ohtani in the next at-bat against Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano with his 16th home run. Ohtani and Betts each finished with two runs batted in.
The offense was enough to pick up Kershaw in his 10th win of the season.
“He just gave us everything we needed.” Roberts said of Kershaw.
Kershaw faced the Orioles for the first time in his 448th career start. He’s now pitched against every team in baseball for the Dodgers throughout his 18-year career.
The left-hander’s eight strikeouts on Sunday were a season high for him, with his curveball getting four punchouts. Kershaw induced 16 swings and misses against the Orioles for another season mark. His slider recorded the most with nine whiffs.
He finished with two earned runs on four hits and one walk in 5 2/3 innings.
“I wanted to get through six (innings) there. I made two bad pitches there — the last two sliders — so frustrating to not get out of there,” Kershaw said. “Overall, it was a decent day, stuff-wise.”
Since Aug. 1, Kershaw has a 3.00 ERA (12 ER/36 IP) and 30 strikeouts in seven starts. He’s pitched into the sixth inning in five of those starts.
Kershaw now has 12 seasons with double-digit wins in his career. Half of his wins came in August, where he went 5–0 in five starts with a 1.88 ERA (5 ER/28 2/3 IP).
“Just keep showing up, keep going on the field, keep playing. We’re too good for it not to turn around,” Kershaw said. “Just a complete performance today by everybody.”
Edgardo Henriquez, Justin Wrobleski and Jack Dreyer combined for three scoreless relief innings with seven strikeouts and four hits.
The Dodgers return to Los Angeles to face the Rockies in a three-game series beginning Monday.