LOS ANGELES (AP) — tossed four-hit ball over seven shutout innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers backed the four-time MVP with his most run support of the season in a 4-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night.
The Dodgers snapped their season-high skid at four games on a night when Ohtani only pitched and wasn’t in the lineup as the designated hitter for the fourth time this season. The two-way superstar also won’t be in the lineup Thursday to give him two days’ rest from hitting.
Ohtani (3-2) struck out eight and walked two in his second consecutive seven-inning start — his first as a Dodger and first since May 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels. He lowered his ERA to 0.82 pitching with a picture of his beloved dog Decoy on the tongue of his right cleat.
The Dodgers have scored more than four runs in Ohtani’s seven starts just once and the team is 3-4 in his starts overall. They had six hits or less in five of their previous seven games.
Leading 4-0, Ohtani gave up back-to-back singles to Willy Adames and Matt Chapman with one out in the seventh. Drew Gilbert flied into a double play to center. Adames was all the way around third base by the time he knew he was in trouble and got doubled off second to end the inning.
Santiago Espinal and Mookie Betts homered back-to-back in the third, giving the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. Espinal went deep for the first time as a Dodger and Betts’ first since coming off the injured list earlier in the week.
The Dodgers extended their lead to 4-0 on Teoscar Hernández’s RBI single and Alex Call’s sacrifice fly in the fourth.
The Giants’ three-game winning streak ended. Robbie Ray (3-5) gave up four runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, struck out two and walked two.
Up next
Giants RHP Landen Roupp (5-3, 3.09 ERA) was scheduled to start Thursday against RHP Emmet Sheehan (2-1, 4.79) in the series finale.
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