Freeman, Ohtani Power Dodgers Past Phillies with Homers
LOS ANGELES — Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani each went deep as the Los Angeles Dodgers (85-67) beat the Philadelphia Phillies, keeping their two-game lead over the San Diego Padres (83-69) in the NL West intact.
Freeman opened the scoring with a leadoff homer in the second inning, his 21st of the season. Later in the frame, Miguel Rojas and Andy Pages singled before Ben Rortvedt drove in another run, giving L.A. a 2-0 cushion. Enrique Hernández added to the lead in the fourth with a bloop RBI single to center, scoring Pages after he walked and stole second.
Ohtani capped the Dodgers’ night in the eighth with his 51st home run of the year, chasing Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo (14-7) from the game. Freeman and Ohtani became the first two left-handed batters to homer off Luzardo in his 31 starts this season.
On the mound, Blake Snell dominated, giving up just two hits and two walks over seven innings. The left-hander struck out nine, marking his third double-digit strikeout effort in his last 10 outings since returning from a shoulder injury. Dodgers relievers Alex Vesia and Tanner Scott combined to close out the final two innings, securing a three-hitter.
For Philadelphia (91-62), the loss did little to dampen spirits. The Phillies have already clinched the NL East and still managed to claim their sixth straight series win.
The Dodgers, however, played shorthanded. Third baseman Max Muncy missed his third start in four games after being hit in the helmet by a pitch in San Francisco last weekend.
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