The Los Angeles Dodgers moved Shohei Ohtani back into the leadoff spot of their lineup on Sunday, and although it didn’t produce a drastic change, they ended the road trip with a 3-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Ohtani went 2-for-3 with two walks (one intentional) in his return to the top of the Dodgers’ order. Mookie Betts finished 0-for-3 with one walk and a sacrifice fly.
There was an early chance for the Dodgers to potentially take a lead in the first inning but Betts followed Ohtani’s walk by hitting into a double play. That proved all the more costly when Freddie Freeman followed with a double.
After being shut out on Saturday, the Dodgers remained scoreless into the sixth inning of the series finale. Andy Pages ended their 18-inning drought with an RBI single.
The table had been set in part by Freeman leading off with a single. That gave Freeman five multi-hit performances in his last 10 games. Freeman added onto his day with an RBI single in the seventh inning after a double steal by Ohtani and Betts.
Freeman to that point had driven in four of the Dodgers’ seven runs in the series. Moreover, the three-hit game was Freeman’s second on the road trip.
Freeman nearly had a fourth hit of the game but was robbed of a two-run home run by Jake Mangum, which was part of a impressive display of defense from Rays outfielders throughout the day.
On the pitching front for the Dodgers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto completed 5.2 scoreless innings while allowing five hits and collecting six strikeouts. It was Yamamoto’s eight scoreless start of the season, and his first in seven outings without issuing a walk.
He was removed after allowing a base hit to Ha-Seong Kim. Alex Vesia retired former teammate Hunter Feduccia to finish the sixth inning, and he pitched a scoreless seventh.
Brock Stewart stranded a two-out single in the eighth inning. The appearance was his first since being traded to the Dodgers at the deadline. Blake Treinen continued to struggle in his return and exited in the ninth inning with the bases loaded as he failed to convert the save opportunity.
Ben Casparius entered at that point to retire Yandy Díaz for the final out.
Dodgers lose Edman to ankle injury
Tommy Edman was removed in the fifth inning due to a sprained right ankle suffered while rounding first base after hitting a single. It marked a second time on the road trip that Edman aggravated his ankle.
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