Shohei Ohtani hit his 44th home run of the season and Alex Call matched a career high with four hits as the Los Angeles Dodgers rolled past the Colorado Rockies 11–4 on Tuesday night.
By Earl Heath | Contributing Sports Writer
Shohei Ohtani hit his 44th home run of the season and Alex Call matched a career high with four hits as the Los Angeles Dodgers rolled past the Colorado Rockies 11–4 on Tuesday night.
Ohtani and Call both homered in the second inning, sparking a seven-run outburst by the defending World Series champions against Colorado starter Austin Gomber. The Dodgers piled up 18 hits, with all nine starters recording at least one. Call finished a triple shy of the cycle, while Ohtani remained tied for the National League lead in homers with Philadelphia slugger Kyle Schwarber, who also went deep that night.
Will Smith added three hits to raise his NL-leading batting average to .308.
Sheehan Stays Strong
Right-hander Emmet Sheehan (4–2) delivered six solid innings, striking out seven while tying a career high for innings pitched. He improved to 3–0 in three starts against the Rockies.
The lone bright spot for Colorado was rookie Kyle Karros, who hit his first career home run. Gomber, meanwhile, was tagged for seven runs in three innings and extended his winless streak to 15 starts, dating back to Sept. 5, 2024.
The Dodgers have now beaten the Rockies in 11 of their last 12 matchups.
Dodgers Sweep Padres to Regain Lead
Before arriving in Denver, the Dodgers made a major statement by sweeping the San Diego Padres in Los Angeles. The series began with the Dodgers trailing San Diego by a game in the standings, but ended with the team two games ahead after outscoring the Padres 14–6 across three games.
On Sunday, Mookie Betts broke a late tie with a solo shot to left field off reliever Robert Suarez, lifting the Dodgers to a 5–4 win. The homer was Betts’ second in his last nine games and capped a comeback after Los Angeles had squandered a four-run lead.
Freddie Freeman also delivered in a big way, crushing a three-run homer in the first inning off Yu Darvish. Andy Pages added a solo blast as the Dodgers jumped out early and provided support for starter Tyler Glasnow.
Looking Ahead
With the sweep and their win in Colorado, the Dodgers have opened up a three-game lead over the Padres in the NL West (as of press time). The two rivals are set to meet again in a crucial weekend series starting Friday in San Diego.