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Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Freddie Freeman seals win over Royals with web gem at 1st base
The post Freddie Freeman seals win over Royals with web gem at 1st base appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Los Angeles Dodgers relied on their trio of MVP winners to edge out the Kansas City Royals Friday. Reigning NL MVP Shohei Ohtani led off the game with a home run – his league-high 29th bomb of the season. Ohtani later tied the game with a fifth inning RBI triple before scoring the go-ahead run on a base hit by 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts. Advertisement The score remained 5-4 when the Royals threatened in the bottom of the ninth inning. But the Dodgers got out of a jam thanks to a spectacular defensive play by 2020 NL MVP Freddie Freeman. LA reliever Tanner Scott was facing rookie right fielder Jac Caglianone with the bases loaded and one out. Caglianone swung at the first pitch he saw, slapping a grounder to second baseman Tommy Edman. Edman flipped the ball to Betts, who stepped on second and fired over to first base where Freeman made an incredible pick on the short hop to complete the game-ending double play. Dodgers' MVPs lead LA to victory Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images Freeman has cooled off at the plate this month as he deals with a quad injury. After an incredible May, during which he slashed .410/.462/.638 with 4 home runs and 21 RBI, he's down to .182/.258/.227 with no homers and 4 RBI in 23 June games. Advertisement However, he's still batting .305 on the season with an .867 OPS. And Freeman is one of the Dodgers' most important veteran leaders, who always seems to come through in the clutch, evidenced by his MVP-winning World Series performance. Non-former MVP Max Muncy continued his offensive onslaught in the series opener against the Royals. Muncy hit his fourth home run in four games Friday. The Dodgers third baseman has 15 RBI during his four-game power binge. With the victory over Kansas City, the Dodgers extended their winning streak to five straight games. LA has gone 11-2 since the San Francisco Giants moved into a first-place tie in the NL West on June 13. The Dodgers are now 21 games over .500 and have a 6.5 game lead in the division. Related: Tanner Scott gives props to Freddie Freeman for incredible game-winning catch Related: Dodgers' Teoscar Hernandez makes final decision on Home Run Derby
Japan Times
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Japan Times
Dodgers and Ohtani hand Royals record-tying 11th straight home loss
Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff homer and added a game-tying RBI triple as the Los Angeles Dodgers won their fifth straight, edging the host Kansas City Royals 5-4 on Friday night. The Royals matched a club-record 11-game home losing streak. Ohtani, who was named to the All-Star Game a day earlier, sent an enticing 1-2 changeup from Noah Cameron (2-4) into the right field fountains for his 29th homer of the year — and 12th in 28 games against the Royals in his career. However, Kansas City led 4-3 entering the fifth, when Ohtani victimized Cameron again. After Enrique Hernandez walked to open the inning, Ohtani found the right field gap for a triple that evened the contest. Steven Cruz entered and promptly gave up an RBI single to Mookie Betts — the Dodgers' fourth and final hit, but enough for their ninth win in 11 games. The Royals loaded the bases with one out in the ninth against Tanner Scott (18 saves), who got rookie Jac Caglianone to ground into a first-pitch 4-6-3 game-ending double play, capped by Freddie Freeman's stellar pick at first base. Kansas City is 0-11 at home in June, equaling the team's longest such slide set in 2023. Bobby Witt Jr. hit a two-run homer and Kyle Isbel doubled twice, but the Royals dropped their sixth straight overall. Down 1-0, Kansas City answered in the bottom of the first. Maikel Garcia roped a two-out double and eventually scored on Salvador Perez's single to left. The Dodgers regained the lead with their own two-out magic in the second. With a man on, Max Muncy jumped on another Cameron pitch that went over the center field wall for a 3-1 edge. The Royals made Los Angeles starter Dustin May work more in the bottom of the second. John Rave walked, stole second, went to third on Freddy Fermin's grounder and scored on Isbel's double that right fielder Teoscar Hernandez appeared to misread. Witt followed by clearing the left-center field wall to put Kansas City ahead by one. Cameron yielded just three hits, but three walks and all five runs over a career-low four-plus innings in his ninth start. May, meanwhile, lasted four, allowing those four runs and six hits. Lou Trivino (3-0) pitched 1⅔ innings for the win.
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Dodgers hand Royals record-tying 11th straight home loss
June 28 - Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff homer and added a tying-RBI triple, as the Los Angeles Dodgers won their fifth straight, edging the host Kansas City Royals 5-4 on Friday night. The Royals matched a club-record 11-game home losing streak. Ohtani sent an enticing 1-2 changeup from Noah Cameron (2-4) into the right-field fountains for his 29th homer -- and 12th in 28 games against the Royals. However, Kansas City led 4-3 entering the fifth, when Ohtani victimized Cameron, again. After Enrique Hernandez walked to open the inning, Ohtani found the right-field gap for a triple that evened the contest. Steven Cruz entered and promptly gave up an RBI single to Mookie Betts -- the Dodgers' fourth and final hit, but enough for their ninth win in 11 games. The Royals loaded the bases with one out in the ninth against Tanner Scott (18 saves), who got rookie Jac Caglianone to ground into a first-pitch 4-6-3 game-ending double play, capped by Freddie Freeman's stellar pick at first base. Kansas City is 0-11 at home in June, equaling the team's longest such slide set in 2023. Bobby Witt Jr. hit a two-run homer and Kyle Isbel doubled twice, but the Royals dropped their sixth straight overall. Down 1-0, Kansas City answered in the bottom of the first. Maikel Garcia roped a two-out double and eventually scored on Salvador Perez's single to left. The Dodgers regained the lead with their own two-out magic in the second. With a man on, Max Muncy jumped on another Cameron pitch that went over the center-field wall for a 3-1 edge. The Royals further made Los Angeles starter Dustin May work in the bottom of the second. John Rave walked, stole second, went to third on Freddy Fermin's grounder and scored on Isbel's double that right-fielder Teoscar Hernandez appeared to misread. Witt followed by clearing the left-center field wall to put Kansas City ahead by one. Cameron yielded just three hits, but three walks and all five runs over a career-low four-plus innings in his ninth start. May, meanwhile, lasted four, allowing those four runs and six hits. Lou Trivino (3-0) pitched 1 2/3 innings for the win. --Field Level Media
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Watch Shohei Ohtani secure first two strikeouts for Dodgers since return from injury
The post Watch Shohei Ohtani secure first two strikeouts for Dodgers since return from injury appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Los Angeles Dodgers have been competing with a less-than-healthy pitching staff throughout the season. They have slowly but surely regaining their health, and superstar Shohei Ohtani has returned to the mound. He is perhaps the best pitching weapon the Dodgers have. He was the opener for Los Angeles Sunday against the visiting Washington Nationals, and he struck out his first two batters of the season. With one out and James Wood on first base as a result of a throwing error by Mookie Betts, Ohtani struck out Luis Garcia. He closed out the inning by fanning Nate Lowe. Advertisement This was Ohtani's second pitching assignment of the season for manager Dave Roberts. The Dodgers will increase the workload as the two-way superstar gets healthier, but the last thing the Dodgers manager wants to see is Ohtani suffer another injury prior to the most critical portion of the season. The Dodgers were in control of the game against the Nationals after a late-inning comeback. The Dodgers trailed 3-0 going into the bottom of the sixth inning, but they rallied with 4 runs in the sixth inning, 7 in the seventh and 2 more in the eighth inning. Muncy delivers huge offensive game for Dodgers Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images While the game was going the Nationals' way until the bottom of the sixth inning, Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy keyed the Los Angeles comeback. He belted a grand slam in the sixth inning and then added a three-run home run in the seventh inning. Advertisement Ohtani was once again a major offensive factor for the Dodgers. He was 2 for 4 as the designated hitter, scoring three times and knocking in five runs. He tripled with the bases load in the seventh inning. The Nationals rallied with four runs in the top of the ninth inning, but the Dodgers held on for a 13-7 triumph. Related: Dodgers' Max Muncy replicates bonkers MLB feat last done in 1951 Related: Dodgers stars Andy Pages, Will Smith help All-Star cases with solo homers vs. Nationals
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shohei Ohtani's honest assessment of second Dodgers start since pitching return
The post Shohei Ohtani's honest assessment of second Dodgers start since pitching return appeared first on ClutchPoints. Shohei Ohtani's second start on the mound as a Dodger showcased exactly why he remains one of the most captivating athletes in sports. In Sunday's 13-7 win over the Nationals, Ohtani tossed a scoreless first inning with two strikeouts, then turned around and launched a go-ahead triple and a late home run, fueling a Dodgers comeback in dramatic two-way fashion. Advertisement 'Overall, I was able to relax much better compared to my last outing,' Ohtani said postgame through interpreter Will Ireton. 'It's going to be a gradual process. I want to see improvements with the quality of the pitches that I'm throwing, and then also increasing the amount of pitches.' Ohtani's second outing was limited to 18 pitches, but he was far more efficient and comfortable than during his debut, where command and velocity wavered. This time, he averaged 97.9 mph on his fastball, topping out at 98.8, and worked around a dropped popup by Mookie Betts and a wild pitch without damage. Shohei Ohtani makes second start in the Dodgers win over the Nationals Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Luis García Jr. and Nathaniel Lowe were both victims of Ohtani's offspeed pitches, as the two-way star recorded his first strikeouts in a Dodgers uniform. Despite not hitting triple digits this time, his command, movement, and rhythm looked much improved. Advertisement 'He's just unflappable,' manager Dave Roberts said. 'From the mound to the on-deck circle to the batter's box — it's incredible to witness.' Ohtani then contributed at the plate in a major way. After striking out in his first at-bat — a result of barely having two minutes between pitching and hitting — he came through with a bases-clearing triple in the seventh and added a two-run homer in the eighth, reclaiming the National League lead with his 26th bomb. The quick turnaround from pitching to hitting remains a challenge, especially while leading off. The Dodgers have considered dropping him lower in the order on pitching days, but for now, Ohtani is embracing the grind. 'I've been able to come back earlier than expected,' he added. 'So I know there are things to work on, but I believe I can perform even better.' Advertisement While Ohtani builds up slowly on the mound, he continues to deliver MVP-caliber moments at the plate — a combination the Dodgers are managing carefully. Each outing brings them one step closer to seeing the full version of baseball's ultimate unicorn. Related: Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani already set another two-way record after return to mound Related: Dodgers' Max Muncy replicates bonkers MLB feat last done in 1951
