Freddie Freeman’s – Freddie Freeman delivered a 407-foot, two-run homer in the sixth inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers recovered from a shaky start by Shohei Ohtani to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 on Wednesday. The Dodgers swept the three-game series, with Alex Call and Alex Freel
LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani looked fine at first, but by the time the fifth inning arrived, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ night tilted quickly.
The Tampa Bay Rays scored four runs off a banged-up Ohtani in the inning. turning a 2-0 Dodgers lead into a 4-2 deficit. It was the kind of swing that can drain momentum before a game has time to breathe. Then Freddie Freeman stepped in during the sixth and changed the direction with a go-ahead, two-run homer.
Freeman’s 407-foot shot to centre off reliever Kevin Kelly (4-3) rescued Ohtani after the Dodgers had seen the Rays’ offense snap a 20-inning scoreless streak by Los Angeles pitching. With the ball leaving Freeman’s bat with that kind of distance. it wasn’t just a moment—it was the reset the Dodgers needed.
Ohtani’s day ended after six innings, and the situation became even more complicated in the process. He was inserted in the bottom of the sixth as a pinch hitter for designated hitter Miguel Rojas. grounding out on one pitch to end the inning. It was his only at-bat, and the Dodgers lost the DH for the remainder of the game.
The baseball behind the stat line has been harder to ignore lately. Ohtani (7-2) left the mound with a blister on the middle finger of his right hand that he had brought from Pittsburgh last week. now bloodied. He was already dealing with left knee inflammation that manager Dave Roberts said before the game wasn’t completely resolved.
In his last two starts against the Pirates and Rays, Ohtani has allowed seven earned runs. Wednesday he gave up four runs and seven hits, struck out five and walked one, raising his ERA to 1.47.
Before Ohtani’s troubles, the Dodgers put runs on the board in the fourth. They led 2-0 on a pair of two-out RBI singles from Alex Call and Alex Freeland.
The Rays responded in the fifth with a sequence that spelled out how quickly the night was slipping away. Taylor Walls delivered a sacrifice fly for one run. Yandy Diaz added an RBI single. Junior Caminero hit into a fielder’s choice groundout that brought home another. and Richie Palacios capped it with an RBI single—pushing Tampa Bay ahead 4-2.
With the Dodgers down by two, Rays reliever Garrett Cleavinger arrived with the bases loaded in the fifth and walked Kyle Tucker, cutting the deficit to 4-3.
In the ninth, the game still wasn’t over. Alex Vesia got out of a bases-loaded jam by striking out Cedric Mullins to end the game and earn his third save.
The final score was 5-4—just enough cushion to make Freeman’s swing feel bigger in retrospect.
Tommy Edman, back in action after missing nearly three months while recovering from offseason ankle surgery, went hitless with a walk in his season debut.
On the other side, Rays starter Shane McClanahan struggled through command as much as anything, allowing two runs and three hits in 3 2/3 innings while striking out three and walking five.
A travel day comes next for Tampa Bay, and the Rays open a three-game series at Washington on Friday. For the Dodgers, after an off day, Roki Sasaki (3-4, 4.76 ERA) starts at home Friday against the Orioles.
With this result, Los Angeles swept the three-game series—just their second-ever sweep of the Rays and the first since August 2013.
Freddie Freeman Shohei Ohtani Los Angeles Dodgers Tampa Bay Rays Kevin Kelly Alex Vesia Shane McClanahan Roki Sasaki Miguel Rojas Tommy Edman baseball results
Freeman really said nah and just sent it.
Ohtani got rocked in the 5th and then Freeman hits a 407 foot homer like it fixes everything lol. I mean Dodgers won but that Ohtani blister thing sounds bad… like how is that even playable?
Wait they put Ohtani in as a pinch hitter? So he wasn’t even pitching the whole game after all or am I reading that backwards. Also 20-inning scoreless streak?? That sounds made up but whatever, baseball math never makes sense to me.
Rays scored 4 in the 5th and somehow it’s still a “shaky start” like the Rays didn’t wake up. If Ohtani had a blister and knee inflammation, I feel like this is where teams should shut it down instead of forcing him out there. Dodgers sweep and everyone acts surprised—this is why I don’t trust injuries reports, they always leave stuff out.