MINNEAPOLIS — On a night when Shohei Ohtani won his sixth straight decision, Mookie Betts stole the show as the Dodgers completed a sweep of the Minnesota Twins.
Betts had three hits, including his 300th career home run, and made a handful of dazzling defensive plays on Wednesday to help propel the Dodgers to a 4-3 victory.
The Dodgers limped into Minnesota after losing two of three at home to the Baltimore Orioles – and getting outscored 20-9 in the process. But against the Twins, who are on the fringes of the American League wild card race – the Dodgers righted themselves in a big way as they pushed their major league-leading win total to 52 at the halfway mark of the season. That’s two games ahead of the pace they set last year, when they played .500 ball for most of the second half before wining their second straight World Series.
Ohtani was not sharp early, but he recovered to complete six innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out eight.
Betts got the scoring started when he led off the second inning with a long home run to left field off Twins All-Star right-hander Joe Mays.
But that lead didn’t last long. In the bottom of the second, the Twins loaded the bases with one out on three singles. With No. 9 hitter Ryan Kreidler at the plate, a Dalton Rushing passed ball allowed the tying run to score. Then Kreidler singled through a drawn-in infield to drive in two runs and put Minnesota on top 3-1.
Ohtani recovered to strike out five of the next six hitters and didn’t allow another run the rest of the way. He also helped the Dodgers hang a three-spot of their own in the third inning to regain the lead. Alex Freeland led off with a double and scored on Ohtani’s base hit. One out later, Freddie Freeman walked and Betts singled to load the bases.
Max Muncy drove in Ohtani with a single, and Alex Call’s sacrifice fly scored Freeman to give the Dodgers a 4-3 lead.
Betts made a big impact with his defense in the fourth when he lunged to grab Kreidler’s chopper up the middle and threw a strike to first base, stranding two runners in scoring position.
The Dodgers’ relievers made it interesting as they tried to protect a one-run lead. Kyle Hurt walked two runners in the seventh before retiring All-Star Byron Buxton on an infield fly to end the inning. Alex Vesia gave up consecutive two-out singles in the eighth, but he left those runners stranded when he struck out Brooks Lee. And in the ninth, Tanner Scott gave up a leadoff single before retiring the next three in order, including a strikeout of Buxton to end the game.
More to come on this story.