Ohtani hits monster HR, Dodgers complete sweep of Red Sox

LOS ANGELES — It was that impressive.

The Dodgers completed the series sweep against the Boston Red Sox behind Shohei Ohtani's 473-foot home run, leading the Dodgers to a 9-6 victory on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

The homer was his 30th of the season, which ranks him second in the majors behind New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge (35 homers). The ball landed beyond the right center-field bleachers, at the base of the Daiso sign.

Left-hander James Paxton pitched five innings, allowing four hits, three earned runs and striking out seven. Paxton ran into trouble at the start of the fifth inning, allowing runners to reach first and third base. Joe Kelly relieved him and managed to escape the inning, only allowing one run.

Paxton has a season record of 8-2 with a 4.38 ERA. The left-handed pitcher faced difficulty in the first inning, conceding a two-run home run to Jarren Duran. Paxton threw 26 pitches in the first, but then settled in and pitched four scoreless innings.

“I really don’t know what to expect when I’m out there," Paxton said. "I’m giving everything I’ve got and some days I have more than others. 

"That’s where the inconsistency is coming from. Today I had a good curveball, and the fastball kind of came around as the game went on, so that was good. I just take the ball every day, and give everything I’ve got.”

In his 20th start of the season, Boston's Kutter Crawford pitched for six innings, allowing seven hits and six runs on 76 pitches. Crawford (8-8) struggled during the game, causing his ERA to rise to 3.37. 

In the first inning, Freddie Freeman hit a solo home run, his 16th of the season and Gavin Lux followed with an RBI double to tie the game. Lux then homered to left center (379 feet) in the fourth inning. 

Lux had four consecutive at-bats with extra-base hits. He added an RBI single in the eighth and is hitting .225 with a 75 wRC+ and a .609 OPS, the highest this season.

“I don’t know, man, baseball is hard,” Lux said. “I don’t think it’s a swing change or anything.

"I’m just trying to be a little more aggressive, and when I get a good pitch to hit, put a good swing on it.”

The Dodgers were aggressive, hitting a season-high six home runs. Besides Ohtani, Lux and Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Austin Barnes and Justin Heyward hit one.

Ohtani was non-committal when asked what moves the front office should make before the trade deadline on July 30.

"Nothing from me personally," Ohtani said "But if the front office asks about a player, then I'm obviously more happy to share."

Barnes has been performing well at the plate for some time and his first home run of the year in the fifth inning added a new dimension to his game. He extended a nine-game hit streak, the best of his career.

“I’ve just been working in the cage.” Barnes said. 

Updates

Coming out of the All-Star break, the Dodgers are gaining momentum and aiming to improve their health:

* Tyler Glasnow is set to return to the mound Wednesday while Clayton Kershaw will make his season debut Thursday.

* Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said River Ryan will make his MLB debut Monday for the Dodgers if he arrives in Los Angeles on time.

* Miguel Rojas left the game with forearm tightness and will not be in the lineup for a couple of days to rest, Roberts said.

* The Dodgers will begin a four-game homestand against the Giants at 7:10 p.m. Monday at Dodger Stadium. The Giants will start Blake Snell (0-3, 6.31 ERA).