Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman go deep as Dodgers drop Marlins

MIAMI — The Los Angeles Dodgers excel as Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani lead the offense with a 7-4 victory over the Miami Marlins on Monday night at LoanDepot Park.

Former Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara took the mound for the Marlins but struggled against the Dodgers’ offense, resulting in his fourth loss of the season. Alcantara (2-4, 8.42 ERA) lost on Monday after allowing five runs on six hits over five innings, with four strikeouts and one walk. This marked the second time this week that the Dodgers handed Alcantara a loss. 

The Dodgers’ lineup provided early support for the bullpen, racking up 13 hits and scoring seven runs, featuring two significant home runs to open the series. 

Teoscar Hernández continued his excellent performance, collecting his 34th RBI of the season with a double to left field, scoring Mookie Betts. Betts has reached base safely in five of the last six games. However, Hernández left the game in the fourth inning due to tightness in his left hamstring and will be reevaluated before returning to the lineup. 

Roberts mentioned that Hernández experienced tightness in his hamstring and adductor while pursuing a line drive in the gap during the third inning. He is scheduled for an MRI tomorrow, and Roberts expressed it is "a little concerning."

Ohtani could thrive in this stadium, having delivered a memorable performance last season. He became a member of the 50-50 club by homering three times, stealing two bases, recording a career-high six hits, and driving in ten RBIs—a new Dodgers franchise record. 

On Monday night, Ohtani crushed a 97 mph fastball over the right field wall for his ninth home run of the season and also stole his tenth base. 

Hyeseong Kim recorded his first MLB hit, a single to left field, during his second at-bat. He demonstrated his speed on the bases with his second career stolen base. 

The offensive onslaught continued as Freeman hit a two-run home run for his seventh of the season, marking the 350th of his career. Freeman finished the night with a 2-for-5 performance. Chris Taylor, who replaced Hernández after his departure, contributed with an RBI double in the seventh inning, bringing the team's total runs to seven. 

It was a bullpen game for the Dodgers, with Roberts choosing young left-hander Jack Dreyer to start the game. Dreyer pitched 1 ⅓ innings without allowing any hits. Right-hander Ben Casparius carried the workload, pitching four innings, allowing one run on five hits while striking out five, ultimately earning the win. Casparius (4-0, 2.81 ERA) has been impressive this year as a reliable young arm for Roberts and the pitching staff. 

The Dodgers also utilized left-handers Alex Vesia and Tanner Scott for ⅔ innings each, while right-handers Evan Phillips and Yoendrys Gomez contributed to the win. Gomez allowed three hits and three runs in just ⅓ of an inning, which wasn't enough for the Marlins’ offense to catch the Dodgers. Kirby Yates sealed the game with his first save of the season. 

This performance continued the bullpen's recent trend of strong outings, contributing to the team’s eighth win in their last nine games.

The Dodgers will immediately shift their focus to game two of the three-game series on Tuesday night. They will start right-hander Tony Gonsolin, who is coming off his first win in almost two seasons. The Marlins will counter with right-hander Cal Quantrill (2-3, 8.10 ERA), who also lost last week at Dodger Stadium.