Shohei Ohtani shines in win over Nationals, dominates on mound and at the plate

LOS ANGELES – The Dodgers secured the series victory in spectacular fashion, with Shohei Ohtani excelling both as a pitcher and a hitter. He drove in five runs, while Max Muncy hit his 200th career home run. The Dodgers defeated the Nationals 13-7 on Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, in front of a crowd of 48,177 fans.

Ohtani pitched one inning, during which he did not allow any hits and struck out the last two batters, finishing the inning on 18 pitches. This marked Ohtani's first strikeout as a member of the Dodgers. On Sunday, the Dodgers' starting pitcher and designated hitter also recorded five RBIs. His two-run home run made him the National League's leader in home runs, with a total of 26. Ohtani crushed the fastball 383 feet to left-center; although the initial call was ruled a double, it was later upgraded to a home run.

Ohtani shines on the biggest stages, and he is now dominating on the mound with a great mix of pitches. He and Dave Roberts have been aligned on how to approach his pitching outings, agreeing that starting with one inning in his few starts is the most realistic option until Ohtani feels ready to extend his pitch count. 

In his first outing, he threw 28 pitches after getting into trouble against the top of the Padres lineup. In his second start, if it hadn't been for Betts dropping the ball in the infield due to losing it in the sun, it could have been a much quicker inning for Ohtani; he threw 18 pitches, with 12 of them for strikes.

The Dodgers' offense remained quiet for the first five innings of the game until Max Muncy broke the silence with a grand slam in the sixth inning, marking his 200th career home run. Following Muncy's impressive hit, the Dodgers took a 4-3 lead. In the seventh inning, however, the offense erupted, scoring seven runs. With the bases loaded, Shohei Ohtani hit a triple down the right field line, bringing in Dalton Rushing, Michael Conforto, and Hyeseong Kim. Ohtani now has six triples this season.

Mookie Betts followed up with an RBI single, bringing Ohtani across the plate and making the score 8-3. Freddie Freeman, who has faced challenges in recent weeks, contributed a bloop single, marking his sixth hit in the last ten games. Max Muncy stepped up to the plate with Betts and Freeman on base and launched a moonshot to right field—his second homer of the night and the 11th of the season. This game also marks Muncy’s 18th career game with multiple home runs and his first home run off a left-hander this season.

Dalton Rushing started the game behind the plate and delivered a fantastic performance, going 2-for-2 with a double and a single. He scored three runs and recorded two walks. Rushing discussed how he adjusts both mentally and physically when he is not playing every day, emphasizing the importance of staying ready for when his name is called. Manager Roberts believes that having Rushing on the big league bench is more beneficial than being in Oklahoma City daily.

The Dodgers had right-hander Ben Casparius follow Ohtani in the game. Casparius pitched five innings, during which he allowed five hits and three earned runs, marking the only runs scored by the Nationals. He threw 77 pitches, walked one batter, and struck out two. A single bad pitch from Casparius allowed the Nationals to score; Nathaniel Lowe hit a three-run home run, crushing a 96 mph fastball over the center field wall. 

Lowe hit three home runs against the Dodgers' pitching staff this weekend, bringing his total to 13 home runs for the season after hitting one on Sunday afternoon against Casparius.

In the ninth inning, the opposing team scored four additional runs while the Dodgers brought Kike Hernandez in from the bullpen. Hernandez struggled, allowing all four runs due to several hits and three walks, managing to throw only 11 strikes out of 30 pitches. Left-hander Alex Vesia then entered the game to secure the final two outs.

The Dodgers won seven out of ten games during their recent homestand. They achieved two victories against the Giants, three against the Padres, and two against the Nationals. The team will have an off day on Monday before traveling to Colorado for a three-game series. After that, they will visit Kansas City next weekend. The Dodgers now lead the Giants by 3 ½ games and are five games ahead of the Padres in the National League West Division.