LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Hunter Feduccia all homered on Wednesday night to power the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals, completing a three-game series sweep.
The back-to-back defending World Series champions have now won four of their last five games, successfully rebounding from a recent seven-game skid that began around the trade deadline.
Ohtani provided the decisive blow in the third inning with a two-run, go-ahead blast off Kansas City starter Daniel Lynch IV. The drive was the four-time MVP’s 27th home run of the season and his first in a week. Lynch (4-4) was chased shortly after, throwing just 39 pitches and failing to get through the third frame in his second start since joining the Royals’ rotation.
Betts continued his recent surge at the plate, collecting two hits and a walk. After going through a midseason slump, Betts has tallied 11 hits over his past seven games. Feduccia added insurance in the fifth inning with a solo home run—his third career homer and his first since returning to Los Angeles from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline.
Lauer Delivers Strong Outing
On the mound, Eric Lauer (7-6) provided much-needed stability for Los Angeles. The left-hander turned in his longest start of the season, throwing 112 pitches over 6 1/3 innings while allowing just one earned run on four hits with six strikeouts.
Lauer, who was released by Toronto in May before reviving his career with Los Angeles, delivered the key performance even as he faces potential removal from the rotation when Tyler Glasnow or Ohtani return to pitching duties.
Reliever Landon Knack closed out the final 2 2/3 innings after being recalled from the minors earlier in the day. Knack picked up his third major league save—and his first of the season—while saving a heavily taxed Dodgers bullpen.
Freeman Injury Scare & Royals Struggles
The Dodgers endured a tense moment in the top of the eighth inning when first baseman Freddie Freeman tumbled down the Royals’ dugout stairs while attempting to catch a foul popup off the bat of Isaac Collins. Freeman remained in the game to finish the inning before Tommy Edman came in as a pinch-hitter for him in the bottom half of the frame.
For Kansas City, the loss marked their fourth straight defeat and 10th in their last 13 games. Salvador Perez drove in an early run for the Royals, but the veteran catcher was forced to exit in the sixth inning due to right elbow aggravation.
Up Next
The Royals look to reset on Friday as right-hander Seth Lugo (5-7, 4.41 ERA) takes the mound in Anaheim to open a weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels.
