Shohei Ohtani goes deep twice, Dodgers sweep Braves
KIYOSHI MIO / USA TODAY SPORTS / MAY 5
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) is greeted by teammates after hitting a home run Sunday during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium.
KIYOSHI MIO / USA TODAY SPORTS
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) hits a home run during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium.
Shohei Ohtani hit two home runs, Teoscar Hernandez also went deep and left-hander James Paxton pitched into the seventh inning as the host Los Angeles Dodgers finished off a three-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves with a 5-1 victory on Sunday.
Ohtani’s first homer — a two-run blast — came two Los Angeles hitters into the game and gave him home runs in back-to-back games for the third time this season. He finished off his first multi-homer game in a Dodgers uniform with a 464-foot rocket to center in the eighth inning.
Paxton (4-0) gave up a run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings, with three strikeouts and just two walks after he entered Sunday with a major-league-leading 22 walks.
Marcell Ozuna hit a home run and Max Fried gave up four runs on four hits over seven innings after delivering a complete-game shutout and six no-hit innings in his previous two starts. He had three walks and seven strikeouts on Sunday.
Ozuna had two of his team’s five hits as the Braves finished a six-game road trip to Seattle and Los Angeles with a 1-5 record. Atlanta is 2-6 going back to April 27.
The Dodgers started fast against Fried (2-1), getting a Mookie Betts walk to open the game followed by Ohtani’s blast to center field on a 75-mph curveball. The homer traveled 412 feet.
Fried settled into a duel with Paxton into the sixth inning, when the Dodgers increased the lead to 4-0 by getting a single from Ohtani and Hernandez’s eighth home run of the season, a 406-foot shot to center.
Ozuna hit his 10th long ball of the season to right-center field against Paxton in the seventh, but it was only a solo shot after Matt Olson was thrown out at second base by Hernandez following his hit to right field.
Dodgers right-hander Blake Treinen made his season debut with a scoreless eighth inning after recovering from two broken ribs and a bruised lung as the result of a line drive in spring training. It was just Treinen’s sixth outing since 2022 because of shoulder issues.
Ohtani’s second home run of the game and 10th of the season came in the eighth off the first pitch from Atlanta left-hander A.J. Minter.
