Shohei Ohtani led the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 4-0 victory over the San Diego Padres on Thursday by homering on the first pitch and throwing five scoreless innings on the mound [1]. He allowed three hits, walked two batters and struck out four during an 88-pitch outing [1]. Four relievers finished the game, helping the Dodgers hold the Padres to five hits overall [1].
Padres starter Randy Vasquez took the loss after allowing six hits and three runs across 4 1/3 innings with three walks and no strikeouts [1].
This win marked the Dodgers’ first series victory over the Padres this season in their National League West rivalry [1].
Before Tuesday’s game, Ohtani had been focusing only on pitching during his starts after struggling offensively earlier in the year [2]. However, he entered the matchup on a six-game hitting streak, raising his batting average to .272 from .233 [2]. He had seven home runs on the season heading into the game, with just one homer in May [2].
In his previous start, Ohtani pitched seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts to lead the Dodgers to a 4-0 win over the Giants, improving his pitching record to 3-2 and lowering his ERA to 0.82 [2].
The Dodgers will aim to build on this series win as their rivalry with the Padres continues.
