Shohei Ohtani Goes 1 for 3 in Angels’ Loss

The Associated Press

14:44 JST, July 8, 2023

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mookie Betts hit a pair of solo homers and drove in four runs, fellow All-Star Freddie Freeman went deep, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Angels 11-4 on Friday night.

J.D. Martinez and Will Smith also homered as the Dodgers pounded out 11 hits.

Angels All-Star Shohei Ohtani was 1 for 3 with a run scored, a walk and a strikeout as the designated hitter.

The Angels lost their ninth in a row in the Freeway Series, their longest skid in the rivalry. They dropped back to .500 for the 12th time this season at 45-45, with All-Star slugger Mike Trout relegated to spectator while wearing a cast on his broken left wrist.

Tony Gonsolin (5-3) retired his first nine batters of the game before Ohtani ripped a single down the right-field line leading off the fourth. Taylor Ward followed by reaching on an infield single before Mickey Moniak’s three-run homer pulled the Angels to 4-3.

Gonsolin allowed four runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out five and walked one.

Betts homered leading off the fifth against reliever Tyler Anderson, reaching 25 homers for the fifth time in his career. The ball ricocheted off the first row of the lower left-field seats and into the Dodgers’ bullpen.

Betts’ two-run double into the left-field corner with two outs in the sixth extended the Dodgers’ lead to 7-3.

The Dodgers tacked on four runs in the eighth off Tyler Loup. Miguel Rojas had a RBI double, Freeman grounded into a fielder’s choice and Rojas scored on shortstop Andrew Velazquez’s throwing error. Smith added a two-run shot with two outs.

Mike Moustakas homered for the Angels leading off the seventh.

The Dodgers raced to a 3-0 lead. Freeman hit his 16th homer on his first pitch in the first, Martinez slugged his 21st homer leading off the second, and Betts went deep on his first pitch in the third. Martinez’s RBI double with two outs in the third made it 4-0.

Angels starter Griffin Canning (6-4) gave up four runs and five hits in 2 2/3 innings. The right-hander had one walk and no strikeouts.