MINNEAPOLIS—Shohei Ohtani smacked two doubles and a home run—his third in five games—to tie his career-high with three extra-base hits and power the Los Angeles Dodgers past the Minnesota Twins 4–2 on Monday night.
James Outman hit the go-ahead homer in the seventh inning, and Freddie Freeman and Will Smith drove in runs, while Evan Phillips picked up his fourth save to fuel another smooth victory for Dodgers newcomer James Paxton (2–0).
Paxton, who gave up two runs in six innings, flashed a wide smile when asked afterward about Ohtani’s impact.
“If he puts the barrel on the ball, it’s coming off at 105-plus,“ Paxton said. ”It’s pretty amazing, just how hard he swings and just how hard he hits the ball. I’m glad to have him on my side.”
Manny Margot hit a two-run homer off his former team to give the Twins a third-inning lead, but the loaded Dodgers lineup was too much for Minnesota’s depleted bullpen after starter Bailey Ober limited Los Angeles to one run in five innings.
“I felt great. I could’ve easily gone back out there, but they’re making those decisions, and I’m going to trust what they do and get ready for the next one,” said Ober, who threw 68 pitches.
Ohtani doubled on the first pitch of the sixth from Steven Okert, and scored the tying run on a single by Smith. Centerfielder Byron Buxton made a leaping catch of a sinking line drive by Teoscar Hernández to limit the damage for Okert, but Outman skied a full-count slider from Jay Jackson (0–1) over the 23-foot wall in right field to begin the seventh.
“It felt good to see a ball land,“ said Outman, who was 4 for 34 until the homer. ”It’s still pretty early in the season so it was a little early to freak out, but it’s a start in the right direction, for sure.”
Ohtani revealed in an afternoon interview session that he’s been using a cricket-style bat with a paddle-like barrel for mechanical work before and during games. He had endured a relatively quiet start to his Dodgers career after signing a record $700 million contract and losing his trusted interpreter in an alleged gambling scandal.
The two-time American League most valuable player and two-continent superstar has clearly found his swing. Ohtani is 11 for 22 with eight extra-base hits and five RBIs in his past five games.
“After I saw Shohei get two hits, I was swinging the cricket bat,” Outman said.
Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts hit seven homers in 302 games for the club from 2002–04. Ohtani has three in 13 games.
“It’s something I have never seen,“ Mr. Roberts said. ”When he’s controlling the strike zone and he’s getting pitches in his nitro zone, there’s just really not a better hitter.”
The Twins have lost three straight games with a total of 12 hits.
