Shohei Ohtani collected three hits, while James Paxton pitched seven solid innings as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies 9-5 on Monday night. This game marked the start of a four-game series between the top and bottom teams in the NL West.
Miguel Rojas and Jason Heyward also contributed with three hits each for the Dodgers, who totaled 14 hits in the game. Freddie Freeman drew five walks, coming close to a major league record.
“Recently, our hitting hasn’t been as strong as we’d like, but today we put it all together,” Freeman commented. “It felt like our bats were improving day by day.”
Ohtani doubled twice, drove in a run, and continued his strong performance with his third multi-hit game in the last four outings. He has now recorded seven hits in his last 15 at-bats. The two-time AL MVP ranks high in extra-base hits, hits, and batting average across the majors.
Paxton (7-1) delivered his best outing of the season, allowing only one run and two hits while striking out eight batters and issuing just one walk. This was his first career start at Coors Field, known for its hitter-friendly conditions.
“If you start worrying about the park and how the ball carries, you lose focus on your pitches,” Paxton noted. “I stayed focused on my game plan.”
Despite leaving 13 runners on base, which matched their season-high, the Dodgers managed to secure the win.
The Rockies struggled, suffering their sixth loss in the last eight games and their 12th in 16 games in June. During this tough stretch, they have been outscored 109-66.
Jacob Stallings, Greg Jones, and Hunter Goodman homered for Colorado, with Jones hitting his first career home run as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning.
Cal Quantrill (6-5) took the loss after allowing seven hits and three earned runs over five innings. The 29-year-old right-hander had been in top form with a 6-1 record and a 1.91 ERA over his previous eight starts.
