Shohei Ohtani hit three doubles, boosting his top batting average in the majors to .371. Rookie Landon Knack secured his first win as the Los Angeles Dodgers cruised to an 11-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night.
The Dodgers unleashed a season-high 20 hits, led by Mookie Betts and Will Smith, each with four hits, and a homer from Andy Pages.
Washington’s Nick Senzel managed a home run, but the Nationals struggled to get runners on base after the second inning.
Ohtani went 3 for 6, delivering RBI doubles in both the eighth and ninth innings.
He continues to lead in slugging percentage, OPS, extra-base hits, and doubles. During his nine-game hitting streak, he’s batting .429.
“His average exit velocity on balls he puts in play, he’s got to be in a category by himself,” remarked Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “The ball just does different things when it comes off his bat.”
After hitting a solo home run at 118.7 mph the previous night, Ohtani smashed a 115.6 mph double in the first inning. Betts extended the Dodgers’ lead to 3-0 with a two-run single in the second inning against a tightly positioned infield.
Senzel kick-started the Nationals’ offense with a homer in the second inning. Although they managed to score another run without a hit, drawing walks, and a hit batsman, they couldn’t break through against Knack, who retired 13 consecutive batters and struck out five over six innings.
