Shohei Ohtani hit two home runs, Mookie Betts added another, and Clayton Kershaw earned his 10th victory as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Baltimore Orioles 5-2 on Sunday afternoon, avoiding a sweep and halting a five-game losing streak.
Oddsmakers had listed the Dodgers as -145 favorites entering the matchup, with the Orioles as +125 underdogs. The total runs line was set at 8.5. Los Angeles comfortably covered behind its long-ball display and a solid performance from its veteran ace.
Ohtani wasted no time putting Los Angeles ahead, blasting Tomoyuki Sugano’s second game pitch into the seats for his 47th home run of the season. Two innings later, he connected again on a deep drive to left-center, pushing his total to 48. Betts followed immediately with a solo shot, extending the Dodgers’ lead to 3-0. The back-to-back homers marked the 12th time Ohtani has led off a game with a homer in 2025, tying the franchise record set by Betts two seasons earlier.
Kershaw (10-2) extended his personal winning streak to six starts, striking out eight over 5 2/3 innings while allowing just four hits and two runs. Remarkably, the outing was the first of his 18-year career against the Orioles, the only major league opponent he had never previously faced. With the win, the 37-year-old defeated every team except the Boston Red Sox.
Baltimore briefly cut into the deficit with a pair of runs in the middle innings, but Los Angeles’ bullpen preserved the advantage. Justin Wrobleski contributed two scoreless frames before Jack Dreyer closed it in the ninth, earning his third save.
Sugano (10-8) was tagged for three homers and exited in the fourth inning after being struck on the foot by a comebacker. He was charged with four runs on five hits. The Orioles, who had won five straight games, could not replicate the late-inning dramatics that carried them to back-to-back victories earlier in the series.
The defeat ended Baltimore’s surge, which included a three-game sweep in San Diego and two walk-off wins against Los Angeles. Saturday night’s victory had been particularly dramatic, with the Orioles rallying for four runs in the ninth after being no-hit for nearly nine full innings.
In Sunday’s finale, Ohtani’s early power display set the tone. His two home runs, combined with Betts’ shot, gave Los Angeles an offensive cushion it had lacked during its recent skid. The Dodgers added an insurance run in the fourth before leaning on their pitching staff the rest of the way.
The game also ended Baltimore’s defensive streak. Shortstop Gunnar Henderson committed a throwing error in the seventh inning, snapping his run of 73 consecutive errorless games, which dated back to early June.
The Dodgers, who improved their lead in the NL West to one game over the San Diego Padres, will return home Monday to open a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies. After an off day on Monday, the Orioles will continue their homestand on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
