Shohei Ohtani delivered his strongest outing of the season, striking out nine in five innings to secure his first win with the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 5-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers completed a series sweep, making them the first team this year to sweep Cincinnati, and extended their lead in the National League West to two games over the San Diego Padres, who lost 4-3 in Seattle.
For Ohtani (1-1), the night marked his first victory since Aug. 9, 2023, when he was still with the Angels. In his 11th start for Los Angeles, the two-way star allowed one run on two hits while walking two over 87 pitches, 53 for strikes. He retired his final eight batters and earned the win on a night when the Dodgers distributed his bobblehead at the ballpark. Ohtani contributed a single in five at-bats at the plate and scored once.
The Reds briefly held the lead in the third inning when Noelvi Marte connected on the first pitch he saw from Ohtani, launching a 410-foot home run to left field. It was only the third homer Ohtani has allowed this season. That was all the Reds could muster, as Dodgers pitching combined for a franchise-record 19 strikeouts in a nine-inning game.
In the fourth inning, Los Angeles broke through against Reds starter Nick Lodolo (8-7). After Lodolo retired the first nine batters he faced, the Dodgers strung together three consecutive singles. Kiké Hernández, filling in at first base for the injured Freddie Freeman, drove in two with a single up the middle. Following an intentional walk to Miguel Rojas, rookie Dalton Rushing lined a two-run single to right, giving Los Angeles a 4-1 advantage. Michael Conforto added insurance in the eighth with a solo home run to right, his 15th of the season.
Ohtani faced early pressure in the second inning when he issued back-to-back walks to Spencer Steer and Jose Trevino. Two wild pitches advanced the runners to scoring position, but Ohtani responded with consecutive strikeouts of Ke’Bryan Hayes and Matt McLain to escape the jam. His final line reflected his resilience in working around command issues, finishing with a season-high in strikeouts while lowering his ERA to 3.47.
Lodolo pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts. After a strong start, he was undone by the Dodgers’ rally in the fourth.
With the win, the Dodgers improved to 76-55, continuing their push for a third consecutive division title. Cincinnati dropped to 68-62, falling further behind in the National League wild-card race.
Oddsmakers had installed Los Angeles as a -180 favorite entering the game, with Cincinnati listed at +150. The run total was 8.5, and the game finished under as the Dodgers’ pitching stifled the Reds’ offense.
After a day off on Thursday, the Reds return home Friday, where right-hander Zack Littell (9-8, 3.62 ERA) is scheduled to face the St. Louis Cardinals. The Dodgers also resume play Friday when left-hander Blake Snell (3-2, 1.97 ERA) takes the mound at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
