The Dodgers answered every Kansas City threat with one of their own, and Shohei Ohtani's swing in the third inning settled the issue for good. Los Angeles beat the Royals 4-2 at Dodger Stadium, riding a lead it never gave back once Ohtani put it there.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KC | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| LAD | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 4 | 8 | 2 |
Ohtani finished 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs, his blast to left center traveling 397 feet. Mookie Betts also went deep, a 412-foot shot to left center, and added a walk, finishing 2-for-3 with a run scored. Miguel Rojas chipped in a double and a walk in the win.
Kansas City struck first when Rojas singled to right and Tolbert scored, but Betts answered immediately with his homer to tie it. In the third, Perez singled home Caglianone to put the Royals back in front, only for Ohtani to respond with his two-run homer that scored Rojas and turned a 2-1 deficit into a 2-3 lead the Dodgers would not relinquish. Hunter Feduccia added a solo homer to center in the fifth for insurance.
Daniel Lynch took the loss for Kansas City, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits over 2.1 innings with 3 strikeouts. The Royals bullpen kept things close afterward, with three relievers combining for 5.2 innings and allowing just 1 run, but the early damage proved too much to overcome. Caglianone finished 1-for-4 with a run scored, and Perez drove in a run on a 1-for-2 night.
Eric Lauer worked 6.1 innings for the win, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits with 6 strikeouts and 2 walks, and Landon Knack closed it out with 2.2 scoreless innings for his first save. The Dodgers, who improved to 73-48 and sit atop their division, extended their winning streak to three games. Kansas City fell to 49-73, losing its fourth straight.