Dodgers blast 5 homers – 4 in 6th inning – in 15-2 rout of World Series champion Rangers

By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández and Jason Heyward homered in a seven-run sixth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers 15-2 on Tuesday night.

Will Smith blasted a three-run shot in the first, giving the Dodgers a lead they never relinquished in the opener of the interleague series. Their 15 runs were a season high.

James Paxton (6-1) allowed one run and two hits, tying a season low, in six innings. He struck out two and walked two.

“To see four homers in one inning just doesn’t happen very often, if ever,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “We won a lot of at-bats, pitches.”

Ohtani’s 16th homer of the season traveled 433 feet and at 114.2 mph and was his second hardest-hit shot of the season. It came off reliever Grant Anderson and scored Mookie Betts, who walked. Freeman followed with a shot to left-center.

“That’s fun. You always hear it, hitting is contagious,” Freeman said. “Once Mookie worked the walk, Shohei hits the homer, you just want to try to keep it going to start the inning again.”

Hernández went deep to left-center for his team-leading 17th homer that scored Smith, who singled.

“We’re having good at-bats and that’s why we’re producing a lot,” Hernández said. “It’s awesome when you see everybody getting hits in a game. We’re having a great time right now.”

Heyward’s 415-foot shot landed in the Rangers’ bullpen, scoring Andy Pages, who singled, making it 14-1.

The last time the Dodgers homered four times in an inning was on Sept. 29, 2021, against the San Diego Padres.

Anderson was battered for seven runs and six hits against no strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning when the Dodgers batted around in the sixth.

“These games aren’t fun,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “This is a tough team. You get behind them, they’ll make you pay for it.”

Betts had a two-out, three-run double in the fourth and Gavin Lux added a RBI single in the fifth.

The Rangers used catcher Andrew Knizner in his second career pitching stint. He allowed a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Miguel Vargas that scored Ohtani, who was hit by a pitch in the seventh.

“I hate using a position player,” Bochy said. “But we had to keep the bullpen in order the first game of a road trip.”

Ezequiel Duran accounted for both of the Rangers’ runs. He had a sacrifice fly in the second and homered with two outs in the seventh.

Texas starter Dane Dunning (4-5) gave up six runs on four hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings. The Rangers had their 21-game streak snapped of starters giving up three or fewer earned runs or less.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: SS Corey Seager (hamstring) sat out the opening game of the series against his former team.

Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (elbow) will throw a simulated game against Dodgers hitters on Thursday. … 3B Max Muncy (oblique) is running, throwing and catching but not swinging a bat. … RHP Bobby Miller (shoulder) will start for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday. … RHP Ryan Brasier (calf) threw a bullpen session.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Had not named a starter for Wednesday.

Dodgers: RHP Walker Buehler (1-3, 4.82 ERA) is coming off a three-inning outing (his shortest of the season) in which he gave up four runs and seven hits at Pittsburgh.

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