LOS ANGELES — Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium belonged to the pitchers, and the Dodgers were fine with that. Justin Wrobleski and three relievers combined to blank the Tampa Bay Rays on three hits, and Shohei Ohtani supplied the only run that mattered: a leadoff home run to center in the sixth inning that sent Los Angeles home with a 1-0 win and the series. One swing. Nine scoreless innings of baseball. That was all it took.
Wrobleski Locks It In
If anyone on this roster was built for a night like this, it was Wrobleski. The 25-year-old left-hander came into Tuesday’s game with a 2.72 ERA and carried himself like it. He retired the first two Rays on strikeouts in the first, worked out of a minor threat in the fourth when Austin Slater swiped second base but was left stranded, and let the defense clean up the rest. Six innings, three hits, zero runs, five strikeouts. His command was crisp. The Rays could not solve him, could not string anything together, and never seriously threatened to score.
Drew Rasmussen matched him almost pitch for pitch. The Tampa Bay righty went five innings, allowing just one earned run on six hits with five strikeouts. The problem for Rasmussen was that the one thing that got away from him was Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani Breaks the Seal
Five scoreless innings had passed when Ohtani led off the bottom of the sixth and sent a fly ball to center field. His 15th home run of the season. His 15th way of reminding a ballpark exactly who he is. Dodger Stadium woke up the moment it left the bat.
Everything before that had been a lock and key nobody could pick. The Dodgers loaded baserunners in the second but could not cash in. Kyle Tucker and Ryan Ward both singled, and Alex Freeland reached on a fielder’s choice, but a force out ended the inning with men stranded. After Ohtani’s shot, Freddie Freeman singled and Mookie Betts nearly extended the lead before Betts lined out sharply to end the threat. It did not matter. One run was going to be enough.
The Bullpen Finishes What Wrobleski Started
Will Klein, Kyle Hurt, and Tanner Scott came out of the pen and treated the final three innings like a formality. Klein worked a clean seventh, walking Junior Caminero but immediately erasing him on a double play, finishing the inning without a scratch for his 10th hold. Hurt followed with an equally spotless eighth, striking out one and recording his sixth hold.
Then Scott came out for the ninth and put the last three Rays away in order, punching out Yandy Díaz and Austin Slater before Andy Pages caught the flyout off the bat of Jonathan Aranda to end it. Save number nine for Scott, ERA now 2.32.
Tampa Bay finished with three hits and zero runs. The Dodgers finished with six and one, which was all they needed.
The Story Around the Story
Tommy Edman officially returned to the active roster Tuesday, activated from the 60-day injured list after a longer-than-expected recovery from offseason ankle surgery. The last time Edman played in a big-league game was the World Series, where his ankle finally forced him to the bench after two games in center field, clearing the way for Miguel Rojas to start at second base in Game 7. The rest is Dodgers lore. He did not appear in Tuesday’s game but is expected to start Wednesday in the series finale.
As for the rest of Tuesday’s supporting cast: Alex Freeland turned two in the second and anchored the middle infield all night. Max Muncy was steady at third. The entire operation was quiet, efficient, and exactly what a one-run game demands.
Up Next
Los Angeles closes out the three-game series against Tampa Bay on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium, with first pitch set for 12:10 p.m. PT. In a matchup that needs no extra billing, Shohei Ohtani takes the mound opposite Shane McClanahan. Tommy Edman’s first game back is expected to be that one.
