MINNEAPOLIS — Shohei Ohtani smiles as he rounds the bases after his first-inning home run against the Twins. Credit: @dodgers
MINNEAPOLIS — Shohei Ohtani needed exactly one pitch to remind Target Field who he is, and Freddie Freeman needed one swing in the sixth to make sure it actually counted for something. The Dodgers opened their series with the Twins on Sunday with a 2-1 win that stayed tense from the very first batter to the very last, a game where two solo home runs were the entirety of the scoring and the pitching staffs spent the other eight innings daring each other to blink first.
Ohtani Strikes First, Buxton Answers Before the Inning Even Ends
Ohtani wasted zero time setting the tone, jumping on the first pitch he saw from Twins starter Zebby Matthews and lifting it out to right field for his 17th homer of the season. The lead lasted exactly one half inning. Byron Buxton stepped into the box for Minnesota and matched him blast for blast, sending one out to left center for his own 25th of the year and squaring the score right back up before either bullpen had even started stirring. The Twins weren’t done. Josh Bell walked and Royce Lewis followed with a single to put two runners on with one out, but Victor Caratini grounded out to short to end the threat and keep the game tied at one heading into the second.
A Long, Quiet Stretch Before Freeman Breaks It Open
After the first-inning fireworks, both lineups went cold for a long stretch. Matthews settled in and Eric Lauer, who came on in relief of Will Klein in the second, did the same, and for four full innings neither offense could put together anything more than a stray single. Mookie Betts turned routine ground ball after routine ground ball into outs at shortstop, and the Twins kept hitting the ball directly into Dodgers gloves no matter how hard they squared it up. Freeman finally broke the silence in the sixth, golfing a Matthews pitch out to center field for his 13th home run of the season and putting the Dodgers back on top, 2-1. It was a swing that didn’t need company to matter. Betts walked right behind him and Alex Call followed with a single, putting two runners in scoring position with two outs, but Tommy Edman flew out to end the threat. The damage from Freeman’s homer was already plenty.
Lauer Goes the Distance, Twins Keep Finding Trouble They Can’t Escape
Lauer was the story of the night for the Dodgers pitching staff, working six full innings of relief without allowing a single hit, walking three and striking out two while Minnesota’s lineup kept finding outs instead of holes. The Twins had their chances. In the fourth, Royce Lewis flew out and Victor Caratini struck out before Brooks Lee grounded into a force out that erased Josh Bell at second, and in the sixth Kody Clemens drew a walk after a challenged call was overturned, only for the next three Twins hitters to go fly out, fly out, foul pop out. Every time Minnesota threatened to flip the game, the Dodgers defense or a well-placed Lauer pitch shut the door.
MINNEAPOLIS — Eric Lauer walks off the mound during his six-inning, hitless relief outing against the Twins. Credit: @Dodgers
Bullpen Locks It Down Late
Kyle Hurt took over in the eighth and gave up a leadoff single to Austin Martin before striking out Byron Buxton and getting two more outs to escape unscathed. Tanner Scott closed it out in the ninth for his tenth save of the season, retiring the side in order around Royce Lewis, Victor Caratini and Brooks Lee to finish off a Twins lineup that managed just three hits in the entire game. On the other side of the ball, Ohtani drew an intentional walk in the ninth with two outs and a runner on second, a sign of how little Minnesota wanted to test him again after his first-inning blast, but Andy Pages struck out swinging to end the inning, leaving the margin at one run for Scott to defend. He didn’t need any extra cushion.
Up Next
The Dodgers and Twins continue their series Tuesday at Target Field, with Justin Wrobleski taking the mound against Minnesota’s Joe Ryan. First pitch is set for 4:40 p.m. PST as Los Angeles looks to build on a series opener that came down to two home runs and a bullpen that refused to give an inch.
MINNEAPOLIS — Justin Wrobleski takes the mound for the Dodgers, who hand him the ball Tuesday against Twins ace Joe Ryan. Credit: @LosDodgers