Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff homer and added a tying RBI triple as the Los Angeles Dodgers won their fifth straight game, edging the host Kansas City Royals 5-4 on Friday night.
The Royals matched a club record by taking their 11th consecutive home loss.
Ohtani sent an enticing 1-2 changeup from Noah Cameron (2-4) into the right field fountains for his 29th homer — and 12th in 28 games against the Royals.
However, Kansas City led 4-3 entering the fifth, when Ohtani victimized Cameron again. After Enrique Hernandez walked to open the inning, Ohtani found the right field gap for a triple that evened the contest. Steven Cruz entered and promptly gave up an RBI single to Mookie Betts — the Dodgers’ fourth and final hit, but enough for their 11th win in 13 games.
The Royals loaded the bases with one out in the ninth against Tanner Scott (18th save), who got rookie Jac Caglianone to ground into a first-pitch 4-6-3 game-ending double play, capped by Freddie Freeman’s stellar pick at first base.
Kansas City is 0-11 at home in June, equaling the team’s longest such slide set in 2023. Bobby Witt Jr. hit a two-run homer and Kyle Isbel doubled twice, but the Royals dropped their sixth straight overall.
Down 1-0, Kansas City answered in the bottom of the first. Maikel Garcia roped a two-out double and eventually scored on Salvador Perez’s single to left.
The Dodgers regained the lead with their own two-out magic in the second. With a man on, Max Muncy jumped on a Cameron fastball and sent it over the center field wall for a 3-1 edge.
The Royals got to Los Angeles starter Dustin May again in the bottom of the second. John Rave walked, stole second, went to third on Freddy Fermin’s grounder and scored on Isbel’s double that right fielder Teoscar Hernandez appeared to misread.
One out later, Witt cleared the left-center-field wall to put Kansas City ahead by one.
Cameron yielded just three hits but walked three and allowed five runs over a career-low four-plus innings in his ninth start. He fanned four.
May lasted four innings, allowing four runs and six hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Lou Trivino (3-0) pitched 1 2/3 shutout innings for the win.
–Field Level Media
