Dodgers blast 5 homers, rout Rangers
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez and Jason Heyward homered in a seven-run sixth inning as 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 in six innings. He struck out two and walked two.
Ohtani’s 16th homer of the season — tied for second in the National League — traveled 131.9 meters to right-center off reliever Grant Anderson, scoring Mookie Betts, who walked. Freeman followed with a shot to left-center.
Hernandez went deep to leftcenter, scoring Smith, who singled.
Heyward’s 126.5-meter 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.
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 to pitch in the seventh and eighth innings. He allowed a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Miguel Vargas that scored Ohtani, who was hit by a pitch in the seventh.
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.
Yankees vs. Royals
KANSAS CITY, Missouri (AP) — Aaron Judge hit his major leagueleading 25th home run with a 132.8-meter, two-run drive into the fountain behind the center-field seats, and the New York Yankees routed the Kansas City Royals 10-1 Tuesday night for their 11th win in 14 games.
Giancarlo Stanton followed Judge in the seventh with a 136-meter shot to center against reliever Nick Anderson for his 16th home run of the season. Austin Wells hit a three-run homer in a four-run fourth off starter Brady Singer.
Back in the lineup after his first game off this season, Judge hit his 21st homer in his last 41 games and also singled in New York’s first run. Judge raised his average to .309 and is hitting .419 with 44 RBIs in his last 35 games after batting .197 through May 2.
“I’m trying not to take that for granted. It’s a lot of fun to witness and to watch what he’s doing on a nightly basis,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s just, obviously — amazing physical talent and tools and ability, but now the experience that thousands of at-bats allow you to have that gets applied with that great talent and this is what you’re seeing.”