Shohei Ohtani hits NL-leading 24th home run as Dodgers edge lowly White Sox 4-3 originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
CHICAGO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff home run and a tiebreaking RBI single to help the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox 4-3 on Tuesday.
Led by Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers won for the seventh time in nine games. The NL West leaders are 50-31 at the midpoint of their schedule.
Ohtani hit a curveball from Chris Flexen into the visitors’ bullpen in right-center field for his 24th home run, best in the National League. White Sox right fielder Tommy Pham attempted to catch the ball by jumping, but was unable to do so.
Ohtani also walked and scored on Freeman’s two-run homer in the third inning. He batted again in the fourth and gave Los Angeles a 4-3 lead with a two-out RBI single.
Ohtani has driven in at least one run in his last nine games, tying a franchise record. The two-time American League MVP is hitting .306 (26-for-85) with 10 home runs and 22 RBIs in 22 games this month.
Andrew Benintendi hit a two-run homer for Chicago, which lost for the sixth time in seven games. Pham walked three from the leadoff spot and Gavin Sheets had two hits.
Flexen (2-7) allowed four runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings. The right-hander is winless in his last nine starts.
At 21-60, the White Sox are off to the worst 81-game start in franchise history. The previous record was 27-54 in 1934 and 1948.
Benintendi hit his sixth home run and Eloy Jiménez added an RBI double as Chicago scored three times in the first against Bobby Miller. But he managed just five hits the rest of the game.
Miller, a native of suburban Chicago, lasted just two innings in his second start since returning from shoulder inflammation. Michael Petersen (2-0) got six outs for the win and Evan Phillips pitched the ninth for his 13th save in 13 chances.
Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez rejoined the team after missing Monday’s 3-0 win in the series opener to fly home to the Dominican Republic for a personal reason. But manager Dave Roberts gave Hernandez another day off.
COACH ROOM
White Sox: Manager Pedro Grifol said the team is monitoring Benintendi as he returns from left Achilles tendonitis. “We’ll get there with maybe some matchups that are good for us as a team and at the same time give him a chance to rest that Achilles tendon and kind of regroup,” Grifol said. … RHP Mike Clevinger (elbow inflammation) pitched 4 2/3 innings in his second rehab start for Triple-A Charlotte on Sunday, but the team has not yet confirmed a date for his next outing.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
Right-handers Gavin Stone (8-2, 3.04 ERA) and Erick Fedde (5-2, 3.05 ERA) pitched Wednesday night in the series finale. Stone is 7-1 with a 2.18 ERA in his last 10 starts for Los Angeles. Fedde is 1-1 with a 2.88 ERA in four June starts for Chicago.