Shohei Ohtani slugged his National League-leading 36th home run Monday, going deep for the first time in three games to help the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-2 for their fourth straight win.
The two-way star connected on an outside pitch from Freddy Peralta (7-7), a 3-0 fastball, with a runner on and no out in the fifth inning at American Family Field. A two-run shot to the opposite field gave his team a 4-0 lead.
It was Ohtani's first career home run that he hit off a 3-0 count, according to MLB.com.
"My stance is to offer whenever I get a fat pitch, and I don't want to get away from that regardless of what the count is," Ohtani said.
Mookie Betts marked his return from a near-two-month absence due to a fractured left hand by pulling a two-run shot in the third for the Dodgers.
William Contreras had a two-run homer for the Brewers in the sixth before Betts singled in Ohtani, who had reached on a walk and stolen second, in the seventh for the game's final run.
Shota Imanaga surrendered seven runs on as many hits over five innings but did not figure in a decision, meanwhile, as the Chicago Cubs lost 9-8 against the Cleveland Guardians.
The southpaw was handed a 3-0 lead but allowed four runs in the fourth, including a three-run shot to Jhonkensy Noel, and three more runs in the fifth when Steven Kwan had a two-run blast.
Seiya Suzuki went 2-for-4 for the Cubs and his sacrifice fly in the eighth tied the game at 8-8, sparing a loss for Imanaga, before Josh Naylor singled in the crucial run in the home half.
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