Shohei Ohtani pitched his longest outing of the season, Logan O’Hoppe delivered late-game heroics, and the Los Angeles Angels completed a season sweep of the Freeway Series with a 6-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night.
Ohtani allowed four runs on five hits over a season-high 4 1/3 innings, striking out seven — including fanning Mike Trout twice. At the plate, he tripled and scored in the first inning but struck out in each of his final three at-bats.
For the Dodgers, Will Smith launched a two-run homer and Mookie Betts drove in two with a pair of singles. But the defending World Series champions have now dropped four straight games, slipping into second place in the NL West behind the San Diego Padres, who arrive at Dodger Stadium for a weekend showdown.
Despite being under .500, the Angels pulled off the improbable — sweeping both three-game sets against their crosstown rivals this year and setting a franchise record with seven consecutive wins over the Dodgers.
Ohtani’s return to the Angel Stadium mound was his first since leaving in August 2023 with what turned out to be a torn elbow ligament. Aside from giving up a solo homer to Taylor Ward in the second inning, he largely looked sharp until running into trouble in the fifth. He departed with a 5-4 lead, and the Dodgers’ injury-depleted bullpen nearly held the line.
In the seventh, Angels rookie Bryce Teodosio preserved the lead with a highlight-reel, leaping catch in right-center to rob Andy Pages of a home run.
The game turned in the eighth when the Angels loaded the bases against Justin Wrobleski (4-4) and Edgardo Henriquez. O’Hoppe then ripped a two-run single to put the Angels ahead for good.
Brock Burke (6-1) worked the eighth inning for the win, while Kenley Jansen locked down his 23rd save.
Key Stat: Ohtani has now racked up 15 strikeouts over his last 8 1/3 innings.
Up Next: Clayton Kershaw (6-2, 3.14 ERA) is expected to face San Diego on Friday, while Yusei Kikuchi (6-7, 3.37 ERA) will start for the Angels in West Sacramento.
