Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff homer and added a game-tying RBI triple as the Los Angeles Dodgers won their fifth straight, edging the host Kansas City Royals 5-4 on Friday night.
The Royals matched a club-record 11-game home losing streak.
Ohtani, who was named to the All-Star Game a day earlier, sent an enticing 1-2 changeup from Noah Cameron (2-4) into the right field fountains for his 29th homer of the year — and 12th in 28 games against the Royals in his career.
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 ninth win in 11 games.
The Royals loaded the bases with one out in the ninth against Tanner Scott (18 saves), 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 another Cameron pitch that went over the center field wall for a 3-1 edge.
The Royals made Los Angeles starter Dustin May work more 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.
Witt followed by clearing the left-center field wall to put Kansas City ahead by one.
Cameron yielded just three hits, but three walks and all five runs over a career-low four-plus innings in his ninth start.
May, meanwhile, lasted four, allowing those four runs and six hits. Lou Trivino (3-0) pitched 1⅔ innings for the win.
