LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 31: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers rounds the bases on a double during the fourth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Dodger Stadium on July 31, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
A two-run homer from Shohei Ohtani in the sixth inning proved to be a fleeting lead for the Los Angeles Dodgers, as they ultimately suffered a crushing 9-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Friday night at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers were plagued by failed scoring opportunities, shoddy defensive and base running, and an explosive Red Sox offense that surged past them. Boston got on the board first in the top of the second inning against Will Klein, with Jarren Duran driving in Caleb Durbin with a big RBI single.
Boston's aggressive lineup put pressure on the Dodgers bullpen from the start of the game and series, with nine of the first 20 batters reaching base safely. The Red Sox lineup loaded the bases with one out in the third against Klein, who then beaned Willson Contreras in the side of the helmet. Contreras stayed in the game under his own accord.
Cole Irvin was thrown into the fire for his Dodger debut and first MLB appearance since September 2024, with another defensive blunder, this time on Freddie Freeman at first base, allowing two runs to come in on a Masataka Yoshida chopper. Shohei Ohtani led off the bottom of the fourth against Suárez with a double, the first base hit of the game for the Dodgers.
Freddie Freeman drove in Ohtani with two outs to make it 3-1, making up for his earlier error. The Dodgers got the tying run aboard in the sixth after Suárez gave up a leadoff walk to Tucker and Kiké Hernández single. Eliezer Alfonzo reached for a breaking ball and dumped it into center field to bring in the second run of the night for the Dodgers.
However, Jovani Morán came out of the Boston bullpen to face Ohtani and served up a rocket of a 112-mph two-run home run. The Dodgers took a 4-3 lead, but it was short-lived. The Red Sox took back the lead in the seventh when Ceddanne Rafaela hit a two-run home run off Irvin.
Andruw Monasterio doubled in another two runs to give the Red Sox a commanding lead, and Boston scored their fifth run of the inning on a scoring Duran ground ball to make it 8-4. Monasterio also made a couple of outstanding defensive plays to save runs for the Red Sox.
Freddie Freeman led off the eighth inning with his third hit of the night, but the Dodgers were unable to capitalize, stranding a couple of runners. The Red Sox added a ninth run in the ninth on a Carlos Narváez sac fly. Friday's particulars saw Shohei Ohtani hit his 24th home run of the season, and Ceddanne Rafaela hit his 12th.
The loss drops the Dodgers to 69-41, while the Red Sox improve to 58-51. The series continues on Saturday, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto making his first career start against the Red Sox, and left-hander Payton Tolle countering for Boston.
Source: Yahoo Sports