(Reuters) — Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman each hit a solo home run, and that proved to be enough as the Los Angeles Dodgers held on for a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night in Minneapolis.
Alex Call and Tommy Edman added two hits apiece for Los Angeles, which won the opener of a three-game series. The Dodgers snapped a two-game skid.
Byron Buxton hit a solo home run for Minnesota, which managed only three hits.
Dodgers left-hander Eric Lauer (3-5) did not allow a hit in six scoreless innings. He walked three batters and struck out two after relieving opener Will Klein.
Twins right-hander Zebby Matthews (3-5) took a hard-luck loss despite limiting the Dodgers to two runs on six hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out five.
Dodgers left-hander Tanner Scott pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his 10th save. He finished the game by getting Brooks Lee to ground out to third base.
The victory came with some cost to Los Angeles. Outfielder Kyle Tucker was replaced by a pinch runner in the second inning, and the team later announced that Tucker experienced back spasms.
The Dodgers seized a 1-0 lead on the second pitch of the game. Ohtani tracked a ball over the middle of the plate and pulled a 414-foot shot over the wall in right field.
The blast was Ohtani’s 17th home run of the season and No. 297 for his career.
The Twins quickly responded to even the score at 1-all. Batting from the No. 2 spot in the order, Buxton caught up to Klein’s 98 mph fastball and hit a homer to left-center field.
Buxton’s 25th homer of the season allowed him to tie Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros for the American League lead. Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber leads the majors with 29 homers.
The Dodgers pulled ahead 2-1 in the sixth. Freeman led off the inning with a towering, 423-foot homer to center. Matthews missed the catcher’s target and his pitch drifted toward the outside corner, which allowed Freeman full extension on his swing.
