Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

Pitching with a bloody blister, for the first time this season, Shohei Ohtani didn’t have a quality start. However, the offense gave him just enough to complete the sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays, the second-best American League team.

On a sunny Wednesday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Rays, 5–4.

The bright sun didn’t affect the play, but the quick turnaround after last night’s game made it feel that both teams were sleepwalking through the first four innings.

The Dodgers began scoring in the fourth inning after stranding many runners. After Mookie Betts walked and went to second on a groundout, he came home on Alex Call’s single. Alex Freeland brought Call home. The Dodgers added another run in the fifth inning, and in the sixth inning, Freddie Freeman hit a two-run homer, his twelfth of the season.

Ohtani battled through six innings with a bleeding blister on his pitching hand and a sore left knee. He allowed four runs in the fifth inning. His sweeper wasn’t as crisp as it had been in his previous starts. He allowed one walk that sparked the fifth-inning rally. He struck out five.

Eduardo Henriquez and Jack Dreyer were sharp in relief.

Alex Vesia struggled through the ninth inning but earned his third save of the season.

This game was Tommy Edman’s 2026 debut, and he made several sparkling plays. According to Dave Roberts, Edman will play three or four times a week at second base, third base, or left field. During his rehabilitation assignment, he played left field for the first time professionally. He increases the Dodgers’ versatility greatly until Kiké Hernández returns from a strained oblique.

After a well-deserved day off, the Dodgers will continue their homestand against the Baltimore Orioles. Roki Sasaki will try to bounce back from a difficult outing against the White Sox.