Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts showcase Dodgers' power in spring win
The Dodgers provided a glimpse of their potential firepower at the top of the batting order Sunday when Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman combined for seven hits, five runs and four RBIs in a 7-4 exhibition victory over the Colorado Rockies at Camelback Ranch.
“When you look at the top three [batters], obviously, it's relentless, it’s stress,” manager Dave Roberts said. “With one swing, any one of those guys can hurt you. Just the way that they kind of energized our club today was clearly apparent.”
Betts, the 2018 American League most valuable player with the Boston Red Sox and the leadoff batter for the Dodgers, singled to center and scored in the first inning, doubled to left and scored in the second and singled to center to third.
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Ohtani, the AL MVP in 2021 and 2023 with the Angels, singled to right field in the first inning, drove an RBI triple off the top of the center-field wall in the third and stroked an RBI single to right in the third before leaving the game. Ohtani has now reached base in seven straight Cactus League plate appearances.
Freeman, the 2020 National League MVP with the Atlanta Braves who has been dropped from second to third in the order, lined an RBI single to center in the first inning and drove in a run with a second-inning grounder that was booted for an error.
“He looks locked in right now,” Roberts said of Ohtani. “Just the at-bat quality, it seems like he's on everything. There are some borderline pitches he's taking, and if they throw it over the plate, he's taking a good rip at it. So today was just another good day for Shohei.”
The Dodgers are off on Monday. Roberts said the plan for Ohtani, who will be relegated to designated hitter this season as he recovers from his second Tommy John surgery, is to play Tuesday night against the Angels and Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox. Both games are at Camelback Ranch.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
