LOS ANGELES – When your life flashes before your eyes, you tend to make changes.
The Dodgers were a prime example Sunday when Shohei Ohtani was hit by a pitch on his left wrist and Mookie Betts followed with a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning for a 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
It was an eventful weekend for the Dodgers’ all-everything performer in Ohtani, who reached the 40-40 club with a stolen base and a home run Friday then added another home run Saturday.
On Sunday, he was the go-ahead run after he was hit by a 92-mph sinker from Rays left-hander Richard Lovelady. Ohtani clutched his left wrist while taking an uncomfortable jog to first base but remained in the game without a visit from the training staff.
What started out as the Dodgers’ worst nightmare turned into good fortune in an instant.
Betts jumped on the next pitch, an 88-mph slider from Lovelady to put the Dodgers up for good. It was Betts’ 13th of the season and his third since returning from a broken hand earlier this month.
Right-hander Gavin Stone delivered his third consecutive strong outing, giving up one run on three hits over seven innings. He had seven strikeouts with two walks one outing after he had a career-best 10 strikeouts.
Stone has given up a combined two runs over his last three outings in an impressive rookie season.
Kiké Hernandez broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning with a home run off Rays left-hander Jacob Lopez. It was his ninth home run of the season and second of the series, with both coming against a left-hander.
Stone was cruising until former Dodger Jonny DeLuca hit a home run off the top of the left-field wall in the seventh inning to tie the game, 1-1.
After the bullpen struggled to hold back the Rays on Saturday, Blake Treinen (6-3) pitched a scoreless eighth inning to follow Stone and Anthony Banda delivered a scoreless ninth for his second save.
The Dodgers rookie catcher Hunter Feduccia made his first career start at catcher and singled in the seventh inning for his first career hit.
