WASHINGTON (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer in the third inning, and Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman went deep as well as the Los Angeles Dodgers pummeled the Washington Nationals 13-6 on Friday.
Andy Pages also homered for the Dodgers, but it was the top of their order — which had been struggling — that really broke out. Ohtani hadn’t driven in a run all season before hitting a drive to right that tied the game at 3. Betts’ two-run shot later that inning put Los Angeles ahead to stay.
It was 9-4 after Freeman’s two-run homer in the fifth. Tucker’s first home run as a member of the Dodgers was a solo shot that made it 12-4 in the seventh.
Miles Mikolas (0-2) allowed a career-high 11 runs on 11 hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Emmet Sheehan (1-0) gave up a three-run homer to CJ Abrams in the first, but the Nationals only scored once more in his 5 2/3 innings.
Washington lost its home opener for the fifth straight year. This was the most runs the Nationals have allowed in a home opener since moving to Washington in 2005.
Sheehan allowed four runs and seven hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
Ohtani extended his on-base streak to 38 games dating to last season. He was able to keep it going despite being just 3 for 18 entering Friday’s game. After his home run, he added a single the following inning. He also hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth.
Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández, who hit an RBI double in the fifth, was taken out after striking out in the sixth. Hernandez and Tucker had three hits each.
Tyler Glasnow (0-0) starts for the Dodgers on Saturday against Washington’s Jake Irvin (1-0).
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