Freddie Freemans homer negates Shohei Ohtanis shaky start as Dodgers sweep Rays

For most of the afternoon, Wednesday’s game played out frustratingly for the Dodgers.The team’s lineup squandered a couple key early chances, getting just one total run from two bases-loaded opportunities in the bottom of the fourth and fifth.Shohei Ohtani, making his 12th pitching start of the season as scheduled despite last week’s knee injury, had his worst inning of the season on the mound, with the Tampa Bay Rays batting around to score four runs in the top of the fifth.And with a chance to sweep the Rays within their grasp, the Dodgers appeared to be on the verge of letting it slip away.This Dodgers team, however, has more margin for error than most.They can hang around, stay within striking distance, and flip the script on a moment’s notice.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story Wednesday, it turned out, would become the latest example, with Freddie Freeman keying the club’s eventual 5-4 win with a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth.The squandered bases-loaded chances didn’t end up mattering.

Nor did the season-high four earned runs Ohtani was charged with in a six-inning start.Instead, once Freeman provided the lead with his 12th home run of the year –– a towering two-run blast against Rays right-hander Kevin Kelly on a center-cut sinker, turning a one-run deficit into a one-run lead –– the club rolled the rest of the way to a third-consecutive one-run win in this series, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the top of the ninth when Alex Vesia struck out Cedric Mullins.What it meansComing off their first series loss in more than a month to the Chicago White Sox last week, the Dodgers (48-27) bounced back in impressive fashion against the Rays (41-30).They picked up their first series sweep since the Rockies cam...