Blake Snell struck out a season-high 12 batters as the Los Angeles Dodgers earned a 5-0 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday to avert a three-game series sweep.
Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani hit home runs as the Dodgers (85-67) maintained their two-game lead over the San Diego Padres (83-69) in the National League West.
Snell gave up two hits and two walks over seven innings. In his previous outing, he fanned 11 in six shutout innings during a win over the Colorado Rockies on Sept. 10.
After the Dodgers’ bullpen gave up 14 of the Phillies’ 15 runs in the first two games of the series, Alex Vesia and Tanner Scott finished off the last two innings to cap a three-hitter.
Jesus Luzardo (14-7) gave up four runs over seven-plus innings for the Phillies (91-62), who still won their sixth consecutive series while clinching the NL East title on Monday.
Freeman gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead with a leadoff home run in the second inning, his 21st. Miguel Rojas and Andy Pages added one-out singles in the inning before Rortvedt delivered an RBI single for a 2-0 lead.
The Dodgers made it 3-0 in the fourth inning when Enrique Hernandez dunked an RBI single into center field to score Pages, who walked and stole second base.
Ohtani’s 51st home run of the season came in the eighth inning, knocking Luzardo out of the game. Freeman and Ohtani became the first two left-handed hitters to hit home runs off Luzardo in his 31 starts this year.
Snell recorded his third double-digit strikeout game in 10 starts this season. All three have come in his eight outings since returning from the injured list following a bout of shoulder inflammation.
The Dodgers were without third baseman Max Muncy, who did not start for the third time in four games after he was hit in the back of the helmet by a pitch at San Francisco on Saturday.
