Nothing separated the teams for four and a half innings. Then Freddie Freeman hit a 423-foot home run to center field in the sixth, and that was enough.
Eric Lauer was the story on the mound. He held Minnesota hitless over six innings, allowing three walks while striking out two on 84 pitches. It was not a dominant performance by strikeout standards, but the Twins could not put the ball in play against him. Lauer earned the win, moving to 3-5 on the season with a 6.69 ERA. He is now 2 wins away from 50 for his career.
The game opened with home runs from both clubs. Shohei Ohtani led off the first with a 414-foot shot to right, giving Los Angeles a 1-0 lead. Byron Buxton answered immediately in the bottom half, sending a 394-foot drive to left center to tie it at 1-1. From there, Zebby Matthews and Lauer traded zeros until Freeman broke the deadlock. His go-ahead homer to center in the sixth gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish. Tanner Scott worked a clean ninth for his 10th save of the season.
Matthews absorbed the loss, falling to 3-5. He allowed 2 runs on 6 hits over 6 innings, walking 2 and striking out 5 on 108 pitches. His ERA stands at 4.56. Minnesota managed only 3 hits on the night and could not solve the Los Angeles bullpen after Lauer departed.
Ohtani finished 1-for-4 with a walk and his 17th home run of the season. He is 3 home runs away from 300 for his career. Buxton went 1-for-4 with his 25th homer and 41st RBI. Los Angeles dropped its second straight game despite the victory — the team entered at 49-29, first in its division, and now stands at 49-29 following the win. Minnesota fell to 38-41, third in its division, snapping a two-game winning streak.