Blake Snell struck out 10 over five shutout innings and Shohei Ohtani blasted his 40th home run of the season to boost the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 9-1 win over the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday evening.
Max Muncy also homered and singled, and Andy Pages contributed two hits and two RBIs for Los Angeles, which will try for a three-game sweep of the American League East leaders on Sunday.
Snell (2-1) allowed three hits and walked three in his second game back following a four-month absence with an injury to his throwing shoulder.
After the two-time Cy Young Award winner was lifted after 90 pitches, Brock Stewart, Jack Dreyer and Alexis Diaz combined to allow one run over the final four innings.
Ernie Clement spoiled the shutout with a solo homer in the eighth for the Blue Jays, who had won three in a row heading into the series.
Toronto right-hander Chris Bassitt (11-6) allowed three runs on six hits over 4 2/3 innings, with two strikeouts and two walks.
Freddie Freeman walked to lead off the fourth and Muncy went the other way with a sinker, clearing the fence in the left-field corner for a two-run homer and a 2-0 lead.
Ohtani blasted his home run to straightaway center with one out in the fifth to stretch it to 3-0.
The Dodgers scored six runs in the sixth, loading the bases with no outs in the sixth before Dalton Rushing lined a two-run single up the middle for a 5-0 lead.
After an intentional walk to Ohtani, Mookie Betts lined a single off the glove of Toronto third baseman Buddy Kennedy, scoring two more runs for a 7-0 lead. Pages then came up with the bases full and two outs in the inning and doubled down the third-base line to make it 9-0.
Snell struck out the first two batters of the game on six pitches and needed just nine pitches to retire the side in order.
Kennedy hit a ground-rule double into the stands in the left-field corner to lead off the third and Davis Schneider walked with one out, but Snell struck out two batters in the inning to help him escape the jam.
Snell walked two batters in the fourth, but struck out two more to strand both.
–Field Level Media
