DENVER — Shohei Ohtani delivered another statement performance at Coors Field on Tuesday, clubbing a two-run home run in the third inning to propel the Los Angeles Dodgers to a commanding 7-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies. The win extends the Dodgers' National League West lead to six games over their nearest rival, further cementing their position as the front-runner for the division crown.
Ohtani's blast, his 18th of the season, came off Rockies right-hander Cal Quantrill with Mookie Betts on base, clearing the center field wall and giving Los Angeles a 3-0 lead it would never relinquish. The two-way sensation has been in particularly destructive form in May, batting .342 with seven home runs in the month heading into Tuesday's contest.
Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto worked six efficient innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits while striking out eight Colorado batters. The young Japanese right-hander has now won five consecutive decisions, reinforcing his standing as one of the National League's most consistent starters through the first half of the 2026 season.
Colorado managed three runs off the Los Angeles bullpen in the eighth inning, briefly threatening to make the game interesting, but reliever Evan Phillips shut the door in the ninth to preserve the comfortable margin. The Rockies, sitting last in the NL West with the worst record in the National League, have now lost six of their last seven home games against Los Angeles.
The victory adds to a strong Memorial Day weekend for the Dodgers, who are building the kind of sustained momentum that manager Dave Roberts has emphasized since spring training. With the trade deadline approaching in late July, Los Angeles's front office is expected to operate from a position of strength — fortifying rather than rebuilding a roster that already looks built for October.