LA Dodgers Sweep Angels in Freeway Series As Bullpen Outduels Ohtani in Finale

• The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Los Angeles Angels in their series finale
• The Dodgers’ bullpen pitched a two-hit shutout in the 2-0 victory on Wednesday
• Shohei Ohtani recorded 12 strikeouts in a losing effort for the Angels

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ much-maligned bullpen stepped up big time on Wednesday night to complete a two-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels in the Freeway Series.

A group of seven Dodgers relievers outdueled the great Shohei Ohtani on the mound, pitching an impressive two-hit shutout in a 2-0 victory at Angel Stadium.

It was a remarkable turnaround for the Dodgers relief corps, who entered the two-game set against the Angels with a 5.04 ERA, second-worst in the Majors.

Angels held scoreless in series

Brusdar Graterol, Victor González, Yency Almonte, Alex Vesia, Ryan Brasier, Caleb Ferguson, and Evan Phillips combined for nine scoreless frames to make it two consecutive shutout wins for the Dodgers against the Angels.

Ranking the 15 best MLB players in the League right now

Baseball

With the victory, the Dodgers extended their winning streak against the Angels to eight games, per OC Register.

What made the loss so disappointing for the Angels was that Ohtani had one of his best pitching outings of the season on Wednesday.

Ohtani delivers pitching masterclass

He was absolutely dealing, striking out 12 Dodgers and yielding just one run over seven solid innings.

The Japanese star became the first Angels pitcher to record 12 strikeouts against the Dodgers in a single game, per MLB.com.

He surpassed Garrett Richards' record of 11 Ks, which was set back in 2015. It also marked the sixth time in Ohtani’s career that he recorded at least 12 punchouts in a start.

He now has 117 strikeouts in 89 innings pitched this season. Only Spencer Strider and Kevin Gausman have produced more strikeouts than Ohtani. Strider leads the majors with 136 Ks, while Gausman is a close second with 127 punchouts.

Who is the best baseball player of all time? The 10 greatest baseball players ever ranked

Baseball

They don’t hit, though, like Ohtani, who leads MLB in home runs with 24 this season.

He is also tied for the MLB lead in RBIs. He has driven in 58 runs in 74 games for the Angels this season.

Joey Votto homers in return

Sports Brief recently reported on Joey Votto's dream return to the Cincinnati Reds' lineup.

He homered and drove in three runs to lead the Reds to a 5-4 win over the Colorado Rockies on Monday.

It was Votto's first MLB game since August 16, 2022.