Bottom of lineup sparks Dodgers to victory over A’s

LOS ANGELES Even a lineup with some of the top players of a generation could use a little assistance now and then.The Dodgers turned to Hyeseong Kim for a home run on Wednesday and Miguel Rojas for a pinch-hit RBI double as the No.

9 spot delivered in a 9-3 victory over the visiting Athletics.Shohei Ohtani hit his own home run and Andy Pages and Max Muncy also went deep, but it was the last spot in the order that was a difference-maker Wednesday, with more help for the big bats on the way.Top prospect Dalton Rushing is expected to make his major league debut in Thursdays series finale after the catcher was called up for the first time Wednesday.The Dodgers are showing no mercy when it comes to making one of the best lineups even better.

The stars were able to turn it on during last Octobers run to a World Series championship and the same group helped get the club off to an 8-0 start this season.But as a 20-15 record since then has shown, any and all help is welcome for MVP winners like Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.After Kim hit his first career home run, just over the right-field wall, to tie the score at 3-3 in the fifth inning, Manager Dave Roberts chose to pinch-hit for his rookie one inning later against As left-hander Hogan Harris.

Rojas made good with the assignment, lashing a two-out double to right-center to score Michael Conforto from first base for the 4-3 lead.The rally made a winner out of right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (5-3), whose three runs allowed took his 1.80 ERA to 2.12.

Yamamoto gave up four hits in six innings with two walks and six strikeouts.After an 11-1 loss to the As on Tuesday, when the lone run was scored on a Mookie Betts ground ball that was booted for an error, Ohtani got things started early with a leadoff home run for a 1-0 lead.

It was the 15th leadoff home run of Ohtanis career and his 13th overall this season.Pages made it 2-0 in the second inning with a home run to left, his seventh.The As jumped in front when Tyler Soderstrom hit a two-run home run in the third inning to tie it and Miguel Andujar added an RBI double in the fourth for a 3-2 lead.Kim pulled his home run to right-center in the fifth inning in the rookies first home start.

Rojas proved he is more than just a defensive replacement with his RBI double for the lead.Left-hander Alex Vesia and right-hander Kirby Yates each delivered a scoreless inning with a strikeout each to get the Dodgers before they added four insurance runs.

Betts had a two-run double in the eighth and Muncys two-run home run came three batters later.Ben Casparius finished off the victory with a scoreless ninth inning.More to come on this story.Related ArticlesDodgers designate Austin Barnes for assignment, call up Dalton RushingJacob Wilson makes himself at home as As crush DodgersDodgers Clayton Kershaw to make 2025 debut Saturday; Roki Sasaki to ILDodgers Freddie Freeman sees 3,000 career hits as not unrealisticDodgers end road trip with win in Arizona behind Tony Gonsolin.

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