Ohtani and Freeman Homer as Dodgers Defeat Twins 2-1

Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman powered the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night at Target Field in Minneapolis. Ohtani struck immediately, launching a leadoff home run on the second pitch of the game—an 87 mph changeup from Twins starter Zebby Matthews that left his bat at 112.8 mph and traveled 414 feet into the right-field plaza. Freeman broke a sixth-inning tie with a solo shot, his 13th of the season, to secure the win and snap a two-game losing streak for the Dodgers, their first consecutive losses since May 11-12.

Ohtani's performance marked his sixth leadoff home run of 2026 and his seventh in 17 games during June. The Japanese star improved to 4 home runs and 10 RBIs in 13 career games at Target Field. He finished 1-for-4 in the contest and remained the overall vote leader in MLB All-Star Game balloting with 2,310,735 votes as a designated hitter for the National League ahead of the Midsummer Classic on July 14 at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park.

Byron Buxton answered in the bottom of the first with his 25th home run of the season, tying Houston's Yordan Alvarez for the American League lead and trailing Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber, who leads the majors. The Twins struggled offensively thereafter, managing only two hits after Royce Lewis' two-out single in the first inning until Austin Martin's leadoff single in the eighth.

Dodgers pitcher Eric Lauer (3-5) delivered an exceptional performance from the bullpen, allowing no hits over six innings while walking three and striking out two, following opener Will Klein. Twins starter Zebby Matthews (3-5) permitted two runs on six hits and two walks over six innings with five strikeouts. Tanner Scott earned his 10th save in 11 chances for Los Angeles.

The Dodgers sustained injuries during the contest: outfielder Kyle Tucker left in the second inning with low back spasms, and catcher Dalton Rushing was pulled in the third inning for concussion evaluation. The teams continue their series on Tuesday, with left-hander Justin Wrobleski (8-2, 2.72 ERA) pitching for the Dodgers against Minnesota's Joe Ryan (5-3, 2.99 ERA).