Eyeing Triple Crown, Ohtani closes on batting leader Arráez
DENVER -- Shohei Ohtani had two hits and raised his average to .310 in his bid to overtake batting leader Luis Arráez and become the National League's first Triple Crown winner since 1937, helping the playoff-bound Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 13-2 on Saturday night.
Ohtani went 2-for-5 and closed to within four points of Arráez, who had a night off from the San Diego Padres lineup and is hitting .314 going into the regular season's final day.
Ohtani leads the NL with 54 homers and 130 RBIs. The last NL Triple Crown winner was Joe Medwick of the 1937 St. Louis Cardinals. The last to achieve the feat in the major leagues was Detroit's Miguel Cabrera in 2012.
"It's very unlikely, but I would expect Arráez to play tomorrow," manager Dave Roberts said of Ohtani overtaking Arráez. "We'll see if Shohei can throw out another big day."
In addition, Ohtani stole his 58th base of a season after becoming the first 50/50 player earlier this month.
Teoscar Hernandez and Enrique Hernandez each hit three-run homers for Los Angeles, which had 18 hits and has scored at least 11 runs in consecutive games for the first time since July 21-22 last year at Texas. Teoscar Hernandez has 99 RBIs.
Teoscar Hernandez and Ohtani can reach milestones Sunday.
"Hopefully he can get six hits like in Miami so he can at least compete and battle for the batting title and a Triple Crown," Hernandez said, thinking back to Ohtani's three-homer, 10-RBI game on Sept. 19. "For me, if I get the opportunity I'm going to try my best, not only for the 100 RBIs but for the run for the team."
Yoshinobu Yamamato(7-2) gave up two runs and four hits over five innings while striking out six to earn his first win since beating the Rockies on June 1. Yamamoto was making his fourth start after sitting out three months because of a strained rotator cuff.
The Dodgers (97-64) clinched the majors' best record and home-field advantage throughout the postseason when thePhiladelphia Phillies lost at the Washington Nationalsearlier Saturday.
"That was important for us, and that's why we played hard," Hernandez said.
Ohtani singled in the first, grounded out in the second, walked and scored in the fifth and singled in the sixth. He flied out in the seventh and grounded out in the ninth.
Enrique Hernandez, who finished with three hits, hit a 430-foot homer to center in the second inning off Antonio Senzatela (0-1) for a 4-1 lead. Teoscar Hernandez's career-high 33rd homer in the fifth made it 8-2.
Ezequiel Tovar hit his team-leading 26th home run for Colorado (61-100), which reached the century mark in losses for the second straight season.
"It is bothersome, whether it's loss No. 1, loss No. 50, you don't like them," manager Bud Black said. "You've got to look at perspective, where we are with our team and where we're going. That's the bigger picture throughout all this."
Charlie Blackmon, who will retire Sunday after 14 years in the majors, all with the Rockies, was 1-for-4 and scored a run.
