Shohei Ohtani's solo home run was the difference as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0 at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night.
Ohtani drove a pitch from Rays starter Drew Rasmussen over the center field wall in the sixth inning for his 15th home run of the season, providing the only run of the contest.
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The offensive support backed an efficient start from Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski, who allowed three hits and no walks while striking out five over six scoreless innings.
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Wrobleski threw just 67 pitches, forcing 10 groundouts on 16 batted balls despite entering the game with a 38.3 percent groundball rate this season.
The Rays threatened in the fourth inning when Alex Slater singled and stole second base, but Wrobleski retired the next three batters to strand the runner in scoring position.
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Rasmussen took the loss after pitching seven innings, allowing six hits and one run while striking out seven without issuing a walk.
The Dodgers bullpen preserved the shutout as Will Klein escaped a walk in the seventh, followed by perfect innings from Kyle Hurt in the eighth and Tanner Scott in the ninth.
The game concluded in one hour and 52 minutes, the fastest nine-inning game for the Dodgers since October 4, 1992.
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The three-game series wraps up Wednesday with a day game featuring Ohtani on the mound against Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan, while Tommy Edman is expected to make his season debut.
