Ohtani hits 39th homer and Kershaw pitches Dodgers to 2-1 win over slumping Cardinals

Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit his National League-leading 39th home run and Clayton Kershaw tossed six shutout innings to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Miguel Rojas and Gavin Lux had three hits apiece as the NL West leaders won for the seventh time in 10 games. Lars Nootbaar provided a pinch-hit homer in the eighth for the Cardinals, who have lost six of seven. Ohtani drilled a first-pitch offering from Sonny Gray over the wall in the fifth to break a scoreless tie. Rojas added a run-scoring single later in the inning. Kershaw allowed four hits and struck out two. The three-time Cy Young Award winner made his fifth major league start since undergoing shoulder surgery in November.