Shohei Ohtani’s two home runs proved decisive as the Royals dropped the series to the Dodgers.

In a Sunday matchup at Dodger Stadium, the Kansas City Royals aimed to salvage a win against the Los Angeles Dodgers and avoid yet another series loss. However, their efforts fell short as the Dodgers clinched a 3-0 victory in a dominant all-around display.

Much like usual, Shohei Ohtani was the standout performer for Los Angeles, hitting two home runs off Brady Singer, one in the 3rd inning and another in the 6th inning.

The Dodgers’ pitching staff also played a crucial role in their victory, holding the Royals to just three hits and no runs. Tyler Glasnow led the charge, pitching 7.0 innings with nine strikeouts and no runs allowed. Dan Hudson and Evan Phillips provided strong relief, each pitching a scoreless inning to secure the win.

Despite a solid start from Singer, who pitched 6 innings and allowed three runs, the Royals’ offense struggled to create scoring opportunities. They managed just three hits in the game and failed to mount any significant threats against the Dodgers’ pitching.

The game was not without its share of drama, as Royals reliever Dan Altavilla hit Mookie Betts with a pitch in the 7th inning, resulting in a hand injury that forced Betts to exit the game.

“It’s not surprising to me that we competed really well, but come Tuesday night I’m not going to feel any different that, ‘Oh, now we got any easy stretch of games.’ That’s just not the way this works,” said Matt Quatraro in a postgame interview with Bally Sports Kansas City, reflecting on the Royals’ competitive, but faltering performance this week.

With this loss, the Royals will need to regroup quickly as they prepare to face the Athletics in a three-game series starting Tuesday at 8:40 p.m. CT.