Shohei Ohtani snaps slump as Dodgers take heavyweight series from Cubs

**What it means**

For starters, that there was once again a postgame toast in the Dodgers’ clubhouse to celebrate a series win — their first since sweeping the Mets during their previous homestand. Before these last two games, the Dodgers had lost five of seven, failing to win either series during their recent road trip to Denver and San Francisco. For the first time, there were fears they might enter their first true skid of the season, especially in the wake of Edwin Díaz’s injury. Two days later, so much for all that. The Dodgers are now one win behind the Braves for most in the majors. They are also 11-4 on their home field, having won four of the five series they’ve played at Chavez Ravine this year.

**Who’s hot**

For the first time in a little while, Ohtani. Entering Sunday, the two-way star was 1-for-his-last-15, had gone six games without an extra-base hit and was mired in a two-week home run drought –– his longest since joining the Dodgers three years ago. Then, he turned in one of his best offensive games of the season, going 3-for-3 with a walk, a double and his solo home run in the seventh. It will take more such performances for the four-time MVP to get back to his typically atmospheric standards. Even after Sunday, he is batting .262 with an .876 OPS. However, once Ohtani finds his swing, it usually doesn’t take long for him to heat up. The last couple weeks, the Dodgers have been waiting for it. Sunday, they will hope, is a sign that plenty more is soon to come.

**Who’s not**

Now that Ohtani has turned a corner, the Dodgers will count on their other superstar sluggers to do the same. So far, it hasn’t happened for Freddie Freeman. Freeman went 0-for-4 Sunday and is now 4-for-23 in his last six games. The last four of those contests have been with Freeman batting second –– continuing the Dodgers’ season-long production problems from that spot in the lineup (which was previously occupied by Kyle Tucker, who has three doubles in four games since dropping down to the middle of the order).

**Up next**

The Dodgers open a three-game set against the Marlins on Monday night, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-2, 2.48 ERA) facing Chris Paddack (0-4, 6.38 ERA). Ohtani will also start as a pitcher in the series on Tuesday — notable, because the Dodgers decided against pushing his outing back to Wednesday so he could pitch ahead of Thursday’s off day.