Blake Snell Dominates, Shohei Ohtani Homers as Dodgers Shut Out Phillies 5-0 on September 17, 2025

Thursday, September 18th, 2025

Dodgers Shut Out Phillies 5-0 to Avoid Sweep in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Dodgers delivered a commanding performance with a 5-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium, snapping a two-game losing streak and avoiding a three-game sweep.

Blake Snell Dominates on the Mound

Dodgers ace Blake Snell was exceptional, striking out a season-high 12 batters across seven dominant innings. Snell allowed only two hits—both coming back-to-back with two outs in the third inning to Bryson Stott and Harrison Bader. He also worked out of a tense moment in the seventh, issuing consecutive two-out walks that brought the tying run to the plate. After a mound visit by manager Dave Roberts, Snell struck out rookie Otto Kemp to end the threat, firing a season-high 112 pitches, 69 of them for strikes. The win marked Snell's first career victory over the Phillies, improving his record to 5-4 for the season.

Ohtani and Freeman Provide Offensive Firepower

Shohei Ohtani continued his remarkable season by hitting his 51st home run, reinforcing his status as one of MLB’s premier sluggers. Freddie Freeman also went deep, slugging a solo home run to lead off the second inning. Ben Rortvedt added an RBI single, while Andy Pages walked, stole second, advanced to third on a pickoff error, and scored on Kiké Hernández's two-strike, two-out RBI single in the fourth inning.

Jesús Luzardo Falters for Philadelphia

Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo absorbed the loss, moving to 14-7 on the year. He pitched seven innings, allowing four runs on four hits while striking out six across 106 pitches. Notably, Luzardo gave up home runs to two left-handed batters—Freeman and Ohtani—marking the first time he’s allowed homers to lefties this season.

Key Moment

The Phillies, who had clubbed six home runs in the series’ first two games, saw their offense stymied as Kyle Schwarber (second in the NL with 53 homers) and Bryce Harper combined to go 0-for-7, with Schwarber striking out three times. The Dodgers pitching staff kept Philadelphia’s powerful lineup in check throughout the night.

Key Stats

Shohei Ohtani extended his on-base streak to 22 games, the longest in the majors this season. Teammate Mookie Betts held the mark until going 0-for-4 in this matchup. The Dodgers capitalized on the rare opportunity, as Luzardo had not given up a home run to a left-handed hitter all season before Freeman and Ohtani both took him deep.

Up Next

The Phillies now head to Arizona for a Friday matchup against the Diamondbacks, with their starter yet to be announced. Arizona will start right-hander Ryne Nelson (7-3, 3.34 ERA). The Dodgers will host the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto (11-8, 2.66 ERA) taking the mound against Logan Webb (14-10, 3.34 ERA).

In summary

The Los Angeles Dodgers bounced back in commanding fashion, blanking the Philadelphia Phillies 5-0 behind a dominant start from Blake Snell and home runs by Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman. The Dodgers' pitching staff silenced a potent Phillies lineup, preventing a series sweep and keeping their momentum alive as the regular season winds down. Ohtani's on-base streak and Snell's strikeout performance stood out as key highlights in a crucial late-season contest with playoff implications.

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