Los Angeles Dodgers two way player Shohei Ohtani is pumped after striking out Rafael Devers (left) in the top of the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Wed May 13, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

After winning the first two games of the series, the San Francisco Giants (18-25) were gunning for a third win over the Los Angeles Dodgers (25-18). They first had to get past Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani only allowed four hits in the game with eight strikeouts going seven innings. The 4-0 loss had so much to do with Ohtani’s work on the mound.

As this game got underway San Francisco left two runners, Heliot Ramos and Rafael Devers stranded on base moving to the bottom of the first inning. The Dodgers Freddie Freeman had a single in the inning but that would be all for Los Angeles.

Game recap: The game remained scoreless after two innings. San Francisco went three and out. The Dodgers Kyle Tucker hit a double but was left stranded going into the third inning. So far there were not a lot of fireworks going on for either team going into the third inning.

Los Angeles pitcher Ohtani walked Luis Arraez but that would be all he would give up in the third With the game scoreless the bottom of the Dodger lineup Santiago Espinal came to the plate and hit his first home run of the season giving Los Angeles their first run of the game.

Mookie Betts followed Espinal and followed suit hitting another home run and the Dodgers had a 2-0 lead with only one out. Robbie Ray got out of the inning without further damage.

Ohtani had his best inning of the game so far striking out Devers, Bryce Eldridge and Willy Adames in the fourth inning. The Dodgers really got going offensively in the bottom of the inning. Tucker doubled and came home when Teoscar Hernandez singled pushing the score out to 3-0.

Miguel Rojas singled followed by an Alex Call sacrifice that brought Hernandez home for a 4-0 lead. The Giants would finally get out of a very long and productive Dodger inning. They had some work to do but it was still early in the game. So far the Giants only had one hit through four innings, a dramatic difference to the seven hits for the Dodgers through four.

Ohtani had his fourth strikeout in a row to start the top of the fifth inning. He finished the inning with seven strikeouts through five innings. With two runners on base and one out the San Francisco bullpen became acttive.

There would be a change on the mound for San Francisco with two outs. Ray was relieved by Joel Peguero. Ray went 4 2/3 innings allowing seven hits, four runs, two walks and two strikeouts. Peguero closed out the inning.

Ohtani went to work in the top of the sixth inning with his eighth strikeout. Luis Arraez had a single for the Giants, the only hit in the inning for San Francisco. Peguero closed out the bottom of the sixth inning. It would be up to the Giants offense to get something going with only three innings left in the game. Right now it was all about what Ohtani had done tonight on the mound.

San Francisco hit a couple of singles in top of the seventh but no runs. Tristan Beck relieved Peguero in the bottom of the seventh inning going three and out and this game went into the top of the eighth inning.

The Giants got their fifth hit of the game but no runs still trailing 4-0. San Francisco was down to their final three outs. Los Angeles had two runners on base in the bottom of the eighth but left them stranded. They had nine hits for the evening.

Kyle Hurt took the mound to close out this game for the Dodgers. The Giants got the top of the ninth inning started with a Rafael Devers double. Giants Rookie Bryce Eldridge struck out for the first out. Willy Adames grounded out for the second and Matt Chapman was the third out. The Dodgers had snapped their four game losing streak.

Game notes: The Giants are on a roll The Giants could not have asked for a better start to the series with their arch-rivals, the Dodgers (25-18). They won game one handily 9-3 and game two 6-2. Whatever the Giants were recently struggling they dropped game 3 of this four game set 4-0 on Wednesday.

Up to Monday and Tuesday this had been an excellent series for San Francisco and on Wednesday night the Giants would have liked to have added another win to their tally in the series but in a four game series to win them all.

Game four in this series will be another night game at Dodger Stadium. San Francisco with a win in this game will take the series for a second series win this season. Landon Roupp will take the mound for the Giants. He has a 5-3 win/loss record and a 3.09 ERA. The Dodgers will start Emmet Sheehan with a 2-1 win/loss record and a 4.79 ERA. First pitch for game four is scheduled for 7:10 PM.