JUST IN: Dodgers key man return with huge deal to beat their revival

Mookie Betts homered in his return from the injured list, while Shohei Ohtani claimed the National League home run lead, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers secure a 5-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in the first game of a four-game series on Monday. Clayton Kershaw, making his fourth start since returning from offseason shoulder surgery, gave up three hits before being relieved in the sixth inning with two outs and a runner on base. Joe Kelly, who replaced Kershaw, allowed a two-run homer to William Contreras, his 14th of the season, narrowing the gap to 4-2. Kelly then allowed back-to-back singles but struck out Rhys Hoskins to escape further trouble. Kershaw finished with one run allowed over 5 2/3 innings, striking out six and walking two on 83 pitches. Alex Vesia and Michael Kopech each contributed a scoreless inning of relief, while Daniel Hudson closed with a perfect ninth inning for his ninth save of the season.

Freddy Peralta, who took the loss for Milwaukee, gave up both Dodgers’ home runs, allowing four runs on five hits across six innings, striking out four and walking two. Ohtani and Betts added to the Dodgers’ lead in the seventh, with Ohtani walking, stealing his 33rd base of the year, and Betts following with an RBI single. The Dodgers, now on a four-game winning streak, lead the NL West by 3 1/2 games over the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres. Milwaukee, leading the NL Central, remained 7 1/2 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals, who lost to the Cincinnati Reds earlier in the day. Betts, playing for the first time since June 16 due to a fractured left hand, struck out in his first at-bat but hit his 11th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the third inning to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. Kevin Kiermaier singled in the fifth, followed by Ohtani’s 36th home run, a 424-foot shot to left-center off a 3-0 fastball. The Braves’ Marcell Ozuna also entered Monday with 35 home runs, while Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees leads the majors with 42. The Brewers threatened in the fifth with runners on first and second and one out, but Kershaw got Sal Frelick to fly out and struck out Joey Ortiz to end the inning.