AROUND THE HORN

Dodgers:

Freddie Freeman homered and drove in three runs ahead of what’s sure to be an emotional weekend, leading Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers over the Reds 10-5 on Thursday in Cincinnati for a sweep of the season series. Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy, Will Smith and Justin Turner also homered for the NL West-leading Dodgers, who outscored the Reds 52-18 in winning all seven games against them this year. The Dodgers now travel to Atlanta, where Freeman was the longtime face of the franchise and helped the Braves win the World Series last year. He then became a free agent and signed a six-year, $162 million deal with the Dodgers — at 32, the All-Star first baseman is hitting .303 with eight home runs and 45 RBIs. The Reds have lost seven straight and is an NL worst 23-46. Kershaw (5-1) allowed one run and seven hits in six innings. He struck out seven, leaving after 80 pitches and lowering his ERA to an even 2.00.

Braves: Dansby Swanson hit two HRs and the Braves built a big lead early before holding off the Giants 7-6 for their 18th win in 21 games this month. Swanson, who homered to begin a threerun rally in the ninth for a 4-3 win over the Giants a night earlier, had three hits and drove in three runs. He hit a leadoff HR in the first and connected again in the fourth. It was Swanson’s seventh career multihomer game. The defending World Series champion Braves have won 10 of their last 11 home games, outscoring the opposition 60-33 and hitting 24 HRs to opponents’ 10. Braves starter Kyle Wright (8-4) allowed 10 hits and four runs in 5 innings.

Marlins: Avisaíl García drove in the go-ahead run on a fielder’s-choice grounder in the eighth, and the Marlins beat the visiting Rockies 3-2 to complete a three-game sweep. Four relievers combined to throw 4 scoreless innings for the Marlins.

Orioles: Austin Hays became the sixth player in Orioles history to hit for the cycle, an accomplishment he completed in the midst of a persistent rain shower. Facing Nationals LHP Patrick Corbin on Wednesday night in Baltimore, Hays got an infield single in the first, hit a solo HR in the third and tripled in the fourth. That seemingly left the 26-yearold outfielder plenty of time to tack on the double that would make him the sixth player in Orioles history to hit for the cycle. But a heavy rain stopped play for 44 minutes in the fifth after the game became official with the Orioles up 3-0. It was raining again in the sixth, when Hays cracked a double to center off Steve Cishek to complete the cycle. The rain intensified and the game was called before the seventh, handing the Orioles a 7-0 victory.

Angels: Shohei Ohtani struck out a career-high 13 over eight innings of two-hit ball, and the AL MVP also reached base three times in the Angels’ 5-0 win over the host Royals on Wednesday night. After giving up two singles to start the first, Ohtani retired 16 straight Royals and 23 of the final 24 batters he faced, allowing just one baserunner over his final seven innings on a walk that was quickly erased by a double play. Ohtani also had a single and two walks at the plate in his latest electrifying two-way performance.