Shohei Ohtani homered for his 1,000th career hit and struck out a season-high eight in four innings on the mound, but the St.

Ohtani strikes out eight in four innings on the mound and hits a two-run home run – his 1,000th MLB hit – but the Dodgers’ bullpen struggles in a 5-3 loss.

Facing a 1-1 count, Ohtani timed Cardinals pitcher Kyle Leahy 's 92 mph sinker perfectly, winding his bat up and launching the ball 440 feet toward center field and into the stands to give the Dodgers their first lead of the game, 2-1.

The Dodgers didn’t have the offensive firepower they had on Tuesday night, and combined with sloppy defense late in Wednesday’s game resulted in the Cardinals stealing the rubber match and the series by a final score of 5-3.