WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Interstat) — Shohei Ohtani’s three-run homer in the sixth inning broke open a tie game and powered the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 9-4 victory over the Athletics on Monday night at Sutter Health Park.

Ohtani finished with two hits and four RBIs as the Dodgers collected 17 hits and improved to 55-30, the best record in the National League. The Athletics fell to 40-45 with their fourth loss in five games.

Eric Lauer pitched six innings to earn the win, his fourth of the season against five losses. He allowed three runs on eight hits, struck out three and walked one. Gage Jump took the loss, dropping to 3-2 after giving up five runs on nine hits over 3⅓ innings. The Athletics used five relievers.

The game began quietly. Ohtani grounded out to lead off the first, but Andy Pages singled and later advanced on a groundout before the inning ended on a flyout. The Athletics put two runners on in the bottom of the first but could not score.

The scoring erupted in the second inning. Teoscar Hernández led off with a single off Jump and Kyle Tucker followed with a single, putting runners at first and third. Max Muncy — the Dodgers’ third baseman, not to be confused with the Athletics’ third baseman of the same name — singled to right to score Hernández. After a forceout left runners at the corners, Dalton Rushing singled to right to drive in Tucker, making it 2-0. Ohtani then struck out after a challenge overturned a ball call, and Pages struck out to end the inning.

The Athletics answered immediately in the bottom half. Colby Thomas led off with his third home run of the season, a solo shot to right-center field off Lauer. After a strikeout, Athletics third baseman Max Muncy singled, and Alika Williams singled to put two on. Joshua Kuroda-Grauer then lined a single to right, scoring Muncy and moving Williams to third. Henry Bolte grounded into a forceout that scored Williams, tying the game at 3-3. Shea Langeliers grounded out to end the inning.

The Dodgers regained the lead in the fourth. Max Muncy — the Dodgers’ version — led off with his 17th home run, a solo shot to right-center field. Miguel Rojas followed with a double, and after two outs, Pages launched his 16th homer, a two-run blast to left field that scored Rojas and made it 6-3. That chased Jump from the game. Reliever Kade Morris retired Freddie Freeman to end the inning.

Lauer settled in after the second. He retired 10 of the next 11 batters he faced, allowing only a single in the third and a walk in the sixth. The Athletics managed just two hits over the third through fifth innings and did not score again against him.

The defining moment came in the top of the sixth. Rojas led off with a single off Morris, and Rushing walked. Ohtani then crushed a line-drive home run to right field, his 18th of the season, scoring Rojas and Rushing to extend the lead to 9-3. The Dodgers loaded the bases later in the inning but did not add more runs.

The Athletics threatened in the bottom of the sixth. Williams singled and Kuroda-Grauer singled, putting runners at first and second with one out, but Bolte flied out to end the inning.

Los Angeles tacked on a run in the eighth. Rushing singled, Ohtani singled, and after a popout, Freeman singled to left to score Rushing and make it 9-3. The inning ended on a forceout and a strikeout.

The Athletics scored once in the ninth. With one out, Kuroda-Grauer doubled on a fly ball that second baseman Alex Freeland initially appeared to catch, but a video review upheld the call. Bolte singled to put runners at the corners. After Langeliers struck out, Nick Kurtz walked on a wild pitch by reliever Jack Dreyer that allowed Kuroda-Grauer to score, making it 9-4. Jonah Heim grounded out, and Joey Meneses struck out to end the game.

Kuroda-Grauer led the Athletics with three hits and an RBI. Thomas had two hits, including a home run. Williams also had two hits. For the Dodgers, Rushing and Rojas each had three hits, and Ohtani, Freeman, Muncy and Tucker each had two.

The game lasted 3 hours, 5 minutes before a crowd of 12,394.

The Dodgers have now won three in a row and eight of their last nine. The Athletics have dropped two straight after winning three of four.

The teams meet again Tuesday night in the second game of this three-game series. Los Angeles returns home Thursday to host San Diego, while the Athletics host Miami on Friday.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Dodgers 7, Athletics 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave Los Angeles a 67.50 percent probability to win. The Dodgers were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The combined total of 13 runs went under the over-under line of 9.5.