Shohei Ohtani's third home run of the season, Dalton Rushing hits two homers in a single game, Dodgers return to Toronto with explosive offense for a big win.

The early part of the baseball season is the period most prone to the small-sample fallacy. During their initial six-game homestand, the Dodgers managed only 23 runs, sparking worries about their offensive form. Yet, over just a weekend series in Washington, their batting lineup rapidly warmed up. Since the Dodgers headed north across the border for the first time after securing two consecutive titles last November, hits have kept pouring in.

Dalton Rushing led the Dodgers' offensive charge, as they routed the Blue Jays 14-2 today at Rogers Centre in the opening game of this week's World Series rematch series. Rushing reached base in all five plate appearances, hitting two home runs in his first career game with four hits.

Teoscar Hernández, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani also homered in succession during the series-opening blowout victory.

The Dodgers have scored 45 runs in their first four games of the season's inaugural road trip (the highest tally since 1900 when the Phillies and Reds each scored 49), calming earlier offensive anxieties. Overall, they were expected to produce a productive series against the Nationals, given that the Nationals finished last in five of the past six seasons. The Blue Jays' pitching depth has been hit, but they are still anticipated to pose a stronger challenge to Los Angeles in the three-game set.

Rushing started today because the Dodgers wanted Will Smith to catch for Yoshinobu Yamamoto tomorrow and Shohei Ohtani the following day, while giving Rushing a game in the series against the Blue Jays. This provided the 25-year-old a rare opportunity to start consecutively for two days, and he seized the moment, also hitting his first home run of the season yesterday in the 8-6 comeback win at Nationals Park.

When Rushing made his MLB debut on May 15 last season, he was ranked as the Dodgers' top prospect by MLB Pipeline. Despite excelling at every minor league level, he struggled with limited playing time behind Smith, posting a .204/.258/.324 slash line over 53 games.

Rushing appeared in only three of the Dodgers' first 10 games, so he didn't get many opportunities early in the season. However, he adjusted his swing preparation during the offseason to more easily find his usual rhythm when not batting daily, and it has paid off early in the season.