The superstars went yard, Dustin May looked outstanding, and the Dodgers did what they were supposed to do, beating the Colorado Rockies 5-3 at home. The game certainly didn’t feel as close as that for much of it, but the bullpen decided to make things interesting late, although no harm was ultimately done.

Focusing on the Dodgers’ starter, results hadn’t been a problem for May, who pitched well in his first two starts, but this third one was definitely on another level. The right-hander looked in complete control from the first to his last pitch. Other than an error from Max Muncy, May cruised through the first five frames, retiring 15 of the first 17 hitters he faced.

Kyle Farmer continued the run of former Dodgers doing damage against Los Angeles as his softly hit but well-placed RBI double put the Rockies on the board in the sixth. Still, May navigated that inning rather smoothly and finished six frames with plenty of gas left in the tank, needing only 76 pitches to do so.

Another aspect that certainly helped May pitch more confidently was the fact that he got a lead almost immediately after the start of the game. Shohei Ohtani got things going in the first with a single, and this was followed by a Mookie Betts home run, his fourth of the year, all of them coming at Dodger Stadium.

Speaking of home runs, Ohtani wasn’t having any of Betts tying his season total, and a few innings later, the reigning NL MVP also got on the board, taking Antonio Senzatela deep. Hitting leadoff and with the bottom of the order not doing well as of late, Ohtani has grown accustomed to the solo shot, with four of his five bombs coming with no one on base.

Ohtani had a chance for an even more special night, but two of his final three at-bats ended up with fly balls caught at the warning track. The Dodgers’ designated hitter finished his evening 3 for 5 with a home run, scoring all three times he reached base.

Anthony Banda kept the Rockies in it, allowing a two-run homer in the seventh, but then Dave Roberts called on the cavalry. Kirby Yates and Tanner Scott both allowed the tying run to reach base in messy innings, but they ultimately got the job done, keeping the Rockies off the board.

On a less positive note, one may point to a couple of issues that continue to linger and may hurt Los Angeles against superior opposition. Nine of the Dodgers’ 10 hits in the evening came from the top four in the order. Hitters fifth through ninth combined 1 for 13, contributing zero runs and RBI. At least Michael Conforto and Max Muncy each had a couple of walks, but with everyone around them struggling, they were stranded.

Monday particulars

Home runs: Mookie Betts (4), Shohei Ohtani (5); Hunter Goodman (3)

WP — Dustin May (1-1): 6 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 7 strikeouts

LP — Antonio Senzatels (0-3): 4⅓ IP, 9 hits, 4 runs, 1 walks, 2 strikeouts

Sv — Tanner Scott (5): 1 IP, 2 hits, 1 strikeout

Up next

After a pretty disastrous start in Washington, Landon Knack will look to settle in against the struggling offense of the Rockies on Tuesday night (7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA). Ryan Feltner starts for Colorado.