Shohei Ohtani homers to lead Dodgers' offensive onslaught in 9-4 win over A's

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer to support Eric Lauer in his conventional return to the starting rotation as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Athletics 9-4 on Monday night.

Max Muncy and Andy Pages also homered and joined Ohtani in a group of eight Dodgers with two hits apiece. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts earned his 999th career victory.

Lauer (4-5) allowed three runs and nine hits in six innings, seven days after pitching six hitless innings of bulk relief and getting the win against Minnesota. The left-hander struck out two and walked one in his sixth appearance for the Dodgers and fifth start since they acquired him from Toronto for cash on May 17.

Kyle Hurt set down all three hitters he faced in the seventh on swinging strikeouts. Jonathan Hernández retired four batters and Jack Dreyer got the final two outs in the ninth.

Colby Thomas homered for the A’s, who have lost seven of nine.

The game was played before a sold-out crowd at the A’s temporary home of Sutter Health Park. Most fans were clad in blue and white and repeatedly cheered loudly for the MLB-leading Dodgers (55-30).

Ohtani’s 18th home run this season off reliever Matt Krook in the sixth landed on the grass hill behind the bullpens and drew the loudest applause.

Muncy hit his 17th home run off A’s starter Gage Jump in the fourth. Miguel Rojas followed with a double before Pages hit his 16th homer three batters later to make it 5-3.

The A’s led 3-2 in the second following Thomas’ home run and three consecutive singles, including Joshua Kuroda-Grauer’s first career hit. Kuroda-Grauer later singled and doubled to finish with three hits.

Jump (3-2) allowed five runs and 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Dodgers LHP Justin Wrobleski (9-2, 2.71 ERA) faces A’s LHP Jeffrey Springs (3-7, 5.52) on Tuesday.

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Athletics pitcher Gage Jump throws to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the second inning of a baseball game Monday, June 29, 2026, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts interviews with media before a baseball game against the Athletics, Monday, June 29, 2026, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Eric Lauer throws to the Athletics during the first inning of a baseball game Monday, June 29, 2026, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani watches after hitting a three-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Athletics Monday, June 29, 2026, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, right, watches his three-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Monday, June 29, 2026, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)

LONDON (AP) — Self-flying fighter jets, uncrewed submarines and drones will be at the center of Britain’s future military under a defense plan being announced Tuesday that reflects a world of conflicts transformed by technology.

The Defense Investment Plan has been repeatedly delayed as military leaders and Treasury officials wrangled over the cost of equipping the U.K. military for an increasingly dangerous world. Like other NATO countries, the U.K. is under pressure to increase defense spending to counter a more aggressive Russia and less reliable United States.

John Healey resigned as defense secretary on June 11, accusing the government of being unwilling to spend enough on the military at a time of “rising threats.”

Healey argued that U.K. defense spending must reach 3% of GDP by 2030, citing a British intelligence assessment that Russia could attack a NATO member country by then. He said that the plan put forward by the Treasury would see spending rise to just 2.68% in 2030, after hitting 2.6% next year.

The government says the spending plan has been “refocused” in the past few weeks under Healey’s successor, Defense Secretary Dan Jarvis. That includes a bit more money than the 13.5 billion pounds ($18 billion) Healey was offered, but likely far less than the 28 billion pounds ($37 billion) that defense officials called for.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the plan will ensure “our servicemen and women have the cutting-edge capabilities they need to deter evolving threats and keep the British people safe.” The full document is due to be published later Tuesday.

The plan is a road map for how the U.K. will increase military spending to NATO’s target of 3.5% of GDP by 2035. The U.K. military is seeking to reverse years of decline in the face of an increasingly assertive Russia, which invaded its neighbor Ukraine in 2022 and increasingly tests the defenses of European nations with overt and covert activity.

The U.K. has watched how drones have transformed war in Ukraine, which uses 200,000 of them a month to defend against Russian forces. Britain plans to invest billions in drone systems across all branches of the military. Instead of a planned fleet of new destroyers, the Royal Navy will get hybrid vessels that will act as command hubs for drones.

Britain and other NATO member nations have faced pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to increase military spending. Trump has long questioned the value of the military alliance and complained that the United States provides security to European countries that don’t pull their weight.

The resignations of Healey and junior Defense Minister Al Carns were among a series of blows that prompted Starmer to announce last week that he will resign. He is likely to attend a NATO summit in Turkey on July 7 and 8 in one of his last acts as prime minister.

His successor, likely the former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, will be under pressure to stick to the commitments in the defense plan.

Opposition Conservative Party defense spokesperson James Cartlidge said the plan was “too little, too late.”

“The plan is now almost a year overdue and only being rushed through because Keir Starmer is desperate for a legacy,” he said.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomes NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to 10 Downing Street in London, Monday, June 29, 2026.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, Pool)

Britain's Secretary of State for Defence Dan Jarvis arrives for a cabinet meeting hosted by Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Downing Street in London, Tuesday, June 23, 2026.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)