The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-0 in a classic showing from the back-to-back defending champions.
Things got hairy for the Dodgers in the ninth inning when Tanner Scott allowed a walk and a hit to put runners on first and third with no outs.
He finished with three strikeouts to seal the win, turning up the velocity and getting the job done for LA.
His closer outing was needed for the Dodgers and Scott, who have seen their bullpen take hits in terms of injuries and confidence.
A Dodgers shutout
The Dodgers got a great outing from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who threw seven shutout innings. He allowed just one hit, two walks, and seven punchouts.
Yamamoto got more whiffs than called strikes, which is somewhat rare for the Japanese pitcher.
He had 16 whiffs and just 11 called strikes on 44 total swings. He also had only two hard-hit balls over his seven innings.
It was so impressive how he worked through the lack of command early on.
Then, Brock Stewart allowed the second hit of the game in the eighth inning, but he got the only baserunner, with a punchout and a double play getting him out of more trouble.
LA start slugging
Freddie Freeman, who had been on a big cold streak while dealing with right knee soreness, had one of his best games in a long time, going 3-for-5.
Kyle Tucker drew two walks and came to score a run on his on-base appearance.
The Dodgers’ runs came on a solo home run from Alex Freeland, a two-run blast from Teoscar Hernandez, and a clutch Hunter Feduccia RBI single.
The Dodgers slugged well, with two home runs and a double that put enough pressure on the pitching staff to support them.
These little moments can make the difference for the Dodgers, who have pitching that only needs a few runs.
