WASHINGTON (AP) — James Wood smashed a two-run home run in the seventh frame, aiding the Washington Nationals as they held off Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers with a score of 6-4 on Monday evening, securing their third consecutive win.
Ohtani hit a home run, tripled, had a single, and drew a walk, ending the game 3 for 4 with two RBIs.
MacKenzie Gore (1-1) threw six strong innings for the Nationals, and Wood’s hit off reliever Anthony Banda extended their lead to 5-2. Following up was Keibert Ruiz who delivered an RBI double against Matt Sauer.
Mookie Betts and Will Smith both contributed run-scoring singles for Los Angeles in the eighth inning, narrowing the gap to 6-4. However, Kyle Finnegan secured five outs for his fourth save of the season.
In the bottom of the ninth, with two teammates on base, Finnegan ended the game by striking out Betts on a groundout.
Despite beginning with an 8-0 record, the Dodgers have now lost three out of their last four games.
Ohtani equalized the score at 2 in the third inning when he hit a 2-0 fastball from Gore over the right-field wall for a two-run home run, marking his fourth homer in 12 games.
Nathaniel Lowe provided Washington with a 3-2 advantage thanks to an RBI hit in the lower portion of the inning.
In the bottom of the fifth with two outs, Ohtani hit his first triple of the season, which bounced off the wall in right-center field, landing just beyond the reach of Dylan Crews in center field.
Gore conceded two runs and five hits. He fanned seven batters and issued one walk, with 58 of his 100 pitches landing as strikes.
The Dodgers' starting pitcher, Dustin May (0-1), conceded three runs – with one being earned – along with three hits over six innings. He issued three walks, recorded one strikeout, and proceeded to retire the last 11 hitters he faced.
Key moment
Making his debut at the top of the batting order this season, Wood came through with the most impactful hit of the game as he launched a slider 395 feet over the center-field fence for his second home run of the year.
Key stat
Gore recorded seven strikeouts in the initial four innings and has accumulated 25 strikeouts across his first three starts.
Up next
On Tuesday evening, Dodgers' left-handed pitcher Justin Wrobleski will make his inaugural appearance of the season, stepping in for the injured star Blake Snell. Meanwhile, Washington will see their rookie right-hander Brad Lord (with a record of 0-0 and an ERA of 4.50) take the mound for his very first Major League start.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Byron Kerr, The Canadian Press
