WASHINGTON (AP) — James Wood smashed a two-run home run in the seventh frame, aiding the Washington Nationals in holding 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 with 3 hits out of 4 at-bats and 2 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. Keibert Ruiz continued the rally with an RBI double against Matt Sauer.
Mookie Betts and Will Smith both contributed with run-scoring singles for Los Angeles in the eighth inning, narrowing the gap to 6-4. However, Kyle Finnegan secured five outs to earn his fourth save of the season.
In the ninth inning 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 with a powerful swing of a 2-0 fastball from Gore, sending it out of the right-field fence for a two-run home run in the third inning, 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 inning with two outs, Ohtani hit his first triple of the season, which bounced off the right-center field wall, just beyond the reach of center fielder Dylan Crews' glove.
Gore conceded two runs and five hits. He fanned seven batters and issued one walk, with 58 of his 100 pitches landing as strikes.
Dustin May, the starting pitcher for the Dodgers who has a record of 0-1, conceded three runs – with only one being unearned – along with giving up three hits over six innings. He issued three walks, recorded one strikeout, and ended the game by retiring the last 11 hitters he faced.
Key moment
Batting at the top of the order for the first time this season, Wood came through with the game’s most impactful hit as he launched a slider 395 feet over the center field fence for his second home run of the year.
Key stat
Gore fanned seven batters in the initial four innings and boasts 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 as he steps in for the injured star Blake Snell. Meanwhile, Washington sends rookie right-hander Brad Lord (with a record of 0-0 and an ERA of 4.50) out for his very first Major League start.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Byron Kerr, from The Associated Press
