Yoshinobu Yamamoto spun a gem, Teoscar Hernández provided an early lead and Freddie Freeman delivered a game-winner to help the Los Angeles Dodgers complete a series sweep by edging the Washington Nationals, 2-1.
On a day where offense was at a premium, Hernández took advantage of an elevated changeup from MacKenzie Gore. The home run was Hernández’s sixth of the season, which is tied with Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani for the team lead.
The Dodgers remained ahead 1-0 until the eighth inning, when Freeman went the other way for an RBI single. Freeman was in position to take the at-bat with a runner in scoring position thanks to Betts stealing second base after leading off with a walk.
Betts is up to six stolen bases in April, his most in a single calendar month since swiping that many in October 2021.
Although the Dodgers lineup failed to capitalize on multiple opportunities, Yamamoto did his part to keep the Nationals off the scoreboard. He tied a career high with six innings pitched and was backed by Alex Vesia, Daniel Hudson and Evan Phillips.
Yamamoto avoided potential injury by catching a line-drive comebacker that appeared headed for his upper chest/neck area.
Dodgers road trip
Next for the Dodgers on their road trip is a weekend matchup with Justin Turner and the Toronto Blue Jays. The Dodgers then will face the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field for the first time since the 2023 National League Division Series.
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