September 17 – Freddie Freeman’s three-run homer sets the stage for a six-run seventh-inning rally that lifts the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers over the Atlanta Braves 9–0 on Monday.
Los Angeles (89-61) won the season series by beating the Warriors 5-2, splitting the four-game series. Atlanta (81-69) trails the New York Mets by one game in the final National League wild-card race.
Similar to Sunday’s game, in which Los Angeles scored seven runs in the ninth inning to win 9-2, the Dodgers scored three runs in the seventh inning against reliever Dez Bel Hernandez and three more against Aaron Boomer in Monday’s game.
In the big frame, Hernandez struck out with the bases loaded before Boomer took over. Shohei Ohtani struck out second baseman Whit Merrifield, whose pitch failed to retire Rojas in time. A sacrifice fly from Mookie Betts extended the lead to 5-0, and Teoscar Hernandez’s single added another run.
Freeman then hit a 3–1 home run to deep left, his 22nd home run of the year.
Los Angeles’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto had another strong start in his return after missing nearly three months with a rotator cuff strain. He pitched four scoreless innings, allowing four hits, walking two and striking out three. Yamamoto has not allowed any runs in two starts (eight innings) since coming off the injured list.
Yamamoto spent the entire outing avoiding trouble. He stranded a runner on first, second and third in the fourth inning, and was bailed out in the third inning when second baseman Enrique Hernandez hit Hall H. Soler’s double to center pitch, and the speedy Michael Harris II was thrown out at home plate by second baseman Enrique Hernandez.
The winning pitcher was Evan Phillips (4-1), who pitched a perfect fifth inning. The Dodgers’ Blake Treinen (sixth inning), Daniel Hudson (seventh inning) and Brent Honeywell (eighth and ninth) also got no hits.
This is the 13th time this year that Los Angeles has been placed under lockdown, and the 11th time Atlanta has been placed under lockdown.
Braves starter Max Fried (9-10) went six innings, giving up three runs on two hits, striking out seven and allowing three walks.
The Dodgers scored a run in the third inning. Rojas walked, moved to second on a grounder, stole second and scored on a wild pitch.
Los Angeles added two runs in the fifth inning. Tommy Edman had a ground-rule double and Rojas had a single, scoring on Ohtani’s infield grounder.
–Visual-level media
