LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers battled to generate offense against Chris Sale and secured a 3-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Friday night’s series opener at Dodger Stadium, a clash between perennial National League powerhouses.
Los Angeles managed only five hits in seven innings against Sale but made them count. Teoscar Hernández singled in the second inning, and Kyle Tucker followed with a double to drive him home. In the fifth, Miguel Rojas reached base on an error, and with two outs, Shohei Ohtani singled him home to give the Dodgers their first lead of the night.
Freddie Freeman, using a more closed batting stance, added insurance with a solo home run in the sixth inning, his third consecutive game with an extra-base hit and his fourth in the last five. It was Freeman’s first homer since April 6, ending a streak of 114 plate appearances without a long ball. With this blast, he reached 100 home runs as a Dodger, becoming the 37th player in franchise history to hit that milestone.
The potential pressure of losing a rotation spot when Blake Snell returns on Saturday eased after Tyler Glasnow was placed on the injured list Friday. Though immediate concerns lessened, Emmet Sheehan still aimed to rebound after allowing two home runs in a loss last Saturday in St. Louis. Sheehan’s velocity dipped throughout the game—his fastball topped at 97 mph in the first inning but averaged 92.4 in the fourth and 93.1 in the fifth. Nevertheless, he generated 14 swinging strikes (eight on the fastball) and struck out seven while walking just one.
“There’s certainly some things we’re trying to figure out and tap into to increase [velocity], but at the end of the day it’s about getting outs,” manager Dave Roberts said before the game.
Sheehan recorded 14 outs, exiting in a 1-1 tie with two outs in the fifth, runners at the corners, and lefty Matt Olson at the plate. Left-hander Alex Vesia induced Olson to fly out to end the inning.
The tight contest also featured several defensive plays. Austin Riley doubled to the left-field wall in the fourth, but a perfect relay from Hernández to Rojas to catcher Will Smith nailed Michael Harris II at the plate, a call upheld after replay review. In the bottom of the fourth, a sure single by Tucker to shallow left was snatched out of the air by shortstop Jim Jarvis in just his second major league game. Dodgers radio announcer Charley Steiner described the catch as “as if he was diving into the pool.”
After using six relievers to cover the final eight innings on Wednesday, the Dodgers followed Thursday’s off day by deploying five pitchers to get the final 13 outs Friday, almost all under pressure. Vesia stranded Sheehan’s two runners in the fifth. Kyle Hurt allowed two singles before pitching a scoreless sixth. Will Klein stranded a seventh-inning walk but was pulled after a leadoff single in the eighth while trying to pitch a second inning. Brock Stewart walked a batter, then left both runners stranded to finish the frame. Tanner Scott closed with a clean ninth, earning his third save of the season.
Home run: Freddie Freeman (4)
WP: Alex Vesia (1-0): 1 up, 1 down
LP: Chris Sale (6-2): 7 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), 7 strikeouts
Sv: Tanner Scott (3): 1 IP, 1 strikeout
The Dodgers and Braves continue their series on Saturday.
