Tommy Edman led off the game with a home run and Yoshinobu Yamamoto won a pitching duel with Jacob deGrom as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Texas Rangers 3-0 on Friday in the opener of a three-game interleague series at Arlington, Texas.
Yamamoto and deGrom delivered brilliant seven-inning outings as the Dodgers won their fourth game in a row. The Rangers had a three-game overall winning streak and a nine-game home winning streak end.
Yamamoto (3-1) allowed five hits and no runs while striking out 10 without issuing a walk.
deGrom (0-1) surrendered just three hits and one run. He walked one, fanned seven and was all but unhittable after making a mistake to the game’s first batter.
The Dodgers were without reigning National League MVP Shohei Ohtani, who did not make the trip to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex after being placed on the paternity list.
Ohtani’s wife, Mamiko Tanaka, is due to give birth to the couple’s first child in the coming days. Ohtani will likely miss the entire series with the Rangers as he can stay on the paternity list for the maximum of three days.
The Dodgers took the lead when Edman homered to right-center field on the game’s second pitch.
Los Angeles did not get another runner past first base until Edman opened the ninth inning with a single off Texas reliever Hoby Milner and went to second on a throwing error by shortstop Corey Seager. Edman moved to third on a groundout and scored on a single by Teoscar Hernandez off Shawn Armstrong.
Later in the inning, pinch runner Chris Taylor came home on a sacrifice fly to center field by Will Smith.
Kirby Yates, in relief of Yamamoto, stuck out two batters in a perfect eighth inning. Tanner Yates pitched the ninth, allowing two singles before getting Josh Jung to ground into a game-ending double play, sealing his seventh save.
Edman had three of the Dodgers’ five hits.
Seager and Dustin Harris each collected two of the Rangers’ seven hits.
