Yamamoto Deals, Dodgers Mash: LA Cuts Brewers' NL Lead to One Game

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers came out swinging Friday night, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto made sure the Brewers didn't have an answer. Behind nine strikeouts from their ace and homers from Andy Pages and Tommy Edman, Los Angeles pulled within one game of the NL-leading Milwaukee Brewers with a 3-1 victory.

Yamamoto (12-7) was pure filth, allowing just one run on four hits over six innings — his third game this season with at least nine punchouts. The Brewers, fresh off a dramatic 5-4 comeback in the opener, were stuck in neutral against the Japanese right-hander.

Early Spark, Late Insurance

The Dodgers struck first in the opening frame. Three straight one-out singles loaded the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered a knock that scored Pages, back in the No. 2 spot with Freddie Freeman getting a planned day off.

The Brewers scratched even in the fifth when Luis Lara doubled and later scored on a Joey Ortiz sacrifice fly. But the deadlock didn't last long. Pages answered in the bottom half, launching his 20th homer of the season to put LA back on top, 2-1.

Then came Edman in the sixth, a no-doubt shot to left-center for his fourth of the year, stretching the lead to 3-1 and giving the bullpen just enough cushion.

Diaz Drama in the Ninth

Edwin Diaz made things interesting — because of course he did. After taking the loss Thursday, he loaded the bases in the ninth, plunking Andrew Vaughn and walking William Contreras and David Hamilton. But with the go-ahead run at the plate, Ortiz grounded out to Betts at shortstop, and Diaz locked down his seventh save.

Robert Gasser (3-5) took the loss, surrendering three runs on eight hits over 6 1/3 innings for a Brewers team that had surged back to the top of the NL.

What's Next

These two heavyweights go at it again Saturday night. Milwaukee sends flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski (11-5, 1.76 ERA) to the mound against young lefty Justin Wrobleski (11-4, 3.44) for the Dodgers. Buckle up.