Sons Of Nippon Defeat Reds In First Game Of A Three-Game Set

 

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Dateline: 1,209 Kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico

Japanese players pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani led the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 5-1 win over the Reds.

Ohtani drove in two runs and scored one. Yamamoto pitched seven innings of one-run four hit baseball to snap the Reds winning streak at four.

The Dodgers scored off Chase Burns in the first inning. Mookie Betts leadoff the game with a double. Ohtani grounded out to McLain at second base. Teoscar Hernandez singled through the hole at short. 

The Reds got the run back off  Yamamoto with one out McLain singled. Elly De La Cruz walked. Austin Hays dumped a flair in front of Michael Conforto in left. Former Dodger Gavin Lux slow roller got the run home and moved the runners up. Spencer Steer hit a line drive into the left centerfield gap that Conforto ran down to end the inning.

Burns was racking up strikeouts with seven strikeouts through four innings. Miguel Rojas doubled into the hole at short just beating Hays; throw to start the fifth. Betts hit a smash to third off Noelvi Marte's glove at third. It was originally ruled an error but it was changed to a hit. Ohtani doubled to put the Dodgers up 3-1.

Burns added two more strikeout in the fifth. With one out in the sixth, Burns struck out Conforto but the ball got away from Tyler Stephenson and Conforto reached on Burns' 10th strikeout. It is the third straight game in which Burns struck out 10 batters.

"I thought Burns was terrific. He didn't back down. He pulled a couple pitches which can happen. He didn't field his position like he would like and made some mistakes," Terry Francona said. "We're trying to build for the future and win now with him. There are things that he's going to do better. I think his future is so bright."

"We're trying to make a playoff push and I want to be a part of it. I don't have time to learn slow," Burns said. 

Scott Barlow walked Betts and Ohtani walked to lead off the seventh. Hernandez stroked his second run scorint single of the game. Freddie Freeman singled in the Dodgers fifth run.

Burns pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits and a walk.

The Reds threatened to tie or win the game against newly activated Blake Treinan. Lux walked but Steer Struck out but Stephenson singled. Marte struck out on three pitches for the second out but TJ Friedl walked to load the bases. Bringing McLain to the plate as the potential winning run with De La Cruz on deck. Jack Dreyer missed with his first two pitches but McLain grounded out to Betts at short to end the game.