Freddie Freeman homered and drove in two runs, Teoscar Hernández delivered a go-ahead two-run double in the fifth inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers extended their unbeaten start to the season with a 7-3 win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.
With the win, the Dodgers improved to 5-0 and completed a sweep of the Tigers following their season-opening two-game series sweep over the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo. The defending World Series champions are off to their best start since 1981, when they opened 6-0 en route to a title.
Pre-game betting odds favored the Dodgers significantly, with most sportsbooks placing them at around -200 on the moneyline. The Tigers, who entered the game as underdogs near +170, briefly led in the early innings but could not hold off a persistent Los Angeles lineup.
Los Angeles overcame another brief and ineffective outing from highly touted right-hander Roki Sasaki, who made his second major league start. Sasaki could not complete the second inning, allowing two runs on three singles and four walks. He was removed after just 41 pitches and left with the bases loaded. Detroit scored its runs in the second inning on Manuel Margot’s infield grounder and a walk to Trey Sweeney following a 10-pitch at-bat.
The Dodgers’ bullpen responded effectively, with six relievers combining to throw 7 1/3 innings of three-hit baseball. Anthony Banda, who pitched a clean fifth inning, was credited with the win and improved to 1-0. The bullpen minimized scoring chances for Detroit the rest of the way, with the only damage coming in the seventh inning when Jake Rogers scored on a defensive lapse by Luis Garcia, who failed to cover first base on a grounder from Zach McKinstry.
Freeman scored with a solo home run in the first inning, his second of the season. Michael Conforto followed in the second with an RBI double to give Los Angeles a 2-0 lead before Detroit’s brief rally. Hernández provided the key moment in the fifth inning when he lined a double down the left-field line to score two runs after Tigers starter Reese Olson intentionally walked Shohei Ohtani to get to him. Olson took the loss, falling to 0-1.
Tommy Edman added insurance with a solo home run on the first pitch of the seventh inning, his third in four games. Ohtani followed with a walk, stole second base, and scored on a Freeman double to extend the lead. Ohtani finished the game with two walks and two runs scored. Before the game, he also threw a bullpen session as he continues his return to pitching following offseason elbow surgery.
Sasaki, whose debut has been closely watched since joining the Dodgers, has struggled with command in his first two outings. Of his 117 pitches over two starts, only 57 have been strikes.
Both teams will be off on Sunday. Detroit continues its road trip Monday in Seattle, while the Dodgers will open a highly anticipated series at home against the Atlanta Braves.
