The Los Angeles Dodgers continued their winning momentum with a 2-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night at Truist Park, fueled by an outstanding pitching performance from Yoshinobu Yamamoto and a home run by Mookie Betts. The win marked the Dodgers’ sixth consecutive triumph and came in the opening game of a high-profile weekend series.
Entering the contest, most sportsbooks listed the Braves as slight -115 favorites at home, with the Dodgers coming in close behind at -105. The projected run total for the game was set at 8.5, but the pitching duel quickly signaled that a low-scoring outcome was likely.
Yamamoto, a prized offseason acquisition from Japan, continued his dominant stretch in Major League Baseball. The right-hander delivered six shutout innings, allowing only one hit and walking two batters. His lone blemish came in the sixth inning when Austin Riley doubled with two outs, ending a no-hit bid. Before that, Yamamoto had only allowed a pair of walks to Marcell Ozuna, one in the first and another in the fourth. He left the game with a 2-0 lead, lowering his earned run average to 0.90, the best mark in the majors.
The Dodgers provided early support for Yamamoto in the fourth inning when they loaded the bases against Braves starter Grant Holmes. Will Smith lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, driving in Betts, who had reached on an infield single that ricocheted off Holmes’ leg. Los Angeles added a second run in the sixth inning when Betts hit his fifth home run of the season, a solo shot that extended the Dodgers’ advantage.
Holmes pitched effectively despite the loss, setting a new personal best with nine strikeouts over six-plus innings. He gave up two runs on four hits, showing composure against one of baseball’s most potent lineups.
The Braves finally responded at the bottom of the seventh when Matt Olson connected on a solo home run off reliever Kirby Yates, cutting the Dodgers’ lead by half. It was the only scoring Atlanta would muster, as the Dodgers’ bullpen preserved the narrow margin in the final two innings.
Closer Evan Phillips secured the save despite a tense ninth inning that included a lengthy rain delay of over an hour. Phillips walked Olson with two outs, bringing the tying run aboard, but finished the game by inducing a ground ball from Sean Murphy, which he fielded himself to end the threat and record his first save of the season.
The win pushed the Dodgers’ record further above .500 and reinforced their status as one of the hottest teams in baseball. Yamamoto’s continued dominance has become a cornerstone of the team’s recent success, with the rookie right-hander now allowing only four earned runs through his first 40 major league innings.
The series is set to continue Saturday night with a matchup between two young right-handers. The Braves will start Spencer Schwellenbach, who holds a 1-2 record and a 2.87 ERA, while the Dodgers counter with Roki Sasaki, who enters at 0-1 with a 3.55 ERA. Both teams will look to build momentum as the regular season progresses.
