LOS ANGELES (AP) — Eduardo Rodríguez recovered from Shohei Ohtani’s leadoff home run to deliver six strong innings, while Tim Tawa drove in four runs with a homer, lifting the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 9-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.
Rodríguez (8-3) surrendered back-to-back blasts to Ohtani and Andy Pages to open the contest but held the Dodgers scoreless thereafter.
Gabriel Moreno contributed two RBIs, helping Arizona secure its first win at Dodger Stadium in four attempts this season.
Ohtani was originally slated to pitch, but Los Angeles opted for a bullpen day as the two-way star has managed left knee inflammation for over a month. Ohtani is scheduled to have fluid drained from the knee on Sunday, sidelining him for next week’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia; he will, however, remain the designated hitter for the remainder of the series against Arizona.
Ohtani launched a 381-foot drive to left-center on just the third pitch of the game. The blast marked his eighth leadoff homer, tying Washington’s James Wood for the National League lead.
The Diamondbacks seized the lead when Tawa connected for his second home run of the year on a fourth-inning fastball, then added two runs in each of the following two innings.
Arizona center fielder Ryan Waldschmidt exited in the sixth inning after being struck on the hand by a pitch while attempting a bunt. The club’s top prospect had been promoted from Triple-A Reno earlier Friday.
Will Klein (3-4) was charged with the loss, one of seven Dodgers pitchers utilized in the game.
Looking Ahead
Arizona right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (2-1, 4.84 ERA) is scheduled to face Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (9-5, 2.49) on Saturday night.