Diamondbacks’ Nelson Set to Face Dodgers’ Yamamoto in Game Two

LOS ANGELES: In the series opener at Dodger Stadium on Monday, Brandon Pfaadt shone brightly, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 9-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in their three-game set.

Pfaadt (7-3) earned his seventh victory, a major league best. He pitched six innings, allowing three runs on three hits and issuing one walk.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Gabriel Moreno, and Geraldo Perdomo each contributed with two-run home runs, boosting the Diamondbacks’ record in Los Angeles to 5-1 since May 21 of the previous year.

Mookie Betts had two home runs for the Dodgers, while Shohei Ohtani added his 17th of the season, making him the league leader.

Eugenio Suarez of the Diamondbacks drove in a run with a double, and Josh Naylor added an RBI single in the first inning, putting them ahead 2-0. Perdomo’s sacrifice fly in the second extended the lead to 3-0.

In the third inning, Gurriel Jr. and Moreno each blasted two-run homers, increasing the lead to 7-0. These were Gurriel’s eighth and Moreno’s second, both against Los Angeles.

Betts homered in the fourth, putting the Dodgers on the board. Ohtani followed with a home run in the sixth, and Betts then hit his second of the game, narrowing the gap to 7-3.

Landon Knack pitched four scoreless innings before Perdomo of the Diamondbacks hit a two-run home run in the eighth against Matt Sauer, marking their third of the game.

In the ninth, Teoscar Hernández, the right fielder, robbed Naylor of a possible home run with a leaping catch at the wall. Hernández also contributed an RBI groundout.

Ryne Nelson is slated to pitch for the Diamondbacks against Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers on Tuesday in the second game.