Dodgers remain undefeated at home behind Tommy Edman's three-run HR

LOS ANGELES – Tommy Edman hit a three-run home run, leading the Dodgers to a 3-0 victory over the Cubs on Freddie Freeman Bobblehead Night on Friday at Dodger Stadium in front of a sold-out crowd of 53,933 fans.

Edman hit his sixth home run of the season on a 79 mph changeup from left-hander Matthew Boyd. He is now tied for first in the MLB in home runs alongside Mike Trout and Aaron Judge. Edman has recorded 14 RBIs this season. With 15 games played, he is already halfway to his career high of 13 home runs.

“Tommy is driving in runs where at times we’ve had trouble scoring runs a little bit, where he’ll get a big hit, a big homer with guys on base,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers are currently undefeated at home with a record of 7-0. They have five consecutive home games scheduled this upcoming week against the Colorado Rockies.

Boyd entered the sixth inning having allowed only two hits, as his slider was effective that night. He struck out Shohei Ohtani and Freeman with sliders that chased them outside the strike zone. Cubs manager Craig Counsell decided to keep Boyd in for the sixth inning, noting that the Dodgers' lineup has been more productive this year in their third at-bats of the game.

Teoscar Hernandez started the inning with a single to left field, and then Freeman was hit by a pitch. Following that, Edman hit a powerful home run 423 feet to the left-field pavilion. This was a crucial moment in the game, especially since Boyd had been performing well against the Dodgers lineup. Boyd pitched six innings, allowing four hits, three earned runs, and three walks. He struck out seven batters while throwing 98 pitches.

The Dodgers secured another victory in the first game of their three-game series against the Cubs with minimal offensive support. Miguel Rojas, who filled in at third base for Max Muncy, was the only Dodger to record a multi-hit game, finishing with two singles. The only other players to tally hits were Mookie Betts, Michael Conforto, Hernandez and Edman.

The excitement of Freddie Freeman's return was heightened as it coincided with Freeman Bobblehead Night at Dodger Stadium, where his son, Charlie Freeman, threw out the first pitch.

Ohtani and Freeman both went hitless on Friday, collectively striking out four times. Freeman was also walked and hit by a pitch. After being placed on the 10-day injured list, Freeman returned to the lineup, and Roberts indicated that he is not facing any restrictions. Freeman is expected to be in the lineup every day unless something changes.

Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered an electrifying performance on Friday night, striking out six batters through the first four innings. His diverse pitch mix kept most of the Cubs players off balance, with his splitter proving especially unhittable. Yamamoto retired 16 of the first 18 batters he faced, eight of them via strikeouts. He completed six shutout innings, allowing just two hits, one walk, and finishing with nine strikeouts on 103 pitches.

“Even though the pitch count went high, I was still feeling pretty good, and my execution was good,” Yamamoto said.

Yamamoto, 26, is entering his second season with the Dodgers after completing his third start of the season. He boasts a 1.23 ERA, a record of 2-1, and 28 total strikeouts.

The Dodgers' pitching rotation may be set to expand in the upcoming month, as several starters are expected to return. Tony Gonsolin is scheduled to make another rehab start for Oklahoma City. Additionally, there is the possibility of Shohei Ohtani pitching for the first time since joining the Dodgers. Manager Dave Roberts has indicated that Ohtani’s return to the mound will be taken very seriously, with the hope of gradually ramping him up. 

Bobby Miller, who was struck in the head by a line drive, made a start for Oklahoma on Friday night. He pitched 2 ⅓ innings, allowing two hits, three walks, and recording four strikeouts.

Kershaw is scheduled to make his first start in the minors on Wednesday for the Oklahoma City Comets. He won’t be eligible for activation until May 17th, so he will have about a month of rehab assignments to prepare after dealing with a toe injury that ended his season last year. Kershaw can provide valuable support to the pitching rotation as we enter the second month of the season.

The Cubs will start right-hander Ben Brown (1-1, 7.71 ERA) against the Dodgers' rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki (0-0, 4.15 ERA) on Saturday night for game two of the three-game series.