Yankees outslug Dodgers to avoid series sweep

LOS ANGELES – The New York Yankees secured a 7-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday night at Dodger Stadium, preventing a sweep in front of 54,031 fans.

Former Dodgers left-hander Ryan Yarbrough, who pitched for Los Angeles in 2023 and part of 2024, did not allow a hit to the first four batters in the Dodgers' lineup. Yarbrough pitched six innings, surrendering four hits, all of which came from the bottom portion of the lineup: Andy Pages, Tommy Edman, Max Muncy, and Kike Hernandez. The Dodgers struggled against Yarbrough, who finished the night efficiently with five strikeouts while throwing 93 pitches.

Yarbrough's high-speed pitch was clocked at 89 mph, while 22 of his 93 pitches were recorded at 73 mph or lower.

The Yankees' offense quickly responded in the first inning against right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, as Jasson Dominguez singled to left, scoring Trent Grisham.

Edman quickly made his mark in the second inning with a solo home run to left field, sending a changeup 376 feet off Yarbrough. This was the only run allowed in six innings. Coming off a four-hit game on Saturday, Edman has now hit his ninth home run and recorded 29 RBIs this season.

After Edman's swing tied the score, Aaron Judge led off with a walk, followed by Ben Rice, who broke the tie in the third inning with a two-run home run off Yamamoto. Rice saw a 90 mph splitter right down the middle and crushed it for his 12th home run of the season. 

Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells both followed with singles, allowing Volpe to advance to third base. He later scored on a wild pitch by Yamamoto.

Yamamoto pitched 3 ⅔ innings, allowing seven hits and four earned runs while walking three batters. It was not his most efficient start, as he threw 96 pitches in his shortest outing of the season. This marks the second time this season that he has given up more than three runs in a game.

Dave Roberts had to turn to his bullpen earlier than he anticipated with Yamamoto starting. Left-hander Anthony Banda was called upon to secure the final out of the fourth inning, striking out Rice with a low and inside slider. Banda continued into the fifth inning, but trouble arose when DJ LeMahieu hit an RBI single, followed by Oswald Peraza, who also contributed with an RBI single. In response, Roberts brought in right-hander Lou Trivino, who pitched ⅔  of an inning to relieve Banda.

Right-hander Noah Davis came in and pitched two scoreless innings, allowing only one hit on 31 pitches. He was acquired from the Boston Red Sox early in the season and participated in three games for the Dodgers in late April. Davis was recently called up after the Dodgers placed right-hander Luis Garcia on the injured list due to a right adductor strain.

The Dodgers’ offense gained momentum in the seventh inning when Andy Pages and Max Muncy each hit solo home runs off right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga. Pages has now recorded 11 home runs in 55 games this season, following 13 home runs in 116 games as a rookie last year. For Muncy, this marks his third home run in two games, bringing his total to seven home runs in his last 109 at-bats. Before this recent surge, he had not hit any home runs.

Following a strong weekend series against the Yankees, the Dodgers are set to host the New York Mets starting Monday for a four-game series. The Dodgers will start right-hander Dustin May (3-4, 4.20 ERA), while the Mets will counter with Paul Blackburn, who is making his season debut after undergoing a spinal procedure.