SHOHEI Ohtani flipped a game-ending home run to left-center field in the ninth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their season-opening win streak alive by rallying from an early five-run deficit to earn a 6-5 victory over the visiting Atlanta Braves on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).
Max Muncy had a game-tying two-run double in the eighth to atone for two early errors as the Dodgers became the first defending champion to open a season 8-0. Tommy Edman and Michael Conforto homered for the Dodgers to help Blake Snell overcome a rocky outing. All five runs Snell allowed over four innings were unearned while he walked four with two strikeouts.
Ohtani’s home run, his third of the season, came on the first pitch from right-hander Raisel Iglesias (0-1) and sent a near sold-out crowd into a frenzy on the star’s first of four bobblehead nights of the season. Rookie Jack Dreyer (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for his first career win.
The Braves dropped to 0-7 as they head toward their home opener Friday. Nick Allen, Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson delivered run-scoring doubles for Atlanta, whose season-opening losing streak is its worst since an 0-9 start in 2016.
In other games, it was the Brewers 3, Royals 2 (11 innings); Cardinals 12, Angels 5; Padres 5, Guardians 2; Pirates 4, Rays 2; Red Sox 3, Orioles 0; Rangers 1, Reds 0
Diamondbacks 4, Yankees 3; Cubs 10, Athletics 2; Phillies 5, Rockies 1; Twins 6, White Sox 1; Mariners 3, Tigers 2; Giants 6, Astros 3; Mets 6, Marlins 5 (11 innings); and Blue Jays 4, Nationals 2.
Brewers 3, Royals 2 (11 innings)
Brice Turang laid down a suicide squeeze in the 11th inning to lift Milwaukee to a win against visiting Kansas City in the rubber game of their three-game series.
Kansas City reliever Sam Long (0-2) came in for the 11th and Garrett Mitchell moved designated runner Oliver Dunn to third with a grounder to second. Joey Ortiz then drew a walk, bringing up Turang, who had struck out three times in the game, but he bunted the first pitch up the first-base line for the walk-off win.
Brewers starter Freddy Peralta allowed one run and two hits over eight innings, striking out eight without walking a batter. Jared Koenig (1-0) pitched a scoreless 11th inning for Milwaukee. Jackson Chourio had three hits, including a solo home run for the Brewers. Royals left-hander Cole Ragans struck out 10 batters over five innings of one-run ball.
Cardinals 12, Angels 5
Ivan Herrera hit three home runs to lift host St. Louis to a victory over Los Angeles, avoiding a sweep by winning the finale of the three-game series.
Herrera hit a solo homer in the fourth inning, a two-run homer in the sixth, and his three-run homer in the eighth capped a seven-run outburst that broke open a close game. It was the first three-homer game by a Cardinal since Paul Goldschmidt hit three in May of 2023.
Logan O’Hoppe’s grand slam in the seventh inning gave the Angels a 5-3 lead, but the Cardinals rallied against the Angels’ bullpen with two runs in the seventh to tie the game and seven in the eighth.
