LOS ANGELES (CNS) – After being held hitless by Shota Imanaga for the first four innings, the Dodgers combined a walk, three singles and an error off reliever Ben Brown in the fifth for three runs in a 4-1 season-opening victory over the Chicago Cubs Tuesday in Tokyo.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto and four Dodger relievers limited the Cubs to three hits, none over the final seven innings. Yamamoto (1-0) allowed three hits and one run over five innings for the victory, striking out four and walking one.
Tanner Scott pitched a perfect ninth, striking out Matt Shaw for the save in his Dodger debut.
With one out in the fifth, Andy Pages, the Dodgers’ No. 9 hitter, drew a five-pitch walk from Brown and moved to third on Shohei Ohtani’s single. Tommy Edman singled in Pages, tying the score, 1-1. Teoscar Hernández grounded into a force, but Chicago second baseman Jon Berti threw wildly to first, attempting to complete the double play, allowing Ohtani to score and Hernández to reach second.
Will Smith then singled, driving in Hernández in front of a crowd announced at 42,365 at Tokyo Dome.
The Dodgers added a run in the ninth when Ohtani doubled leading off the inning, moved to third on Edman’s groundout and scored on Hernández’s single.
Brown (0-1) was charged with the loss, allowing three runs, two earned, four hits, walked three and struck out five in 2 2/3 innings.
The Cubs opened the scoring in the second inning. Dansby Swanson singled with one out, moved to second on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s ground out and scored on Miguel Amaya’s fly ball double.
Ian Happ’s infield single leading off the third on a ball deflected by Yamamoto was Chicago’s last hit.
Imanaga pitched four hitless innings, walked four and struck out two.
The Dodgers played without two of their MVPs.
Mookie Betts returned to California because of a virus in order to give him more time to rebuild strength in a familiar environment, manager Dave Roberts told reporters in Tokyo. Roberts added that Betts lost “close to 15 pounds” due to the illness but is expected to play in the Dodgers’ home opener March 27 against the Detroit Tigers.
First baseman Freddie Freeman was a late scratch Tuesday due to left rib discomfort, the team announced.
The teams will conclude the two-game Tokyo Series early Wednesday with Japanese pitching star Roki Sasaki making his Dodger debut.
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