Moreno hits grand slam off Yamamoto, lifts Diamondbacks to 5-3 win over the Dodgers

PHOENIX (AP) — Gabriel Moreno hit a grand slam off Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Brandon Pfaadt threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series between NL West rivals.

Shohei Ohtani hit a solo homer in the ninth — his 11th long ball of the season — but the Dodgers have now dropped three of their past five games.

Yamamoto (4-3) came into the game with an 0.90 ERA, which led the big leagues, but ran into trouble in the fourth. Pavin Smith walked, Josh Naylor singled and Eugenio Suárez was hit by a pitch with no outs before Moreno drove a cutter to right, barely clearing the fence for his first homer of the season.

Ketel Marte added a solo homer in the fifth to make it 5-0. Kevin Ginkel worked the ninth for his first save of the year.

Pfaadt (6-2) continued his stellar start to the season, giving up four hits, walking three and striking out six. Yamamoto gave up five runs on six hits and a walk, striking out four.

Max Muncy's ground-rule double and Andy Pages' single both scored runs as the Dodgers cut the margin to 5-2 in the eighth. Michael Conforto grounded into a double play to end the rally.

The Dodgers were threatening in the eighth before Marte started a spectacular double play to end the threat. The second baseman ranged to his left and snagged Conforto's grounder before wheeling and firing to Geraldo Perdomo at second, whose throw to Naylor at first was just in time.

The Diamondbacks won their 20th game of the year. The NL West is the only division that has four teams with 20-plus wins. The other team is the Colorado Rockies, who are 6-31.

RHP Roki Sasaki (1-1, 3.86 ERA) will start for the Dodgers against LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (1-3, 5.92) and the Diamondbacks on Friday night.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, of Japan, waits to bat against the Arizona Diamondbacks prior to a baseball game Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fourth inning of a baseball game Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Gabriel Moreno watches the flight of his grand slam against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fourth inning of a baseball game Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18), of Japan, holds a new ball after giving up a grand slam to Arizona Diamondbacks' Gabriel Moreno, right, during the fourth inning of a baseball game Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — The Malian army said Saturday that several northern towns, including Gao and Sévaré, were targeted by rebels. The statement came as a rebel group announced a new offensive to capture a northern town.

Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for ​the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), said in a Facebook post that the town of Anefis was being targeted by the separatists.

Mohamed Cissé, a resident of Gao, told The Associated Press that the army is going door to door searching for attackers who are still in the city.

“For the moment, the calm has returned. But I learned that the attackers are still in a part of the city, so I stay inside the house with the family,” said Ousmane Maiga, another resident.

In a later statement, the Malian army claimed that “the situation is completely under control.” It added that in Sévaré, “20 terrorists on motorcycles and equipped vehicles were neutralized.”

But Rawani Ahmed Bouya, a member of the FLA and head of the National Office of the Azawad diaspora, told the AP that Anefis was under FLA control and that the fighting was almost over. His claim could not independently verified.

In late April, a coordinated attack by the FLA and the regional al-Qaida affiliate JNIM killed the defense minister in his home and took control of several key towns in the north of the country.

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim, deputy project director for the International Crisis Group think tank, said that while the latest attacks are “nothing comparable” to those in April, reports of attacks across the border in Burkina Faso as well as across Mali could indicate an attempt to divert the attention of the army to secure more limited gains in northern Mali.

Wassim Nasr, a senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, said the targeting of Anefis was strategic because any Malian attempt to reverse the territorial gains from April would have been staged in Anefis.

Mali has previously faced insurgencies by militants affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, as well as a separatist rebellion in the country’s north. The separatists have been fighting for years to create an independent state in northern Mali.

Along with Mali, neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso have also been battling al-Qaida and IS affiliates.

Following military coups, the juntas in the three countries turned from Western allies to Russia for help combating Islamic militants. But the security situation has worsened with a record number of militant attacks. Government forces have also been accused of killing civilians they suspect of collaborating with militants.

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Wilson McMakin reported from Dakar, Senegal

FILE - An ariel view of Bamako, Mali, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo)