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.
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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)
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.
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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)
ALEPPO, Syria (AP) — First responders on Sunday entered a contested neighborhood in Syria’ s northern city of Aleppo after days of deadly clashes between government forces and Kurdish-led forces. Syrian state media said the military was deployed in large numbers.
The clashes broke out Tuesday in the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid after the government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, the main Kurdish-led force in the country, failed to make progress on how to merge the SDF into the national army. Security forces captured Achrafieh and Bani Zaid.
The fighting between the two sides was the most intense since the fall of then-President Bashar Assad to insurgents in December 2024. At least 23 people were killed in five days of clashes and more than 140,000 were displaced amid shelling and drone strikes.
The U.S.-backed SDF, which have played a key role in combating the Islamic State group in large swaths of eastern Syria, are the largest force yet to be absorbed into Syria's national army. Some of the factions that make up the army, however, were previously Turkish-backed insurgent groups that have a long history of clashing with Kurdish forces.
The Kurdish fighters have now evacuated from the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood to northeastern Syria, which is under the control of the SDF. However, they said in a statement they will continue to fight now that the wounded and civilians have been evacuated, in what they called a “partial ceasefire.”
The neighborhood appeared calm Sunday. The United Nations said it was trying to dispatch more convoys to the neighborhoods with food, fuel, blankets and other urgent supplies.
Government security forces brought journalists to tour the devastated area, showing them the damaged Khalid al-Fajer Hospital and a military position belonging to the SDF’s security forces that government forces had targeted.
The SDF statement accused the government of targeting the hospital “dozens of times” before patients were evacuated. Damascus accused the Kurdish-led group of using the hospital and other civilian facilities as military positions.
On one street, Syrian Red Crescent first responders spoke to a resident surrounded by charred cars and badly damaged residential buildings.
Some residents told The Associated Press that SDF forces did not allow their cars through checkpoints to leave.
“We lived a night of horror. I still cannot believe that I am right here standing on my own two feet,” said Ahmad Shaikho. “So far the situation has been calm. There hasn’t been any gunfire.”
Syrian Civil Defense first responders have been disarming improvised mines that they say were left by the Kurdish forces as booby traps.
Residents who fled are not being allowed back into the neighborhood until all the mines are cleared. Some were reminded of the displacement during Syria’s long civil war.
“I want to go back to my home, I beg you,” said Hoda Alnasiri.
Associated Press journalist Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report.
Sandbag barriers used as fighting positions by Kurdish fighters, left inside a destroyed mosque in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Burned vehicles at one of the Kurdish fighters positions at the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
People flee the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
A Syrian military police convoy enters the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Burned vehicles and ammunitions left at one of the Kurdish fighters positions at the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
