Freeman, Ohtani lead Dodgers past Sale and Braves 3-1 in National League showdown

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Freddie Freeman homered, Shohei Ohtani hit a go-ahead single and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Atlanta Braves 3-1 in a showdown of National League division leaders Friday night.

Ohtani drove in Miguel Rojas to put the Dodgers up 2-1 with two outs in the fifth. Rojas reached second base on a throwing error by shortstop Jim Jarvis to start the inning.

Freeman led off the sixth with his fourth home run, a 413-foot shot to center field. He had gone 25 games without one.

Alex Vesia (1-0) got one out in relief for the win, and Tanner Scott pitched a perfect ninth for his third save.

Atlanta ace Chris Sale (6-2) allowed three runs — two earned — and five hits over seven innings. He struck out seven and walked none.

Michael Harris II went 4 for 4, but the Braves dropped their eighth straight game at Dodger Stadium.

Austin Riley put Atlanta ahead with an RBI single in the second that left runners at the corners before Emmet Sheehan limited the damage with consecutive strikeouts.

Kyle Tucker tied it at 1 in the bottom half with a bloop RBI double.

Harris was tagged out at home plate by catcher Will Smith to end the fourth. Rojas' relay throw from shortstop was in time after Riley doubled off the bullpen wall in left field. The call was upheld after Braves manager Walt Weiss challenged.

Blake Snell will make his season debut Saturday night for the Dodgers instead of making one more minor league rehab start in his recovery from left shoulder fatigue. Spencer Strider (0-0, 8.10 ERA) pitches for Atlanta after he allowed three earned runs in 3 1/3 innings at Colorado on Sunday.

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

Atlanta Braves' Austin Riley hits an RBI single during the second inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale throws to a Los Angeles Dodgers batter during the second inning of a baseball game, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman (5) and Miguel Rojas, right, celebrate after Freddie Freeman hits a home run as Teoscar Hernández (37) watches during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani follows through on his swing while grounding out during the third inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman watches his home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Tempo didn’t treat fans to beautiful basketball in their inaugural game, but they managed to keep it close all the way to the final buzzer.

Shakira Austin made four free throws down the stretch and the Washington Mystics held on to beat the Tempo 68-65 on Friday night, disappointing a sellout crowd of 8,210 at Coca-Cola Coliseum.

“It was a great moment,” Tempo coach Sandy Brondello said. “Sad that we didn’t win the game, didn’t close it out, but the fans were fantastic. It was a very ugly game. Hopefully they get way prettier than that as we move forward.”

The Tempo shot 5 for 25 from long range and finished with 10 assists on 17 baskets.

“We were poor on offense,” Brondello said. “We didn’t share the ball, we didn’t play as a team as much as we would have liked.”

Brittney Sykes scored the first points in Tempo history on a pull-up jumper in the first quarter but went 0 for 5 from distance, missing a 3 with 14 seconds left that would have given Toronto the lead.

One of the loudest cheers came when Canadian soccer star Christine Sinclair was shown on the video screen.

Almost as loud was the reaction when Marina Mabrey’s 3-pointer with 4:19 remaining in the fourth put Toronto up 57-56, its first lead of the second half.

“To have them have our back, cheering for us every time we figure it out, it kind of helps us feel like we’re getting something going," Mabrey said.

The Tempo finished with 16 turnovers.

“We’ve just got to execute a little bit better with how we want to play,” Brondello said.

The Tempo get another chance at their first win when they host the Seattle Storm on Wednesday night.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Toronto Tempo's Marina Mabrey, center, wrestles for the ball with Washington Mystics' Sonia Citron (22) and Kiki Iriafen, bottom, during second-half WNBA basketball game action in Toronto, Friday, May 8, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Tempo's Marina Mabrey, center, high fives-fans as she comes off the court after her team's first WNBA basketball game, against the Washington Mystics, in Toronto Friday, May 8, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello, center right, speaks to her team as they take on the Washington Mystics in WNBA basketball game action in Toronto, Friday, May 8, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Toronto Tempo and the Washington Mystics line up for the tip-off at a WNBA basketball game in Toronto, Friday, May 8, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Tempo's Temi Fagbenle (14) high-fives fans as she comes off the court after her team's first WNBA basketball game, aganst the Washington Mystics, in Toronto, Friday, May 8, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)