Yamamoto strikes out 10 as the Dodgers rout the Reds 14-1 for 7th straight win

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out 10 while scattering three hits over seven innings, Mookie Betts, Max Muncy and Kiké Hernández each hit two-run homers, and the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the Cincinnati Reds 14-1 on Wednesday night for their season-high seventh consecutive win.

The Dodgers' sweep helped them reduce their magic number to six for clinching their 13th NL West title in 14 years without injured Shohei Ohtani or Freddie Freeman in the lineup.

They broke out for six runs in the fourth and had all nine starters reach base in their 11th straight win at home over the Reds. It was the Dodgers' most runs in an inning since June 27 when they had nine in Yamamoto's win over San Diego.

Yamamoto (13-8) retired 17 of his first 20 batters. His 13 wins are a career high, while his strikeouts tied a season best.

Betts had his fifth multi-hit game in the first eight games of September. The shortstop went 3 for 5 with two RBIs, three runs scored and a walk in raising his average to .249.

Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz homered in a career-high fifth consecutive game, sending the first pitch from Yamamoto 403 feet to center in the fourth. He also hit a first-pitch homer off Tarik Skubal on Tuesday.

NL Rookie of the Year contender Sal Stewart singled twice off Yamamoto and JJ Bleday walked.

The Dodgers' 13 runs of support were the most for Yamamoto since July 19.

In the fourth, Alex Freeland had an RBI double, Hernández followed with a two-run double and scored on reliever Luis Mey’s wild pitch before Teoscar Hernández’s two-run single went off the glove of De La Cruz for a 9-1 lead.

Betts' two-run shot off Reds starter Rhett Lowder (6-10) extended the lead to 3-0 in his fifth multi-hit game in the first eight games of September.

Kyle Tucker went deep off Reds position player Jose Trevino in the eighth.

Reds: After an off-day Thursday, LHP Andrew Abbott (6-10, 4.43 ERA) starts Friday's series opener at Milwaukee against LHP Kyle Harrison (10-4, 3.66).

Dodgers: They had not announced a starter for Friday's series opener at Miami.

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz hits a solo home run during fourth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz, left, heads to first for a solo home run as Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, center, watches along with catcher Will Smith during the fourth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts has seeds thrown at him after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — A flight scheduled to carry Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from Moldova to Norway earlier this week was ​delayed when authorities closed Moldova’s airspace because of a drone incursion, a government spokesperson said Wednesday.

Moldovan police said a Russian drone crashed on Tuesday in a sunflower field on the outskirts of a village in Riscani district, which caused four fires to break out but no injuries.

On Wednesday, government spokesperson Dumitru Ciorici said Moldova had closed its airspace Tuesday afternoon to protect aircraft flying over the country at the time, delaying three departures, including the one carrying Zelenskyy.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told broadcaster NRK that Zelenskyy’s plane “was nearly hit by a drone as it took off from Moldova” on its way to Oslo for King Harald V’s funeral. Zelenskyy arrived in Oslo on Tuesday and met Støre to discuss potential support for Ukraine’s air defenses before attending the king’s funeral on Wednesday.

Moldovan authorities confirmed the drone came down and exploded 160 kilometers (100 miles) from Chișinău International Airport. The airspace restrictions were lifted and Zelenskyy’s plane took off later than scheduled.

The drone that entered Moldovan airspace on Tuesday crossed into neighboring Romania, a NATO member, where it was tracked through several northeastern counties.

The ministry said two F-18 aircraft of the Spanish Air and Space Forces were scrambled to track its trajectory before it reentered Moldovan airspace.

On Wednesday, Moldova’s police said explosives experts discovered fragments of the drone that featured a propulsion system and characteristics similar to a Geran-type drone, which Moscow has used extensively in its full-scale war in Ukraine.

“Investigations identified the point of impact, where an explosion occurred and a crater of considerable size was formed,” police said, adding that specialists are continuing investigations “to determine the type and mass of the explosive payload.”

Ukraine neighbors both Romania and Moldova, and since Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine in 2022, both countries have reported dozens of drone incidents.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is transported after arriving in Oslo, Norway, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, one day ahead of King Harald V's funeral. (Frederik Ringnes/NTB Scanpix via AP)