Chris Sale strikes out 11 in 5-hit shutout as Braves beat Yamamoto and Dodgers 1-0 for 3-game sweep

ATLANTA (AP) — Chris Sale struck out 11 in a five-hit shutout, Drake Baldwin launched a leadoff homer against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and the Atlanta Braves edged the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0 on Thursday night to complete a three-game sweep.

Sale (13-9) did not walk a batter. The left-hander posted his fourth double-digit strikeout game this season and the 95th of his career, which ranks seventh all-time.

Fans in the sellout crowd of 39,650 cheered when Sale strolled out to the mound for the ninth inning even though relievers were ready in the Atlanta bullpen. Braves manager Walt Weiss stuck with his ace after Freddie Freeman singled leading off the ninth.

Teoscar Hernández popped out, pinch-runner Alek Thomas was out at second on Miguel Rojas' fielder's-choice grounder and Sale struck out Alex Call for his 17th complete game and first since 2019 with Boston.

Baldwin lined the first pitch from Yamamoto (12-8) into the right-field Chop House restaurant. It was Baldwin's fourth leadoff shot this season and 22nd homer overall. Yamamoto allowed only four hits with eight strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.

The NL East-leading Braves won the season series 5-1 against the Dodgers, who sit atop the NL West.

Braves shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, hitting .078, was rewarded with a start after his game-winning, pinch-hit single with two outs in the ninth inning of Wednesday night's 6-5 win over the Dodgers. Kim singled and stole second base in the third.

Before the game, Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki was placed on the 15-day injured list after exiting Wednesday night’s game with a blister on his right middle finger. Los Angeles recalled right-hander Seth Halvorsen from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Dodgers: LHP Tarik Skubal (8-7, 2.91 ERA) will make what is expected to be an emotional Detroit homecoming when he starts Friday night's series opener at the Tigers.

Braves: RHP Grant Holmes (8-5, 3.64 ERA) is scheduled to start when the Braves open a three-game series against RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (12-7, 4.96) and the Colorado Rockies.

See AP’s full MLB coverage here