Clayton Kershaw beat the Yankees for the first time with nine strikeouts over seven innings of four-hit ball, and Mookie Betts hit two more homers in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 8-4 victory over New York. Betts hit a leadoff homer and an RBI single during Los Angeles’ six-run, eight-hit first inning against Luis Severino. Kershaw was 0-1 in his four previous starts against the Yankees over his 16-year career. Josh Donaldson hit two homers and Giancarlo Stanton also homered in both sluggers' first game back from lengthy injury absences for the Yankees in the opening game of this high-profile interleague series.

Jameson Taillon pitched effectively into the sixth inning, Dansby Swanson homered among his three hits, and the Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 2-1 in the opener of a four-game series. Taillon (1-3), who came in winless over his previous eight starts with an 8.04 ERA, kept the Padres batters off-balance twice through their lineup and earned the win. He gave up three hits and one run in a season-high 5 2/3 innings. Mark Leiter Jr. finished up with a scoreless ninth for his third save. Padres starter Michael Wacha (5-2) struggled with control, issuing five walks in 4 2/3 innings. He gave up two runs and three hits while striking out eight.

Merrill Kelly threw seven strong innings, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. ripped a two-run double and the Arizona Diamondbacks won their season-high sixth game in a row by beating the Atlanta Braves 3-2. It was the first game of a series between two of the top teams in the National League. It’s no surprise the Braves are among that group, but the emergence of the Diamondbacks has caught some by surprise. Arizona is now 12 games over .500 for the first time since 2018 and on a six-game winning streak for the first time since 2020. The Braves have lost five of their past seven.