TORONTO (Interstat) — Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered six dominant innings and Alex Freeland drove in two runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers continued their strong start to the season with a 4-1 victory over the struggling Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night at Rogers Centre.

A crowd of 40,971 watched the Dodgers, now winners of four straight, improve to 9-2. Toronto fell to 4-7 with its fifth consecutive defeat.

The most critical juncture of the game came in the bottom of the seventh inning. With the Dodgers leading 3-1, the Blue Jays mounted their most serious threat. Kazuma Okamoto led off with a double and Ernie Clement followed with a bunt single, putting runners on the corners with no outs. A walk to pinch-hitter Davis Schneider loaded the bases, bringing the potential tying run to the plate.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts turned to reliever Alex Vesia, who escaped the inherited jam. Vesia got Andrés Giménez to fly out to shallow left field, not deep enough to score the run. He then struck out catcher Brandon Valenzuela swinging. Blake Treinen entered and induced a flyout from George Springer to right field, stranding all three runners and preserving the two-run lead. The Blue Jays went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base.

Yamamoto (2-1) earned the win, allowing one run on five hits over six innings. He struck out six and walked none, showcasing the form that has solidified the top of the Dodgers’ rotation. The right-hander has now logged three consecutive quality starts.

The Dodgers provided him with early support against Toronto starter Kevin Gausman (0-1). In the third, Hyeseong Kim led off with a double and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Freeland. Shohei Ohtani followed with a single to right field to score Kim. Ohtani was later forced out at second on a grounder by Will Smith, which allowed Freeland to cross the plate.

Freeland, the Dodgers’ rookie second baseman, was a catalyst all night. He extended the lead to 3-0 in the fifth, lining an RBI single to right that scored Kim, who had walked. Freeland finished a perfect 3 for 3 with a double, an RBI, two runs scored and a sacrifice bunt.

Toronto’s lone run came in the sixth. Giménez singled and moved to second on a groundout. Springer then doubled down the right-field line to plate Giménez, cutting the deficit to 3-1.

The Dodgers added an insurance run in the ninth against reliever Jeff Hoffman. Freeland reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error by Valenzuela. After an intentional walk to Ohtani, Kyle Tucker lined an RBI single to right, scoring Freeland.

Edwin Díaz closed the door in the ninth for his fourth save, striking out three batters around a walk and a single. He fanned pinch-hitter Tyler Heineman swinging to end the game.

Gausman took the loss, charged with three runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out five but was outdueled by Yamamoto. The Blue Jays’ bullpen of Louis Varland, Mason Fluharty and Hoffman combined for 3 2/3 innings of one-run relief.

The Dodgers’ win defied the high-scoring projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast an 8-3 final. The total of five runs also went under the betting over/under line of 7.5.

The two teams conclude their three-game series Wednesday afternoon at Rogers Centre. The Dodgers will then return home to open a series with the Texas Rangers on Friday, while the Blue Jays will host the Minnesota Twins to start a weekend set.