Last week, Yoshinobu Yamamoto looked nearly unstoppable following his long-awaited return from the injured list.
In Monday night’s match at Truist Park, the rookie Japanese right-hander had to put on an unbroken performance.
The leadoff man reached base in all four of Yamamoto's innings against the Atlanta Braves. All four times, he eventually reached third.
But, in the Dodgers’ 9-0 win that split the four-game series, Yamamoto managed to escape each jam, pitching four scoreless innings in another encouraging sign for his October prospects.
“It wasn't as sharp in terms of command as his first game, but he made the pitch when he needed to,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I really liked the way he navigated.”
Yamamoto did not look as effective on Monday as he did in last week’s game against the Chicago Cubs when he returned from injury, striking out eight batters and allowing just one run in his first game in three months after suffering a rotator cuff injury.
Against the Braves, Yamamoto didn't replicate his near-perfect fastball command, but did contribute a couple of walks in the first inning. He threw more off-speed pitches, which routinely put him behind in the count. He averaged just 95-96 mph with his heater, down slightly from his adrenaline-fueled return six days earlier, while giving up four hits (three of them for extra bases).
Still, whenever his back was against the wall, Yamamoto would find a way to respond.
“I just focused on one batter at a time. And I stayed calm,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter.
With runners on the corners in the first inning, he induced a weak ground ball to end the inning. After Sean Murphy's leadoff double in the second inning and Ramon Laureano's leadoff triple in the fourth inning, Yamamoto retired three consecutive batters.
The $325 million offseason signing only needed some help in the third. After Michael Harris II's leadoff single, Jorge Soler hit a double to deep center, with Harris trying to score from first. However, from second base, Kiké Hernández made a perfect tumbling relay throw to the plate, completing a half front flip to knock down Harris in the momentum-shifting sequence.
“The throw was unbelievable,” Roberts said. “It was a tough throw. It was a tough play.”
While batting, the Dodgers were on full blast, scoring nine runs on just four hits, walking seven times and going three for seven with runs scored.
Miguel Rojas scored on a leadoff walk in the third after avoiding a double-play at third base, stealing third and then getting a nice jump on a wild pitch from Braves starter Max Fried.
Tommy Edman and Rojas both scored in the fifth inning by hitting a double and single, respectively, to start the frame.
Next, the Dodgers scored six points against Atlanta's bullpen in the seventh, playing more small ball, until Freddie Freeman blew the game open with a three-run homer over the short wall down the left field line.
The Dodgers (89-61) are 3½ games ahead of the second-place San Diego Padres in the National League West and have the magic number 9 to win the division crown.
But more importantly, it offered another blueprint for how they can potentially win games in October, and the team will almost certainly need that Yamamoto-led template to make a serious showing in the World Series.
The Dodgers have several injured players on their pitching staff. Will this allow Shohei Ohtani to become a pitching hero in the playoffs?
“It’s a great achievement,” Roberts said of Yamamoto’s return to the club. “He knows how valuable he is. [he is] And what he means to our ballclub. And he's done well. So now these last two starts [he will make in the regular season]I feel good that we’ve got a good foundation. We’re almost to the point where we can let him go.”
Even Yamamoto has his limits.
He’s still in build-up mode, limited to just 72 pitches on Monday, as he continues to regain stamina following his time on the IL.
He has also been highly selective in his use of the slider — a pitch that caused him arm trouble while playing in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League — throwing it just three times on Monday while using more cutters instead (though he said Monday that he’s not intentionally avoiding it).
Before the game, Roberts also confirmed that Yamamoto would not pitch on the regular four days' rest in any of his remaining regular season starts; the practice of five days or more off between starts that he was accustomed to in Japan would continue. It is unlikely that Yamamoto, who has not pitched on four days' rest all season, will do so in the playoffs either.
“We're in this situation,” Roberts said. “We've got to figure out how to keep him fresh, sharp and ready, number one. Then number two, fill in the pieces. Shoot, I'd love to have four guys who can go on short rest or regular rest. But that's not possible.”
In fact, the Dodgers pitching staff isn’t in the shape they hoped it would be at the moment.
Tyler Glasnow's season is over due to an elbow sprain. Gavin Stone is almost certain to be out due to shoulder inflammation, though he still plans to start playing catcher again this week. Clayton Kershaw's status is also unclear as he continues to deal with his toe injury.
But the Dodgers still have Jack Flaherty, their top trade deadline acquisition. They're optimistic about Walker Buehler, a tested postseason pitcher who has looked better in recent weeks. And most of all, they have Yamamoto, who backed up his big comeback from injury with an equally auspicious, if not equally impressive, second act.
“Playing strong for four innings and coming out of that adversity probably boosted their confidence and ours,” Freeman said. “It's a good end to the series and it's boosted the confidence of everybody here.”
Austin Barnes on the injured list
As expected, backup catcher Austin Barnes was placed on the injured list on Monday after fracturing his left toe the previous night. This is the second time in the past two months that Barnes has fractured his toe, but the Dodgers are hopeful he will be able to return before the end of the regular season.
Triple-A catcher Hunter Feduccia was called up Monday in Barnes' place.
“I'm hoping it's one of those things that, given his role, if we can calm it down, keep it at bay we can get him back in 16 days,” Roberts said. “Hopefully it's not the end of the season for him.”