After the two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani tried to steal a base on his own during the Dodgers’ 5-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, it disappointed Dave Roberts. His questionable baserunning decision prompted the manager to say it was “not a good baseball play.” The following night, after the Dodgers’ 7-4 loss to the cross-town rivals, Roberts called out another Japanese phenom for his underwhelming performance. The $325 million All-Star hurler recorded one of his worst major league starts against the Los Angeles Angels.
The club has seen two consecutive losses in the span of 48 hours, and now, Roberts was visibly frustrated in his postgame appearance. Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave up a leadoff home run to Zach Neto, and to make matters worse, he allowed two runs on two hits and two walks in the first inning itself.
The 26-year-old did try to tone it down in the next three innings. However, the Angels still managed to get the best of him by the fifth inning. They scored four more runs, and just like that, the Japanese pitcher couldn’t make it out of the fifth inning, allowing a career-high six runs across 4 2/3 innings.
Jun 4, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws in the outfield before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
In the post-game media interaction, when Roberts was asked about Yamamoto’s outing, he didn’t hold back, saying, “You know, I thought he just—like he mentioned, I don’t think that he had his best stuff tonight.”
But he didn’t stop at that. The skipper added, “I don’t think that he had his best command and it seemed like, you know, from the outset it obviously they came out really aggressive, swinging the bats early but he just couldn’t and you know, when he did get count leverage, you know, he left pitches elevated. But again, he just didn’t have his best stuff tonight.” The thing is, the first seven batters of the fifth inning made it to base—four with singles and one after being hit by a pitch.
The Angels scored four runs, including the two that came on Mike Trout’s single. After Yamamoto walked five batters with two outs, Roberts had to pull him out. This marks the most runs he has yielded in his MLB career spanning 41 games.
It’s been a fortnight since the 2024 World Series Champions were at the top spot of the NL West standings. But now, unfortunately, the Dodgers are fighting hard to stay ahead in the divisional race. After losing to the Blue Jays, they hoped to come back stronger in Anaheim. Little did they expect that Yamamoto would turn in one of his worst starts.
Dodgers ace opens up about his outing against the Angels
After an underwhelming outing, Yamamoto broke his silence on how the game spiraled. Via his translator, he admitted, “As the game went on, I was trying to make a few adjustments, but unfortunately I didn’t make them,” while speaking with SportsNet LA.
Yamamoto added, “As I was going to the game… my stuff wasn’t that bad. But unfortunately, I started giving up runs before I found my rhythm.” The right-hander was confident about his stuff entering the game. But by the time he found his footing, it was too late. He had already allowed six runs to the Angels in 4 2/3 innings. However, it wasn’t all bad for the Dodgers. Ohtani recorded his 100th home run at Angels Stadium. As legendary as that moment was, the Dodgers couldn’t stack their winning odds with that milestone.
On the other hand, Angels’ Neto had a stunning night. He dominated the Dodgers, reaching base five times, recording two home runs, and giving his club the lead to secure the 7-4 win. His offense proved to be too much for Yamamoto.
However, it was a rare stumble for the All-Star hurler. Overall, he has had a decent season, except for a misstep against the Brewers last month. Otherwise, he’s been one of the most reliable arms in the Dodgers’ roster. Do you think he will bounce back in Tuesday’s game against the Angels?
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