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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a Jekyll-and-Hyde night against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, May 12.
The World Series MVP was aiming to help the Dodgers break out of their three-game losing streak, though the offense failed to come alive during his start.
He only got two runs and three hits from the Dodgers in terms of support, meaning he was going to need to be perfect for a win.
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Through the first eight batters, it looked like Yamamoto was on his way to a gem, getting out all eight in clean fashion, but it was the No. 9 hole hitter, Eric Hasse, who got hold of a pitch and hit it out of the park.
It was one of two home runs for Hasse, who ended up hitting another off Yamamoto the second time around.
Additionally, the only other errant pitch came against Harrison Bader, who has been slumping hard with a .136, who got on the board with a home run.
Yamamoto, other than the three home runs, only gave up six hits, but ended up being charged with five runs, with the other two coming on the two base-runners that he stranded.
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Blake Trenein came in and surrendered two hits that cashed both in and added for good measure.
The positives for Yamamoto
It will be hard for someone as self-critical as Yamamoto to see much progress, but his stuff looked sharp, and he seemed to tighten up his pitching delivery, allowing him to gain more control.
Additionally, he avoided any first-inning damage, which tends to be a bugaboo for Yamamoto. He threw six different pitch types in the first to avoid it, and the approach paid off.
He got 30 called strikes and whiffs out of 93 pitches, showing that his stuff was indeed better.
When is Yamamoto’s next start?
His next start should come on Monday against the San Diego Padres. It will be a series opener against a divisional rival, who are poised to be the Dodgers’ biggest competition for the National League West.
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If he keeps sharpening his stuff as the season progresses, Yamamoto is still poised for a serious Cy Young push.
