In his last four outings, he has recorded a 5.18 ERA.
During his latest game, he managed to hit three home runs, which marks the first time he’s accomplished this in either the majors or while playing in Japan.
However, the statistics tell a somewhat misleading story.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is gearing up.
After an impressive stint in last year’s playoffs, he’s anticipated to deliver performances that align with expectations for someone in the running for the Cy Young Award.
“It’s almost here,” Yamamoto remarked in Japanese.
His recent match against the San Francisco Giants didn’t go well; he allowed a season-high five runs over 6 1/3 innings.
This dropped his record to 3-3, and his ERA swelled to 3.60.
Yet, the results didn’t accurately capture how well he pitched.
In the 6-2 defeat, Yamamoto unleashed his fastest pitches of the season, with one fastball reaching 98.0 mph. His average fastball velocity was a season-high at 96.7 mph, which is a notable increase from just a few games ago.
“My pitching has improved significantly,” he noted.
Yamamoto expressed satisfaction with the feel of his splitter, which resulted in seven swings and misses. He came into the game carrying a 7.71 ERA, but started strong by shutting down the first eight batters he faced.
“I thought he pitched really effectively from the start,” commented manager Dave Roberts.
Roberts noted that he doesn’t see any parallels between this current four-start slump and a similar one last season.
Last year, when the season began on June 1st, he had a 2-4 record across seven games with an ERA of 4.39.
“It feels much better than it did then,” Yamamoto reflected.
On the recent loss to the Giants, he shared, “Given that we lost, I can’t say much about my pitching today, but I think it was a fine line between winning and losing.”
On a positive note, he kept the Giants to just four hits in the first six innings. Unfortunately, three of those hits were home runs.
Two of those long balls were hit by catcher Eric Haas, the No. 9 batter on the league’s least prolific team. The other came from Harrison Bader, the No. 8 hitter.
Yamamoto indicated, “If I had been a bit more cautious, I believe the outcome would have been different. It’s a fundamental aspect of pitching, and addressing that will contribute to my growth.”
The home runs served as a significant reminder that he was competing at a higher level than he experienced in the Japanese league.
As Roberts phrased it, “A major league hitter is a major league hitter.”
Haase’s initial home run in the third inning was a cutter that he hit right down the middle.
Yamamoto felt disappointed about conceding back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning, especially since the Dodgers had just taken the lead following some action from Shohei Ohtani after a previous slump.
As he took to the mound in the seventh, a leadoff double by Heriot Ramos prompted manager Roberts to act when Willie Adames subsequently singled, putting Ramos on third. A strong lineout from rookie Bryce Eldridge led Roberts to call in Blake Treinen to take over.
Treinen allowed the two inherited runners to score, and the Giants extended their lead from 3-2 to 6-2.
The Dodgers faced their 14th loss in 23 games, yet Yamamoto appeared optimistic about future improvements.
“I know exactly what I did wrong,” he said.
Once he identifies an issue, he typically reflects on how to adjust. He managed to do that in Japan and in his first two years with the Dodgers.
His upcoming start will be crucial, taking place on Monday as they kick off a series against the San Diego Padres—currently leading the Dodgers by half a game in the National League West.
Yamamoto should be prepared.
