Yamamoto looks – Yoshinobu Yamamoto enters Saturday night’s start at Dodger Stadium with a 0.93 ERA over his past three outings and a two-thing fix in mind: the first inning and the long ball. Last year’s Freeway Series began with him surrendering a career-high six earned runs
LOS ANGELES — Yoshinobu Yamamoto is carrying a quiet kind of momentum into Saturday night, the kind that shows up when results keep stacking up even if the feel for his pitches still isn’t perfect.
In his first start of June, he’ll face an Angels team that handed him the worst start of his big league career last year—an opening they hope won’t repeat themselves in the Freeway Series rematch at Dodger Stadium.
Most recently, Yamamoto ended May on a strong note. He matched his MLB career high with 10 strikeouts in his last start, and he’s been as sharp as his numbers suggest over the last three outings. Heading into Saturday night, he has a 0.93 ERA, allowing two earned runs across 19 1/3 innings.
That run matters because last year’s first matchup against this division opponent turned into something much harder to shake. During the Freeway Series last August. Yamamoto made his first start against the Angels and was tagged for a career-high six earned runs at Angel Stadium. This time. he’s going to be looking for a different outcome with the hitters who did the most damage expected to be in the Angels lineup—Zach Neto. who went 2-for-2 including a home run. and Mike Trout. who went 1-for-2 with two RBIs.
Yamamoto’s recent stretch also lines up with the two issues that have lingered for him this season: the first inning and the long ball. In back-to-back starts, he limited the recurring problems. He didn’t surrender a first-inning run or a home run in either outing.
The season totals show how much those early and explosive damage points have mattered. Seven of the 22 earned runs Yamamoto has allowed this season have come in the first inning. Through 11 starts, he has allowed nine homers—compared with 14 homers through 30 starts last year.
Even with the improvement, there’s still a bit of unfinished business in how he’s talking about his own stuff. He doesn’t seem fully satisfied with his feel, but the results have continued to arrive anyway.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts put it plainly last week. “These guys, the good ones, the really good ones, know how to get Major League hitters out when they don’t have their best stuff,” Roberts said. “And for the most part, you don’t always have your A-stuff every outing.”
The story heading into Saturday is simple in outline: Yamamoto has found a groove, the Angels’ most dangerous bats from last year are set to be there again, and the question is whether the fixes—no early runs, no long-ball trouble—hold up in real time at Dodger Stadium.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto Dodgers Angels Freeway Series Dave Roberts MLB strikeouts ERA Zach Neto Mike Trout
0.93 ERA is wild, Trout about to get shut down huh.
I swear they said last year he got crushed by Angels and now he’s “fixed it”?? First inning and long ball sounds like like my ex excuses. Let’s see if he can actually stop them before the 3rd inning.
Am I the only one confused like… career-high six earned runs but now it’s only 2 earned runs in 19.1 innings like that’s basically nothing? also why does the article keep saying “feel” like pitchers just wake up better? Dodgers gotta score too.
Yamamoto redemption arc?? sounds good but I don’t trust it. Angels always seem to find a way to hit one homer and ruin the whole start, especially Trout. And Zach Neto dude is always getting on base somehow. If he gives up a first-inning run I’m already calling it “here we go again” lol.