Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto Gets Brutally Honest About Struggles vs Giants

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto was not satisfied with his performance in the Dodgers' loss to the San Francisco Giants Friday evening.

“The way I gave up runs was really bad,” Yamamoto said. “I tried to regain my rhythm and pitch better. I tried to turn the page emotionally. But I wasn’t able to adjust. I didn’t pitch well until the end.”

Yamamoto had a subpar day by his standards, allowing five earned runs through 4.2 innings pitched. He allowed six hits and five walks in the outing and touched 100 pitches for the fourth time this season. With their win, the Giants moved into a tie for first place in the NL West with the Dodgers.

Four of the five runs Yamamoto allowed came in the top of the third inning, when Casey Schmitt hammered a grand slam over the left field wall. All three baserunners received free passes before the home run.

“A game like this, I just need to focus, learn things, and turn something into a positive,” Yamamoto said. “And then get myself ready for the next outing.”

This outing is the most recent in a worrying slump for Yamamoto, who has allowed three or more runs in four of his last eight starts. Since the beginning of May, he has issued 17 walks and has more than doubled his ERA.

Despite his recent spell of inconsistency, Yamamoto is still having a Cy Young-caliber sophomore season. The right hander has made 14 starts this season, posting a 2.64 ERA through 78 innings. He leads the Dodgers in strikeouts by a wide margin, as he is one of two starters to have avoided injury or a trip to the minors, the other being Dustin May.

The Dodgers will hope Yamamoto can learn from his start and return to his early season form in their battle for first place in the NL West. They will face the Giants for the second game in a three-game set Saturday evening at 7:10 p.m. PT.