The Los Angeles Dodgers got back in the win column with a 4-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday, propelled by another strong start from Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The right-hander allowed one run on seven hits and collected seven strikeouts in six innings of work. After giving up a run in the second, he finished his outing by throwing four consecutive scoreless innings, despite a high pitch count.
“Through four, it was pretty high up there,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I think it was right around 75 pitches through four. And then the last two innings, I thought he did a really nice job of getting strike one, and they were swinging and he got some early outs.
“It was good to see him get that last hitter with the tying run at the plate, so to see him get Montero on that ground ball to Mookie was huge.
“I thought the fastball was commanded really well tonight. I thought the split was good at times. And the curveball usage picked up those last couple innings. It was good to see him get through six.”
Yamamoto appears to have settled in after starting his Dodgers career on a rough note. “Seamlessly. He’s doing great,” Roberts said of Yamamoto’s comfort level with the team.
“I think he’s very comfortable, very confident. I think that we were fortunate in the sense that he just trusted us from the beginning. And he has a good support group, he’s learning the league, he’s in a good routine, good rhythm, and he’s pitching really well.”
Yamamoto allowed five runs and lasted just one inning in his MLB debut against the San Diego Padres in South Korea. Since then, he has looked more like the pitcher who won a plethora of accolades in Japan.
Yamamoto improved to 6-2 on the season with his gem against the Rockies. He has posted a 3.32 ERA, 2.70 FIP, 1.12 WHIP and 10.5 strikeouts per nine in 65 innings pitched through 12 starts.
Yamamoto has allowed two or fewer runs in seven of his appearances with the Dodgers, four of which were scoreless. He also continues to provide more length with each start as he thew a season-high 101 pitches against the Rockies.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto working to expand pitch mix
After a solid start against the Arizona Diamondbacks last month, Roberts praised Yamamoto for the deep pitch mix he uses to keep opposing batters guessing all game.
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