Japanese Heritage Night at Dodger Stadium was shaping up to be a disappointment for Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Kyle Tucker delivered walk-off hit that extended their modest two-game winning streak to three games.
Yamamoto labored through a short start but the Dodgers eventually chipped away just enough against a Marlins bullpen that has been susceptible at times this season.
Next for the Dodgers is Shohei Ohtani starting Tuesday on regular rest so that Tyler Glasnow could receive an extra day after being pushed in his last start.
Dodgers 5, Marlins 4: key takeaways
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Yamamoto was not his usual self and it eventually caught up to him in the middle innings. He limited the Marlins to just one run in the fourth inning, but a pair of walks in the fifth led to trouble. Yamamoto was one strike away from escaping more trouble but surrendered a line-drive three-run homer to Liam Hicks that put the Marlins ahead.
Yamamoto set a season high with four walks and the five innings pitched marked his shortest start of 2026. Three of the four runs he allowed were earned.
Dodgers rally late
Singles by Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, though the second of which was more of a gift than hit, led to the Dodgers taking a lead in the bottom of the first inning.
But it was not without nearly squandering the opportunity. Teoscar Hernández’s two-out single drove in both runners after Kyle Tucker had advanced them on a grounder to second base.
Chris Paddack allowed just one other hit in his start that was only four innings. The right-hander entered the night with a 6.38 ERA.
The Dodgers left the bases loaded in the seventh inning when Will Smith grounded out. They also put the first two batters on base in the ninth but only scored one on Ohtani’s ground-rule double.
Pete Fairbanks intentionally walked Freddie Freeman to load the bases after falling behind in the count 3-0. However, he then exited the game due to injury and it was Tyler Phillips who surrendered the two-run walk-off single to Tucker.
The walk-off hit was Tucker’s fourth of his career but first with the Dodgers.
Shohei Ohtani’s hitting streak
Ohtani is now on a three-game hitting streak since snapping an 0-for-12 skid over the weekend. Lulls in Ohtani’s offensive production have prompted questions, if not concern, over his workload as a two-way player.
It’s a factor the Dodgers are monitoring and it’s possible Ohtani will not be in the lineup on Tuesday. Another option manager Dave Roberts said the team is considering is perhaps resting Ohtani in the series finale given the 12:10 p.m. start time.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
