Just 25 hours before his team’s biggest game of the season, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was sure of one thing Friday night about his pitching plan for Game 5 of the National League Division Series.
“I’m confident Yoshinobu will be a part of that,” Roberts said Thursday, referring to Game 1 starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was signed in the offseason for $325 million.
The Dodgers then announced that Yamamoto would start Friday’s winner-take-all showdown with the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium, clearing a piece of their pitching plan that could determine the fate of Los Angeles’ 98-win season.
“Overall, I feel very comfortable, similar to the situation with Yoshinobu,” Roberts said earlier in the day.
Teammate Shohei Ohtani added in Japanese, “Personally, I’m really looking forward to seeing how he pitches,” hinting at the possibility of Yamamoto facing fellow Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish.
“There will be pressure,” Ohtani added. “But personally, I’m really looking forward to it.”
Before the announcement, it was unclear whether Yamamoto would start or serve as the opening pitcher, leaving open the possibility that Roberts would once again rely on relief after the Dodgers’ bullpen won 8-0 in Game 4.
The bullpen could still play a key role Friday night, with all top relievers expected to be available after Thursday’s off day. But Yamamoto will get the ball first, carrying the same intense October pressure the Dodgers envisioned when they signed him to a 12-year contract.
When the Dodgers made late changes to their starting rotation for this series last week, they did it with exactly this situation in mind.
After initially announcing that Jack Flaherty, acquired at the trade deadline, would start Game 1, the Dodgers instead moved Yamamoto to the opener and Flaherty to Game 2. The idea was to have both pitchers available for a potential Game 5 and give Yamamoto the standard five-day reprieve. Flaherty said most pitchers typically take four days of rest between starts. I have been following this schedule throughout the season since I arrived from Japan.
However, things changed in the next four games when the Dodgers and Padres split. Not only was Yamamoto crushed in Game 1, giving up five runs in three innings, but he was also thought to be the slant pitch that had plagued him early in his rookie season.
Flaherty, on the other hand, improved slightly in Game 2 and managed to pitch six innings, but lost with four runs.
The Dodgers’ successful bullpen game Wednesday night led to more developments. After watching eight pitchers cover nine dominant innings, Roberts seemed intrigued by the idea of reworking a similar scheme.
“We’re still in discussions,” Roberts said. “I think the main variable is for our (relief) players to go out there today, play catch and see how they feel. That will ultimately determine who is going to be the brunt of the game. We’ll have a little more information as to who’s going to start the game.”
“But what we did last night made us all feel pretty confident going into Game 5,” Roberts added of the bullpen.
Instead, the Dodgers plan to start Yamamoto, confident they have corrected the pitching issues that may have plagued him in Game 1.
“I think the problem is resolved,” Roberts said. “When he’s guilty and attacking hitters with his pitch mix, he’s as good as anyone.”
Yamamoto, 26, who had a stellar career in Japan, struggled at times during his rookie campaign, which wasn’t as smooth as expected.
In his debut game in the season-opening trip to South Korea, he was battered by the Padres, giving up five runs in just one inning.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto reacts after being hit with a two-run home run by San Diego’s Manny Machado in Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
At the time, the Dodgers believed that Yamamoto was slanting his pitches, at least during the stretch, but the problem was fixed by tweaking the position of his glove before pitching, paving the way for steady improvement early in the season. Ta.
Starting in 12 games from March 30th to June 7th, Yamamoto recorded 8 wins, 4 losses, and an ERA of 2.41, with a mid-90s fastball, curveball, slider, and splitter combination in the 9th inning. He averaged over 10 strikeouts.
This performance was achieved on June 7th, when Yamamoto started the game against the New York Yankees held at Yankee Stadium, and pitched 7 scoreless innings, 7 strikeouts, and 2 hits, and averaged a season-best 97 mph with his fastball. was recorded and reached its climax.
However, in Yamamoto’s next outing (delayed several days due to a triceps strain), he lasted only two innings before bowing out with a shoulder injury.
The diagnosis was rotator cuff strain. Yamamoto was placed on the disabled list for the next three months.
He returned in early September and started four games at the end of the season. He had a 3.38 ERA during this period, but only went four innings once.
Then, in Game 1 last Saturday, they allowed three runs in the first inning and two more in the third inning.
“There are a few things that I want to dig into because I think there was something wrong with the glove on the second base side and they gave the ball away,” Roberts said after the game, adding that Padres runners identified Yamamoto’s pitch and relayed it. suggested that he had done so. Sign the batter.
“That’s part of baseball,” Roberts added. “So it’s up to us to clean it up and not give away what pitches he’s going to throw.”
The Dodgers may not need that much length from Yamamoto on Friday night. A deep and versatile bullpen (with Flaherty’s services if needed) beckons behind him.
But they’ll need him to get in shape and continue the staff’s streak of 15 scoreless innings over the last game and a half.
“I think our only focus is finding the best pitcher to prevent us from giving up runs tomorrow,” Roberts said.
Freeman is likely for Game 5, but Rojas is questionable.
Roberts said he does not expect injured shortstop Miguel Rojas (adductor) to be in the starting lineup, but was more optimistic about first baseman Freddie Freeman and his sprained right ankle update. provided.
“I think Freddie will play,” Roberts said after Freeman was ejected early in Games 2 and 3 and did not play in Game 4.
“I didn’t try to prepare yesterday because I had two days off, but I felt better today after getting treatment. So I feel like he’ll be there tomorrow.”
Freeman spent several minutes on the field during Thursday’s workout, doing agility and baserunning drills. He has a thick layer of sputtering tape wrapped around his right ankle, and Freeman said he may use it on Friday.
“We’re trying everything,” he joked.
