Dodgers 5, Reds 2: Yoshinobu Yamamoto sets career high in whiffs to put Dodgers back in the win column

Chad Moriyama 07/28/2025 Game Recaps Leave A Comment

After dropping two of the three series after the All-Star break, the Dodgers got the series against the Reds off to a great start behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto‘s seven dominant innings and the return of timely hitting in a 5-2 win.

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The game started much better than yesterday for the offense, as Mookie Betts began with a double off Reds starter Chase Burns, then Shohei Ohtani had a productive out to move him over, and Teoscar Hernandez grounded a single for a 1-0 lead. That’s as many hits with RISP as they had all of yesterday.

That didn’t last long, as Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave up a one-out single and then a walk in the 1st, got screwed out of a strikeout to the next batter, and immediately gave up a single on the next pitch to load the bases. Old friend Gavin Lux tied the game at 1-1 by getting a groundout, and Yamamoto barely escaped a worse fate thanks to a nice play in left by Michael Conforto.

After the early exchange of runs, both pitchers then settled in a bit. Burns gave up just a walk in the 2nd and a single in the 4th, while Yamamoto had a more adventurous time due to his defense. After he got a clean 2nd, he was greeted with a lead-off double in the 3rd. Yamamoto then got a strikeout and seemed to get a second out on a flyball, but Conforto just didn’t make the play for a “single” to corner the runners.

Thankfully, he locked in and got a strikeout and a popout to end the inning — despite a delayed steal putting a pair in scoring position — then got a clean 4th as well.

Fortunately it was Burns who relented first in the 5th, as Miguel Rojas led off with a hustle double, and with one-out Mookie singled to corner the runners. Shohei took advantage of the chance by rifling a double to center to drive them both in and make it 3-1.

Now pitching with the lead, Yamamoto continued with a clean 5th to make it eight batters retired in a row. After he made it 10 to start the 6th, he walked a batter before finishing with by retiring the last four.

Yamamoto was dominant and set a career-high in whiffs at 21: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 9 K, 101 Pitches.

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Meanwhile, the offense was adding on insurance, though it wasn’t a smooth ride.

The 6th was a bit of a mess, as Conforto reached on a one-out strikeout that got past the catcher, Hyeseong Kim reached on an error that cornered the runners, but Rojas had a safety squeeze spoiled as Burns’ last batter, and the Dodgers ended up getting nothing.

The 7th started with a Mookie walk and steal, an Ohtani walk, and back-to-back singles from Teoscar and Freddie Freeman to push the lead to 5-1.

That’s where the scoring ended, as while they got a one-out single to load the bases later, nothing came of it. Same for the 8th, as a double play between a hit batter and walk killed a potential rally.

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Thankfully, the Dodgers had only two innings to cover thanks to Yamamoto, so it was Alex Vesia for a scoreless 8th with just a walk allowed.

In the 9th it was the return of Blake Treinen, which wasn’t pretty, as he labored through 25 pitches. He got two outs, but gave up two singles and two walks, leaving with the bases loaded and the score 5-2.

Thus, Jack Dreyer was forced to enter for the save, and he got behind 2-0 but got a grounder to end the madness.

Way too exciting.

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Ohtani and Elly De La Cruz bromance.

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NL WestRecordGB
Dodgers62-45–
Padres57-49*4.5
Giants54-52*7.5

The two teams will do it again tomorrow at the same time of 1:10 PM HT/4:10 PM PT/7:10 PM ET. It’ll be Tyler Glasnow looking to continue his run of success against Nick Lodolo.

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