Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers are looking for some kind of reset seemingly every game now, and it’s just not coming. They got behind early and then came back, only for the pen to blow it again in an 9-4 loss to the Mets.
That’s six losses in their last eight games, and another one over the next two days would make it four series in the last five.
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto showed what his off-speed stuff looked like for the most part today in the 1st, getting a 1-2-3 frame on just nine pitches. However, dreams of a pristine start collapsed soon after when DJ Stewart jumped on a fastball for a homer, Will Smith made a throwing error on a roller in front of the plate, and that was cashed in on a single from Harrison Bader on a two-strike fastball to make it 2-0.
The 3rd saw him get in more trouble, as a lead-off walk was followed by a double on another two-strike fastball. A Pete Alonso single (with two strikes) and a Stewart sacrifice fly (with two strikes) cashed both of those runners in to push the lead to 4-0.
A recurring theme, traffic came in the 4th as well due to a one-out double and single (both with two strikes), but back-to-back strikeouts ended the threat. He then just gave up a single (with two strikes) over the next two innings, as he got through the 6th.
It was a frustrating outing because the Mets didn’t really have his off-speed solved and he got into a ton of great counts, but ended up surrendering six hits, a walk, and a sacrifice fly on two-strike counts. That’s basically all the damage. Not sure if the adjustment is in pitch selection, execution, better luck, or all of the above, but Yamamoto’s talent doesn’t seem optimized right now.
6 IP, 7 H, 4 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 9 K, 99 Pitches
Yoshinobu Yamamoto's nine strikeouts. Lots of off-speed instead of forcing fastballs in the zone. Hmm. pic.twitter.com/rJVCqg8dZF
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) April 20, 2024
On the other end was Sean Manaea, who did well but whom the Dodgers eventually started chipping away against. He allowed just a single and a walk through three scoreless, but in the 4th a lead-off walk to Shohei Ohtani was eventually cashed in. With two down, Ohtani took second on a steal and Teoscar Hernandez poked a single to right to make it 4-1.
After Ohtani steals second, Teoscar comes through with a single to score him. No shutout! pic.twitter.com/HczELiG0Vr
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) April 20, 2024
The 5th saw further chipping happen, as an Andy Pages double and Chris Taylor walk put a couple on with two down for Ohtani, and he came through with RISP with a single to make it 4-2.
Ohtani back in business with RISP. pic.twitter.com/ia7JJK65nj
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) April 20, 2024
Manaea exited after five and things fell apart a bit for the Mets, at least defensively. An error on Joey Wendle allowed Will to reach, and a one-out throwing error from Wendle allowed Enrique Hernandez a base to put a pair of runners on. Pages then leaned into a ball to load the bases, and after a strikeout, Taylor singled to left to break his 0-for-31 streak and tie the game at 4-4.
CT3's 0-for-31 streak is over as he singles with the bases loaded to tie things up. pic.twitter.com/e9KCvz7k41
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) April 20, 2024
That didn’t last long, as Daniel Hudson entered for the 7th, Mookie Betts made an error on a routine throw and then Francisco Lindor destroyed a hanging slider to make it 6-4.
Joe Kelly basically ended the game in the 8th, loading the bases on a pair of singles and a walk, then giving up a single to Starling Marte to make it an 8-4 game.
Ryan Brasier certainly didn’t help things in the 9th, giving up a single, steal, and a Stewart single for another run to make it 9-4. Another single cornered the runners, but he managed to get out of that trouble at least.
Didn’t matter a whole lot, as after stranding a double and a catcher’s interference in the 7th, the Dodgers did nothing in the 8th and got just a couple of walks in the 9th.
Not great.
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12-10 and creeping closer to .500.
The two teams play early tomorrow at 10:05 AM HT/1:05 PM PT/4:05 PM ET on FS1, with Gavin Stone matching up against Jose Butto. Don’t know who that is, so expecting to be shutout.
