LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers dropped the opener of their home series against the rival Giants on Friday night, 6–2, at Dodger Stadium. And while the offense couldn’t crack San Francisco ace Logan Webb, most of the postgame attention focused on starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who labored through 4 2/3 innings before handing things over to the bullpen.
Manager Dave Roberts didn’t mince words when it came to assessing the right-hander’s performance, suggesting the issue wasn’t a lack of stuff but rather a matter of execution and intent.
“I think tonight he was being a little too fine,” Roberts said postgame. “I think he’s got really good command, but I think tonight he was being a little too edgy for me.”
Yamamoto threw 102 pitches in fewer than five innings, walking four and giving up five runs—though only two were earned—on just three hits. The inflated pitch count, combined with some defensive misplays and poor luck, forced him out of the game earlier than hoped. Still, Roberts praised his effort to battle through a difficult outing.
“To be able to get into the fifth inning given where the pitch count was, the walks—says a lot,” Roberts said. “To only have to use two pitchers tonight puts us in a good spot for the weekend.”
This marks a bit of a downturn for Yamamoto, who dazzled in May but has struggled with efficiency and command in recent starts. When asked whether this trend might be part of a broader pattern, Roberts didn’t hesitate.
“Yeah, I think so,” he said. “Even the balls to the glove side versus right-hand hitters or when he tried to stick one in there versus a right-hand hitter—to miss. The split to be off. I just think that tonight he was just being too fine.”
The Dodgers’ manager wasn’t willing to blame everything on the strike zone, but acknowledged some frustration.
“I do think that there were some balls that were in the strike zone that we didn’t get,” Roberts said. “That certainly flipped counts. But even with that said, he still was too fine for me.”
Despite the recent inconsistency, Roberts remained optimistic about a turnaround.
“It does [give me optimism],” he said when asked if being too fine is something Yamamoto can quickly correct. “I think the stuff is good. He feels good. I still believe the command’s good. I think he was just kind of again being too fine. And I got to think it’s correctable in the sense of, I think it’s just an intent part of it. That’s certainly encouraging.”
The bigger picture looming over Yamamoto’s season is the workload. With 12 more innings, he’ll match last season’s total, and he’s just four starts shy of his 2023 tally in Japan. The Dodgers have closely monitored his usage all year, but with the current state of the rotation, Roberts was clear: Yamamoto will continue to take the ball.
“He’s our best pitcher right now,” Roberts said firmly. “We’re dropping guys in, we’re having open games, so he’s got to take the baseball. We’ve got to get to October. I think we’ve done a very good job of trying to protect all of our pitchers—especially Yoshi—the last couple years, but the adjustment period is already passed. He’s got to take the baseball. There’s just no other way to look at it.”
Yamamoto now has a 0.90 ERA with six days of rest, but a 4.46 ERA when pitching on five days’ rest. While those splits are notable, Roberts didn’t commit to changing his routine.
“That’s a fair question,” he said. “We did it last year and he threw well after that as I recall… He’ll be on an extra [day] the next time. But I don’t know that answer.”
The Dodgers’ bats, meanwhile, couldn’t find rhythm against Logan Webb, who held them to just one run through seven innings. Roberts credited the Giants’ right-hander for executing his game plan effectively.
“Logan was doing what he does,” Roberts said. “He just kind of changes speeds. He doesn’t give in. There’s a cutter, there’s a sweeper in there. The velocity was good tonight… Once they hit the grand slam, then it just gave him a lot more margin right there and he just was on the attack.”
The grand slam Roberts referred to came in the third inning off the bat of Matt Schmitt, effectively breaking open what had been a 1–1 game. The Dodgers didn’t score again until the eighth inning, and never seriously threatened.
One silver lining came from the bullpen, where Justin Wrobleski delivered 3 1/3 strong innings in relief, allowing just one run and helping preserve the rest of the staff for the weekend. Roberts acknowledged his recent uptick in effectiveness.
“His last two [outings] have been very good out of the pen,” Roberts said. “He’s certainly a starter, but for the role—what we need from him right now—is to be efficient. And it seems like out of the pen, the stuff is ticked up. He’s been efficient. He’s going after guys.”
As the Dodgers regroup ahead of Saturday’s contest, all eyes will be on how they bounce back—not just from the loss, but from the mounting questions around Yamamoto’s midseason trajectory. Roberts’ tone made clear: the team still believes in their ace, but October remains the guiding focus.
“He’s got to take the baseball,” Roberts reiterated. “That’s just the reality.”
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