Dodgers Recap: Shortest Start of Yamamoto’s Career Results in LA’s fourth straight loss

MILWAUKEE — Remember Yamamoto’s first start over in Korea? The one that was horrible? Yeah, kinda like that. The day after being named to his first All-Star team, the Dodgers’ high-priced aced pitched like the worst of ham-and-eggers, getting shelled by the Brewers and not even making it out of the first inning. It created a hole that the Dodgers couldn’t climb out of as LA dropped the opener in Cream City by a score of 9 to 1.

Things started quietly enough, with Shohei Ohtani beating out an infield single to third. But that was quickly erased when Freddie Freeman grounded into a double play to end the top of the first. Then came the storm.

Yamamoto gave up a leadoff double to Sal Frelick and never recovered. After a walk and two outs, he grooved a pitch to Andrew Vaughn, who crushed a three-run homer to left-center. From there, it only got worse. A single, another walk, an error by Mookie Betts, and a base hit later, the Brewers were up 5-0 and Yamamoto was being yanked. His final line: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R (3 ER), 2 BB, no strikeouts, and just 41 pitches. Brutal.

Jack Dreyer came in and did a great job mopping things up, retiring seven straight to hold the Brewers in place temporarily. But the Dodgers couldn’t cash in. They had chances—Michael Conforto and James Outman both doubled—but Milwaukee starter Freddy Peralta worked around the trouble, striking out seven in six scoreless innings.

The wheels fell off for good in the fifth, when reliever Will Klein issued a pair of walks sandwiched around a single. Brice Turang followed with a two-run single, and a throwing error by Conforto in left allowed a third runner to take an extra base. Just like that, it was 7–0 Brewers, and the Dodgers were all but done.

Christian Yelich added a two-run homer off Julian Fernández in the seventh to make it 9–0, capping a frustrating night for the Dodgers on both sides of the ball.

The lone bright spot? A small rally in the eighth when Ohtani singled and later scored on a base hit from Esteury Ruiz, his first RBI in a Dodgers uniform. But by then, the game had long been decided.

Offensively, the Dodgers scattered seven hits—including two from Ohtani and one each from Freeman, Smith, Conforto, Outman, and Ruiz—but went just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. Betts and Rojas both went 0-for-4, with Betts also committing his fifth error of the season.

Defensively, the Dodgers looked sloppy, with two throwing errors leading to unearned runs. The infield defense, which has been inconsistent all year, struggled again, especially with Betts out of position at shortstop.

As for Yamamoto, it was a painful reminder of his first MLB start in Seoul—just when it looked like he’d fully turned the corner. Heading into this one, he carried a sparkling 2.51 ERA, but now he’ll limp into the All-Star break at 8–7 with a more pedestrian 2.77 ERA.

This loss drops the Dodgers to 56–36, still comfortably in first place, but a reminder that not every game will be a masterpiece—and not every ace will shine under the spotlight.

Another one to forget. On to the next.

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