Dodgers Recap: Yoshi and Mookie lead the way to the NLDS!

CHAVEZ RAVINE — Bring on the Phillies! The Dodgers, not playing a clean game by any means, nevertheless came up with a winner, taking Game 2 of this Best-of-Three matchup from the Reds by a score of 8-4 and advancing to yet another NLDS. Here’s how it all went down.

Things got off to a decidedly rocky start for Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the top of the first, which cost him a couple of runs and a dozen valuable pitches. First, with one out he hit Spencer Steer with a pitch. Then, after Gavin Lux hit into a fielder’s choice for the second out, disaster struck. Austin Hays hit a fly ball to shallow right. It was a little but of a tough play, but very catchable for Teoscar Hernandez. Instead, Hernandez watched the ball clank off his glove and bounce into foul territory, allowing both baserunners to score. Doh! Teo giveth on Tuesday, Teo taketh away on Wednesday. So, before they hit the bat rack, the Dodgers were in a 0-2 hole.

However the pain was short-lived. By the bottom of the fourth, the Dodgers were back on top. Mookie Betts hit a run scoring single in the third to get the Dodgers on the board, and then the Dodgers got clutch hits from Kike Hernandez and Miguel Rojas to claw back into the lead in the fourth.

After trading zeroes in the fifth, there was a major gut check for Yamamoto in the top of the sixth. Clinging to a 3-2 lead, Yamamoto gave up three straight singles that loaded up the bases with nobody out. Yikes. That is usually a run expectancy of 2+ runs. But that’s for everyone not named Yoshinobu Yamamoto. First, a weak ground ball to short that Mookie scooped up and fired home for the first out. Then, rookie power threat Sal Stewart dug in. The kid was overmatched. After taking a ball, he swung at three straight pitches below the zone. K. Two away. Then came rising star Elly De La Cruz, hitting from his strong side, as a lefty. He put up a better fight, fouling off three straight pitches, but in the end, he too fell victim to Yamamoto’s nasty splitter. Strikeout. Inning over. Crisis averted. Whew! Dude’s a stud, man.

Finally, in the bottom of the sixth, the Dodgers’ hitters decided to reward their ace with a few runs. Kike Hernandez started things off with a single and moved to second on a productive out from Miguel Rojas. Then, they got a little help from the Reds defense when first baseman Sal Stewart’s throwing error on a Ben Rortvedt grounder put runners on the corners with one out. Then it was time for the top of the order to deliver. Shohei Ohtani ripped a run-scoring single into right. Mookie Betts doubled home Rortvedt. Finally, it was Teoscar’s turn to make amends for his first inning error. He ripped a double to left center to drive in Betts and Ohtani. Just like that, it was 7-2 Dodgers and reliever Nick Martinez‘s evening was over. It was a glorious follow-up to a gutsy pitching performance.

Yamamoto earned the win and every bit of the ovation he got when Dave Roberts came to get him in the seventh after a walk and a two-out free pass extended the inning. Blake Treinen needed one pitch to slam that door with a routine grounder. The lone real hiccup came in the eighth when Emmet Sheehan struggled with feel, allowing two runs on a walk, a single, and a wild pitch. That brought the tying run to the plate with one out and the heart of the Reds’ order lurking.

Enter Alex Vesia, who shoved. He fanned Will Benson, fought through a walk to load the bases, then froze TJ Friedl to end the threat. That called-strike three was a knife. In October, outs with traffic matter more, and Vesia delivered a high-leverage bridge that preserved the cushion.

For the ninth, Roki Sasaki made his postseason debut at Dodger Stadium look simple. Three batters, two strikeouts, and a soft liner that Mookie Betts snared at short to end it. Electric is the only word. It was a tidy reminder of how dangerous this staff can be when the pieces line up: Yamamoto’s command and poise at the front, Treinen’s “one-and-done” sinker to stop a rally, Vesia’s left-on-left teeth, and Sasaki’s pure stuff to close. Even with a couple of defensive wobbles and Sheehan’s blip, the pitching held the line: 13 strikeouts, six hits allowed, and only two earned runs.

Cincinnati deserved credit for its fight. Stewart drove in three and swiped a bag. Friedl and Steer both squared balls up in the sixth to put real heat on the Dodgers before Yamamoto snuffed it out. But Los Angeles kept answering. Every time the Reds nudged the door, the Dodgers slammed it with a pitch, a play, or a gapper.

A few numbers tell the story. The Dodgers went 6-for-18 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11, a sign of steady traffic all night. They piled up extra-base hits in the right moments, with Betts’ two doubles the biggest swings of the game outside of Teoscar’s two-run shot to the alley. Yamamoto threw 113 pitches, 77 for strikes, and generated nine punchouts against an aggressive lineup while giving up zero earned runs. That’s ace work in a closeout game.

Most importantly, the job is done. Two up, two down, and the Dodgers advance to the National League Division Series. There’s time to reset the bullpen, line up the rotation, and tighten a couple of small things on defense before the next round. Tonight was about handling the Reds, feeding off a loud home crowd, and letting their stars be stars. Betts did that at the plate and in the field. Yamamoto did it from the mound. The supporting cast filled in the rest.

October waits for no one. The Dodgers are moving on. Philadelphia awaits. Let’s do this.

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