Yamamoto 'a little bit off' in rematch with Yankees

LOS ANGELES -- Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been the steadiest arm in the Dodgers' rotation. But with his team looking to sweep the Yankees in a rematch of the World Series, the 26-year-old right-hander faltered.

Yamamoto labored through 3 2/3 innings against the Yankees, giving up four runs as the Dodgers fell, 7-3, on Sunday at Dodger Stadium. He allowed a season-high seven hits and walked three against a pair of strikeouts in an uncharacteristic start on the mound.

"Just a little bit off. Execution wasn’t Yoshi-like," catcher Will Smith said. "Not getting strike one, not putting guys away with two strikes. It happens. And I expect him to come into his next start dialed in like normal.”

It was the first time in 12 starts this season that Yamamoto did not complete five innings. He has been the workhorse of a rotation that has pitched the fewest innings in the Majors, leading the Dodgers with seven of their 16 starts of six-plus frames.

In his previous start at Cleveland, Yamamoto dealt with a minor hip issue that affected his mechanics. He said his spotty command on Sunday didn't have anything to do with his health.

“My condition was good. It was not bothering me at all," Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. "And I was able to get into the game without any issues."

Two of Yamamoto's signature performances from his rookie year were against the Yankees. The first took place on June 7, 2024, with a masterful seven scoreless innings at Yankee Stadium. The other came with much higher stakes: Game 2 of the World Series, when Yamamoto spun 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball.

But the Bronx Bombers solved Yamamoto for the first time on Sunday. Yamamoto said he felt that his command was off from the beginning, but he couldn't find the right in-game adjustment to get a handle on his stuff.

It began with a 28-pitch first inning, when Yamamoto gave up a run on a pair of walks and a pair of base hits. The Dodgers had the chance to end the inning two batters earlier, just after Jasson Domínguez got the Yankees on the board with a two-out RBI single, but an Andy Pages throwing error and a Kiké Hernández dropped catch at second base extended the inning.

Yamamoto wasn't able to get his pitch count in shape from there, and he gave up another three runs in the third. He walked Aaron Judge before serving up a two-run blast to Ben Rice, then allowed another run to score when he spiked a splitter well in front of the plate with runners on the corners.

Sitting at 96 pitches with two outs in the fourth, Yamamoto didn't get the chance to face Rice a third time.

"He wasn’t great today. Wasn’t sharp with any of his pitches. Really uncharacteristic," manager Dave Roberts said. "That first inning certainly got the pitch count up. Right around that 90-pitch mark through four innings. There’s just not much benefit to continuing to push him right there. He certainly didn’t feel good today. You’ve just got to wash this one today."

After combining to score 26 runs through the first two games of the series, Los Angeles was held to three in the finale. With Yamamoto off his game, the Dodgers' bats were similarly out of whack against Yankees starter Ryan Yarbrough -- who received his 2024 World Series ring on Friday.

Yarbrough stymied his former team for six innings, surrendering a lone run on a Tommy Edman homer in the second. The Dodgers found some late life when Pages and Max Muncy slugged solo shots off reliever Jonathan Loáisiga in the seventh, but could not come all the way back.

As much as they would have liked to complete the sweep, the Dodgers still took two of three from one of the top teams in the American League -- and one they could feasibly see again down the road, if they make it back to the Fall Classic. They did so without one of their key lineup cogs in Mookie Betts, who is gradually improving after fracturing one of his toes last week.

As their challenging stretch of series against competitive teams continues, the Dodgers feel that they're in a pretty good spot, all things considered.

"I think at the end of the day," Roberts said, "you keep winning series and things will take care of themselves."