Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gives honest opinion on Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s outing in disastrous 9-1 loss

These days, when the LA Dodgers are losing, they are losing by big margins, and even Yoshinobu Yamamoto's presence couldn't change that. The Dodgers ace couldn't last one full inning, retiring only two batters before giving up three earned runs on five hits and two walks against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had to pull him out and replace the Japanese ace with Jack Dreyer. But the damage was already done as the Brewers only piled more runs as they went on to win the game 9-1.

After the game, Roberts gave his honest assessment of what went wrong with Yamamoto.

"We just couldn't put anything together… this is a time to look at ourselves and be better," Roberts said via SportsnetLA. “I think we went to the well one too many times with the slider.

“He’s usually pretty good about finding his way out of it, or minimizing some damage to kind of reset and get back out there and give us a little bit more length,” he added. “But today it just didn’t happen.”

Expand Tweet

Yoshinobu Yamamoto takes accountability for Dodgers' loss

Yoshinobu Yamamoto couldn't execute his pitches well. With the count 2-2, Dodgers catcher Will Smith called for the curveball going down and outside, but the poor execution led to Brewers hitter Andrew Vaughn hitting the ball for a three-run home run.

“I think the [first] three sliders I threw were located pretty good,” Yamamoto said through interpreter. “But that last one, I elevated it. It got away from me.”

After giving up a three-run home run, Yamamoto couldn't make his way through Brian Turang as he gave up a walk to extend the inning, prompting Dave Roberts to signal the bullpen with the righty's pitch count getting to an alarming number.

“My tempo wasn’t really good, I couldn’t get my rhythm,” Yamamoto added. “That was on me.”

Expand Tweet

Finally, when Yamamoto was able to induce a grounder, shortstop Mookie Betts made a defensive error. Betts' throw wasn't good enough at first to Freddie Freeman, leading to Issac Collins coming around to score from second.

“I can't make an error right there,” Betts said. “Regardless of the situation, I need to make that play."

After this at-bat, Andruw Monasterio hit an RBI single down the right-field line, taking Yamamoto's pitch count to 41. Dave Roberts stepped out to take him out of the game.

About the author

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

Know More

Edited by Veer Badani