ATLANTA — Hours earlier than first pitch Friday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was honored with the Nationwide League’s pitcher of the month award for March and April.
Given how he regarded in a scoreless six-inning, six-strikeout, one-hit gem in opposition to the Atlanta Braves hours later, it won’t be the final award he vies for this yr.
After establishing himself as a breakout star within the opening month, Yamamoto continued his ascent up the hierarchy of major-league starters within the Dodgers’ 2-1 win Friday at Truist Park.
He carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and he dropped his early-season earned-run common to an MLB-best 0.90, having allowed simply 4 earned runs in his first 40 innings.
Already in latest weeks, supervisor Dave Roberts has referred to Yamamoto — the group’s $325-million signing out of Japan two offseasons in the past — because the ace of the Dodgers’ pitching workers.
However now, with the Dodgers (22-10) lacking two different nine-figure rotation signings in Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow due to shoulder accidents, Yamamoto’s worth may be even better.
“I do believe Yamamoto has gotten to who he is, who he was in Japan and I think he’s a better pitcher [than last year],” Roberts stated earlier than the sport, citing elevated confidence as the largest distinction between Yamamoto’s rookie season final yr (when he went 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA whereas lacking a number of months with a shoulder damage) and his dominant emergence early on this marketing campaign.
“I think that’s from the confidence,” Roberts added. “The conviction he has in himself.”
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto reacts within the fourth inning in opposition to the Braves on Friday.
(Mike Stewart / Related Press)
Friday might need been the very best instance of Yamamoto’s renewed assuredness but.
Coming off a season-worst five-inning, three-run begin final week in opposition to the Pittsburgh Pirates, during which he issued a career-high 4 walks, Yamamoto responded with one in every of his finest outings this season in opposition to the not too long ago resurgent Braves (who’re 14-17, however had gained seven of their earlier 10).
In Yamamoto’s first three innings, the one actual hazard he encountered was to his personal particular person. With two outs within the first inning, he ducked out of the best way of a 107-mph line drive from Matt Olson that Mookie Betts snared at shortstop. To guide off the second, Sean Murphy rifled a 106-mph comebacker that Yamamoto snagged along with his glove.
His pitching counterpart, Grant Holmes, wasn’t so fortunate.
The Los Angeles Dodgers even have among the finest information in baseball however nobody appears to be too thrilled by it. Accidents, query marks and hitters not hitting are points.
After matching Yamamoto zero for zero (in each runs and hits) within the early going, the Atlanta right-hander suffered a foul break within the fourth, when Betts smoked a 94-mph comebacker off his bottom for the evening’s first hit. That was adopted by a single from Freddie Freeman, who hit a floor ball Olson didn’t snare at first base, and a stroll to Teoscar Hernández, loading the bases with one out. Will Smith then lifted a sacrifice fly to proper, opening the scoring.
Not till the sixth inning, when Betts continued his resurgence from a deep April stoop with a solo house run to left area, did the Dodgers get to Holmes once more.
However the best way Yamamoto was dealing, the dearth of run help posed little drawback.
Outdoors of two walks to Marcell Ozuna — who gained an 11-pitch battle within the first inning, and a six-pitch duel within the fourth — the Braves mustered nothing till a two-out double by Austin Riley within the sixth. And even that was instantly negated when Yamamoto induced a groundout from Ozuna to finish the inning within the subsequent at-bat.
With Yamamoto prone to begin on 5 days’ relaxation for the primary time this season subsequent week — he had been on a six-days-rest schedule — Roberts ended Yamamoto’s evening there, pulling him after 91 pitches.
His substitute, Kirby Yates, gave up a leadoff homer within the seventh to Olson, reducing the Dodgers’ lead in half.
However, even after an hour and 13-minute rain delay on the finish of the eighth, the Dodgers held on, with Tanner Scott and Evan Phillips slamming the door to protect Yamamoto’s fourth victory and enhance the group’s report to 5-2 in video games he has pitched.
