Yamamoto Leads Dodgers to Another Series Win

The Dodgers arrived in Milwaukee carrying momentum, confidence, and apparently a bullpen that has decided runs are now optional.

By Sunday afternoon at American Family Field, Los Angeles had wrapped up a 7-2 road trip, taken two of three from the Brewers, and extended its bullpen scoreless streak to 38 consecutive innings. The Dodgers are no longer merely surviving the long season. They are starting to look comfortable in it again.

And somewhere in the middle of all that, Yoshinobu Yamamoto spent seven innings quietly turning Brewers hitters into infield practice.

The right-hander struck out only three batters in the Dodgers’ 5-1 victory, but dominance does not always arrive wrapped in double-digit strikeouts and dramatic fist pumps. Sometimes it shows up as weak contact, frustrated hitters, and an infield casually jogging from one ground ball to the next.

Milwaukee put 13 balls on the ground against Yamamoto, who improved to 4-4 while allowing just one earned run across seven composed innings.

“They were being really aggressive, so I was trying to be fine and hit the spot where I wanted to locate the ball,” Yamamoto said. “I was prepared for their aggressive lineup in my mind. I was focusing on executing my pitches one at a time.”

Translation: if the Brewers wanted early contact, Yamamoto was perfectly happy letting them hit the ball directly at people wearing Dodger uniforms.

Dave Roberts appreciated the efficiency as much as the results.

“I thought he was in complete control,” Roberts said. “Even today, he didn’t have feel for his curveball, but he kept using it, which I liked. The split and the fastball all looked great. I thought Yoshi was in control today.”

That control became increasingly important as the Dodgers once again leaned on a bullpen that has transformed from early-season panic material into something bordering on historic.

Will Klein and Tanner Scott handled the final two innings scorelessly, pushing the bullpen streak to 38 straight innings without allowing a run — the longest such stretch by a Dodgers bullpen in the modern era.

A few weeks ago, portions of the fan base were preparing emergency broadcasts about the collapse of civilization every time a reliever allowed a baserunner. Dave Roberts calmly insisted things would stabilize. Naturally, he was correct again.

The Dodgers have now won seven of nine on the trip and captured all three series along the way.

Deep breaths remain available.

“I think it’s confidence,” Roberts said of his pitching staff. “Regardless of who you run out there, they all just seem confident. When you have a lot of guys in the pen that are confident throwing the baseball, you can spread out usage. They all seem rested and they’re all anxious to get out there and pitch.”

Dalton Rushing sees the same thing from behind the plate.

“They’re pretty relentless,” Rushing said. “Everybody wants the ball regardless of the situation. I don’t even think they’re really aware of the streak. They just go out there, throw the ball, and good results come.”

The Dodgers’ offense finally created some breathing room in the fifth inning after spending the early part of the afternoon repeatedly threatening without cashing in.

Mookie Betts opened the inning with a single and Freddie Freeman followed with a walk, ending Brandon Sproat’s afternoon. Kyle Tucker then greeted reliever Shane Drohan with a two-run triple down the right-field line, continuing what has quietly become one of the hotter stretches in the Dodgers lineup.

For all the early-season grumbling about Tucker’s slow adjustment period, the tone has shifted considerably. Back-to-back games with triples tend to help.

“Well, one thing is he’s hitting lefties, which he has always done throughout his career,” Roberts said. “His chase rate is down considerably the last couple of weeks. He’s getting into good counts and making more solid contact.”

Tucker himself sounded far less interested in mechanics than results.

“I feel like my approach has gotten a lot better recently,” Tucker said. “As long as I’m getting some walks and hits, especially with guys on base and getting some RBIs, I’ll take them.”

Asked if he was thinking triple the entire way around first base, Tucker admitted the answer became obvious once he saw the ball rolling into the corner.

“I thought, ‘I kind of got a chance here,’” Tucker said. “So I just kept going.”

Andy Pages made sure Tucker’s triple did not go to waste. On the very next pitch, the center fielder launched a two-run homer to left field that effectively ended Milwaukee’s afternoon.

“I just got a pitch elevated, a pitch I could hit, and I handled it pretty well,” Pages said.

Pages also credited his growth this season to simply existing inside the Dodgers clubhouse every day.

“Being on a great team and seeing all these great players and how they prepare,” Pages said. “That’s helped me take my game to the next level.”

The Dodgers did not play flawless baseball this weekend, but they played winning baseball. There is a difference, and good teams understand it.

Milwaukee entered the series having gone unbeaten in seven straight series. The Dodgers left town with another reminder that even when the machine looks slightly uneven, it still tends to function at a fairly terrifying level.

“Any win in this league is hard to come by,” Tucker said. “We’ve been playing really good baseball trying to get those.”

For the Dodgers, those words qualify as both an understatement and a trend.