Dave Roberts Believes Dodgers Fixed Yoshinobu Yamamoto's Biggest Issue Ahead of Game 5

Noah Camras | 9 Hours Ago

May 20, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA;Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) looks on as manager Dave Roberts (30) pulls starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) in the seventh inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers are sending rookie right-handed pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the mound in the team's win-or-go-home NLDS Game 5 matchup against the San Diego Padres.

Yamamoto started for the Dodgers in Game 1, and struggled mightily against the Padres, allowing five earned runs on five hits with two walks and just one strikeout across three innings.

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The Dodgers offense and bullpen were able to keep them in the game in an eventual 7-5 win.

On Friday, though, with the Dodgers' season on the line, it will be Yamamoto again getting the start. This time around, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is confident in his $325 million man.

The Dodgers made Yoshinobu Yamamoto the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history.

They tasked him with being the future ace of this team, and are now counting on him to keep their season alive and take them to the NLCS for the first time since 2021.

Game 5 is why Yamamoto is in LA. pic.twitter.com/22rEnhH02y

— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) October 11, 2024

After Game 1, Roberts said he believed Yamamoto was tipping his pitches.

"There were some things with his glove, giving away his pitches," Roberts said of Yamamoto. "We'll clean that up internally. They had a lot of good swings against him in three innings."

Heading into Game 5, Roberts is confident the Dodgers cleaned up what needed to be fixed.

"I think we've cleaned stuff up," Roberts said. "And, to their credit, they did a good job scouting and stuff like that. But I think, overall, kind of where Yoshinobu is at, I feel really comfortable."

Yamamoto has struggled against the Padres all season long.

The 25-year-old made his MLB debut against the Padres in Korea in March, and allowed five earned runs in one inning of work before being pulled from the game.

A few weeks later, Yamamoto got a second opportunity to face San Diego, and was better, going five innings and allowing three earned runs while striking out six.

His third outing against them was in Game 1. His fourth outing against them will be the most important one of his MLB career.

Yamamoto will undoubtedly have a short leash on Friday night. The Dodgers perfectly executed a bullpen game in Game 4, utilizing eight pitchers to shutout the Padres in San Diego and keep their season alive.

If Yamamoto is dealing, he'll have a decent runway. If not, Roberts will be quick to make a pitching change to keep the Dodgers' season alive.

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