Yamamoto ‘better than ever’ in return; L.A. loses
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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers played one of their sloppiest defensive games of the season and watched it end on a robbed home run by Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. But Tuesday night provided them with an unmistakable dose of optimism — Yoshinobu Yamamoto returned after a three-month hiatus, and his stuff looked as sharp as ever.
Before the Dodgers lost 6-3, dropping their division lead to 4½ games, Yamamoto limited the Cubs to only a run in four innings of work, during which he struck out eight batters. His fastball averaged more than 96 mph. His splitter and curveball looked devastating. His command was as sharp as anyone could have reasonably expected, considering he hadn’t pitched in a major league game since suffering a strained rotator cuff June 15.
“It was pretty surprising,” Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes said. “I didn’t know how he was gonna look coming back from this, and he looked better than ever.”
The Dodgers have been ravaged by injuries to their rotation throughout the season and entered Wednesday with only one lock, Jack Flaherty, to start games for them in October.
But then Tyler Glasnow, out since Aug. 11 with what the team has described as elbow tendinitis, threw his second bullpen session, prompting trainers to clear him for a two- to three-inning simulated game Friday.
And then Yamamoto looked a lot like the player the Dodgers imagined when they awarded him a 12-year, $325 million contract this offseason, the largest ever for a starting pitcher.
“I feel much better about the rotation tonight than I did 24 hours ago,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s starting to turn in terms of getting back to the rotation that we had envisioned.”
Yamamoto began his outing with three consecutive strikeouts — of Ian Happ swinging at a curveball in the dirt, of Dansby Swanson swinging through a splitter that darted just below the strike zone and of countryman Seiya Suzuki looking at a full-count fastball that painted the outer edge of the plate.
The Cubs tacked on a run in a second inning after ground balls were mishandled by shortstop Miguel Rojas and first baseman Freddie Freeman. But Yamamoto struck out the side again when the Cubs’ lineup turned over in the top of the third and ended his outing by getting former Dodgers prospect Michael Busch to ground into an inning-ending double play in the fourth.
Yamamoto, speaking through an interpreter, said, “Today’s outing turned out much better than I expected.”
He threw 59 pitches and should be stretched to about 75 pitches when he takes his turn Monday, with three starts left to prepare for the postseason.
“We’ll take this every start going forward — fastball command, both sides of the plate, hits the low dart, the split down below that, stealing a strike with the breaking ball,” Roberts said. “It was really good.”
Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley on Monday was placed on the 10-day injured list for the second time in two months with a strained lower abdominal muscle.
Right-hander Grant Holmes, meanwhile, has opted to rehab his injured right elbow rather than undergoing Tommy John surgery, manager Brian Snitker told reporters.
Riley suffered the injury while tagging out Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz near home plate in the Braves’ 4-2 win on Sunday in the rain-delayed MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Riley also landed on the IL on July 12 with a strained abdomen. He returned on July 25.
The Braves recalled infielders Nacho Alvarez Jr. and Jonathan Ornelas from Triple-A Gwinnett before opening a home series against Milwaukee on Monday night. The team optioned outfielder Jarred Kelenic to Gwinnett following Sunday’s game.
Riley is hitting .260 with 16 homers and 54 RBIs.
Snitker said Holmes, who has damage to his UCL, made the decision to not have surgery at the present time after consulting with two doctors. The pitcher could also reconsider and have surgery after the season.
Snitker did not give a timeline as to when Snitker, who was placed on the 60-day injured list on July 27, will begin throwing again. He is not eligible to be activated until Sept. 26.
Holmes is 4-9 with a 3.99 ERA and 123 strikeouts this season. He had 15 strikeouts in a game against the Colorado Rockies in June.
The Braves’ other Opening Day starters also are all on the injured list, with AJ Smith-Shawver out for the season after having Tommy John surgery.
Snitker said All-Star left-hander Chris Sale threw a bullpen session as he works his way back from a fractured rib. He is next scheduled to throw live batting practice.
Reynaldo Lopez, who was placed on the IL on March 29 with shoulder inflammation after one start, is playing catch, but Snitker said there is no timetable for his return.
Spencer Schwellenbach, who is recovering from a fractured elbow, has not resumed throwing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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