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Yoshinobu Yamamoto\u00a0wasn’t perfect on Monday night in Atlanta. but he was good enough to escape his start unscathed.<\/p>\n
Yamamoto allowed\u00a0the leadoff batter to reach safely in all four innings. Three times, he faced a runner on third with fewer than two outs, and his splitter command was inconsistent.<\/p>\n
Zero runs scored and the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled away for a convincing 9-0 win to split the four-game series.<\/p>\n
For the rookie right-hander, the start checked off another box by pushing his total pitch count to 72.<\/p>\n
The Dodgers are letting Yamamoto build up his stamina in big-league games due because they have few alternatives. Yamamoto, who\u00a0signed a record 12-year, $325 million contract\u00a0with the Dodgers last December, might be their best shot at having a series-changing No. 1 starter in October.<\/p>\n
However, the Dodgers’ current plan calls for Yamamoto to continue pitching on extra day’s rest through the playoffs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is something that when we acquired him this is something we planned on doing,\u201d\u00a0manager Dave Roberts said. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of where we\u2019re at. We\u2019ve got to figure out how best to keep him fresh, sharp, prepared, number one. Then number two, fill in the pieces.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked if there was a possibility of pitching after four days in September and October, it didn’t take long for Roberts to answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think so,” Roberts said about September.<\/p>\n