Yamamoto starts homestand finale intent on continuing strong 2nd half

LOS ANGELES -- Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been a force on the mound all season, but he has been especially sharp since the All-Star break.

In the second half, Yamamoto has recorded a 2.32 ERA, and the Dodgers have won five of his eight starts. He will look to continue his strong stretch in his next start on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, the finale of a three-game set against the Reds.

Yamamoto will start on six days' rest after swapping rotation spots with Tarik Skubal, who pitched Tuesday. Manager Dave Roberts said Yamamoto did not necessarily need an extra day of rest, but the pitching coaches felt that the tweaked rotation order would make sense for the team.

Even if there was no pressing reason to give Yamamoto an extra day, the 28-year-old right-hander has been a workhorse for the Dodgers this season. He is the only member of the rotation who has not missed a start, and he leads the pitching staff with 165 innings, nearing his career high in MLB (173 2/3 in 2025).

Overall, Yamamoto has gone 12-8 with a 2.67 ERA in 25 starts.

Yamamoto started strong in his previous start, but had to grind toward the end. He began last Wednesday's outing against the Cardinals with five hitless innings before serving up two-run homers in the sixth and seventh innings. The four runs were the most he's allowed in the second half, and it was just the fourth time in 25 starts that he had given up at least that many runs this season.

"Next time, I will do a better job," Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda.

Yamamoto still kept the Dodgers in last Wednesday's game while he was still on the mound, although the Cardinals went on to win in 10 innings. Even on his off nights, Yamamoto tends to give his team a chance to win, which is the kind of consistency L.A. has grown to expect from its ace during his three MLB seasons.