PHOENIX -- Yoshinobu Yamamoto hasn't been feeling his best lately, but that hasn't translated to his performance on the mound.
Yamamoto turned in another strong start with 5 2/3 scoreless innings on Saturday night against the D-backs. He struck out six, walked three and allowed three hits while going toe-to-toe with Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt in a pitchers' duel at Chase Field.
The Dodgers entered the middle game of the weekend series vying to end a season-high seven-game losing streak, which they did with a 2-1 win in 10 innings.
"I think everybody was feeling the same way," Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. "We really wanted to win. … I wanted to get the team off on the right foot."
Earlier this week, Yamamoto was still coming back from a minor illness that affected him most during his previous start against the Red Sox. He did not travel to Chicago with the Dodgers, staying back in L.A. to get his work in without having to deal with the time change and the other tolls of travel.
On Saturday, Yamamoto lacked some of his usual sharpness, walking more than two batters for the fourth time in 21 starts this season. But he did not allow any of the free bases he gave up to lead to damage for the D-backs, who were still able to grind him out of the game relatively early.
Yamamoto threw 107 pitches, two shy of his season high, but was unable to complete six innings for only the third time this season. With two outs in the sixth, he left two runners on for Evan Phillips, who stranded them to preserve Yamamoto's line.
"I think it comes down to the pitchers competed all night," manager Dave Roberts said. "Some of them were sharp. Some of them weren’t. Yamamoto got his pitch count up. Did enough, obviously, throwing up zeros, almost finishing six."
Yamamoto may have received a no-decision, but his outing helped set the tone for a Dodgers team that had been sorely in need of a win.