SAN DIEGO -- Yoshinobu Yamamoto's margin for error was razor-thin for the first five innings, during which his offense scored only one run to back him on the mound.
Then the Dodgers' bats exploded for a nine-spot in the top of the sixth inning, and all of a sudden, Yamamoto was in as comfortable a spot as he had been all season.
For the second straight start, Yamamoto did not seem to have the best feel for his stuff. He didn't get as much swing-and-miss as he normally does. But the Dodgers always feel like they are in a good position to win when their ace is on the mound, and Saturday night was no exception, as they went on to record a 15-3 victory.
Yamamoto struck out four, walked two and scattered five hits across six innings of two-run ball against the Padres at Petco Park. He departed with a 10-2 lead, the most runs the Dodgers have scored in a Yamamoto start this season.
The first time through the order, Yamamoto faced the minimum, erasing a Miguel Andujar single on a double play in the third inning. The Padres seemed to see him better once they got more exposure to him, but Yamamoto was still able to limit the damage.
Yamamoto surrendered a solo homer to Gavin Sheets to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning, briefly tying the contest at 1 before the Dodgers stormed ahead in the top of the sixth. The big inning -- in which L.A. sent 12 batters to the plate -- resulted in a long layoff for Yamamoto, who gave up one more run on a Sheets RBI single in the bottom of the sixth.