LOS ANGELES -- The last time Yoshinobu Yamamoto took the mound, he was backed by a season-high 15-run outburst in San Diego.
The margin was much more narrow on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, but it didn't matter because Yamamoto did his part by shutting down the Padres.
Yamamoto twirled seven scoreless innings in a 3-0 victory against the Padres to secure at least a series win in the four-game set in L.A., giving the Dodgers a chance to sweep their division rivals in Sunday's finale. Yamamoto racked up 10 strikeouts in the dominant effort, tying his career high in MLB for the second time this season and the seventh time in his career.
The Dodgers' ace received some support from his fellow newly minted 2026 All-Star teammates. First-time All-Star Andy Pages staked Yamamoto to a lead with an RBI single in the third inning, while 10-time All-Star Freddie Freeman gave him some breathing room with his 15th home run of the season in the sixth and an RBI single in the eighth.
Throughout the Fourth of July evening, sparkles and booms flashed across the night sky, but Yamamoto ensured that the fireworks at Dodger Stadium would be kept to a minimum -- at least, until the postgame show.
Yamamoto's start began with him giving up a 110.1 mph single to Fernando Tatis Jr. on the first pitch of the game. The knock turned out to be an outlier for Yamamoto that night, as he allowed only two more hits and two more hard-hit balls in play. Tatis reached third on a two-out single from Gavin Sheets, but was stranded to end the inning.
No other Padre advanced beyond first base while Yamamoto was on the mound. Yamamoto scattered a pair of walks in the fourth and seventh innings, but he was largely in control otherwise.
It was the seventh time in 16 starts this season that Yamamoto pitched at least seven innings. That's more than any other Dodger, although Justin Wrobleski is close behind with six such starts.