The Dodgers are back in the win column for the first time since July 30, as they took an extra-inning thriller against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday to end a seven-game skid.
Shohei Ohtani provided the deciding run, grounding an infield single to bring home Kyle Tucker to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead with two outs in the top of the 10th inning. Before he carried his team to victory, Ohtani managed to play catch on the Chase Field outfield, marking the first of many steps in his return to two-way duties.
Ohtani is insistent on taking his time with his throwing program, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com, and the Dodgers are confident that he can return before the end of the regular season.
“Any inning, any innings we get from him are bonuses, given he’s a two-way player,” manager Dave Roberts said earlier in the week. “So I think whether it’s one inning, two innings, three innings, I’m not too concerned about the timeline.”
When the Dodgers needed it most, Yoshinobu Yamamoto helped stop the bleeding on Saturday by firing 5 2/3 shutout innings in a no-decision. It was Yamamoto’s first scoreless appearance since July 4, and he now sports a remarkable 2.65 ERA on the season, placing him tied for fourth in the National League with Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez.
Yamamoto spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA following Saturday’s much needed win, noting how the whole team felt a sense of urgency in doing whatever it took to get things going right again.
“We dropped to seven, and I think everybody was feeling the same way. We really wanted to win, and I wanted to get the team off on the right foot.”
Roki Sasaki continued to show gradual improvements on the mound during Friday’s contest against Arizona, as although the right-hander allowed two runs, he went six full innings while striking out five and walking only one. Sasaki has been turning heads to begin the second half, as the right-hander has a 2-1 record with a 1.88 ERA in four second half starts, striking out 26 and walking just seven over 24 innings.
While Dave Roberts noted that his splitter wasn’t as lethal as it had been in prior outings, he commended Sasaki on continuing to mature at the big league level and consistently put his team in a spot to win, per Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times.
“The split wasn’t as good as it has been, but he did a fine job,” Roberts said. “He really did, and it’s good to see him, even when his best pitch isn’t there, still go out there and finding ways to get through six innings and put us in a good spot to win.”
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