Although the Japanese right-hander regrets three walks, he ends his second spring start well.
GLENDALE, Arizona On February 28, Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched two scoreless innings against the Rangers, the defending World Series champions, and easily passed his first Spring Training test. His subsequent exam was less spotless.
During his second Spring Training start of the season, Yamamoto gave up five runs in three innings while using 58 pitches. The Dodgers defeated the White Sox, 12-9, on Wednesday afternoon at Camelback Ranch.
Despite receiving high praise for his exceptional command, Yamamoto struggled to display his greatest talent on Wednesday as he walked three hitters.
Through the interpreter, Yoshihiro Sonoda, Yamamoto stated, “Overall, the number wasn’t good.” “Walks and balls in excess. One benefit, though, was that I could do anything I wanted to. It was fortunate that I was testing a few things.
Although Yoshinobu Yamamoto would not specify his objective for this start, he did receive a lot of practice throwing out of the stretch, something he did not do much of in his first start against the Rangers.
Additionally, the right-hander from Japan was able to land each pitch at a different location on the mound, mostly relying on his trademark splitter and four-seamer. On Wednesday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto used the cutter, two-seamer, splitter, four-seamer, and curveball.
As the game progressed, Austin Barnes, a catcher for the Dodgers who has caught Yoshinobu Yamamoto in both Cactus League games, remarked, “I thought he got stronger.” “I believed he was still experimenting with his pitches in the first inning. In the second and third innings, he was using his curveball a lot since it was much easier to control. There will be these games. I felt he ended on a high note, and it’s spring training.
Dominic Fletcher, an outfielder with the White Sox, said, “A little different.” Excellent material. The splitter performs quite well. If you are going to chase a pitch, the fastball is kind of the pitch to go for. The cutter is good. It was enjoyable. It was enjoyable.
Although Yoshinobu Yamamoto wasn’t playing at his best on Wednesday, the left side of the infield made a few defensive errors that affected him as well. Two careless throws by Gavin Lux, who may earn the opportunity to start as the Dodgers’ everyday shortstop this season, gave the White Sox two infield singles.
Despite having an outstanding spring thus far, Max Muncy had trouble fielding a ground ball in the third that bounced off his glove when he tried to play a short hop. After hitting a double that landed up in the left-field corner, Yamamoto gave up two runs.
“I believe Max used a tweener and a backhand play. He’s been doing a great job defensively getting off the ball this spring, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “We just need to keep running Gavin out there so he can improve his footwork, confidence, and ability to catch the ball across the diamond.”
Regarding Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Barnes stated that going through a difficult period during Spring Training is beneficial since it aids in better preparing pitchers for the regular season. Before making his Major League debut in one of the two games of the Opening Series against the Padres in Seoul, South Korea on March 20–21, Yamamoto has one more Cactus League game left.
Barnes stated, “You have to learn how to maneuver when they’re figuring things out because guys aren’t always going to have their ‘A’ stuff.” “I felt he pitched pretty well in the end.”
Camp Notes
In a ‘B’ game on Wednesday, Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers’ second co-ace, also took the mound and gave up two runs in four innings. Similar to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Glasnow is expected to throw in one of the Padres’ two games in Seoul, South Korea.
• Shohei Ohtani maintained his hot streak, going one-and-one in his first two at-bats. After five Cactus League games, Ohtani is 7-for-12 with a triple and a home run.
• Freddie Freeman also had a fantastic day at bat, hitting his second home run of the spring with a go-ahead grand slam. Now that Freeman is batting third in the Dodgers order behind Mookie Betts and Ohtani, he will have plenty of opportunity to score runs. To give himself enough at-bats to prepare for the two games against the Padres, Freeman said that he will participate in six of the last eight Cactus League games.
