Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s night in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series turned upside down fast.
After looking every bit like the kind of postseason arm the Dodgers have leaned on all October, Yamamoto was gone by the end of the third inning Monday against the Brewers. He was tagged for a 36-pitch frame in which he managed only two outs, then got the hook after Jake Bauers worked a 12-pitch walk to load the bases and Christian Yelich followed with a two-run single.
That was it for Yamamoto, and it marked the shortest start of his postseason career.
The Dodgers, already thin on length after getting only five innings from Tarik Skubal in Game 1 on Sunday, were suddenly staring at a bullpen assignment that had to cover at least 16 outs. Alex Vesia handled the first one in the bottom of the third, limiting the damage and keeping Milwaukee ahead 3-2.
Manager Dave Roberts pointed to the Brewers’ approach in that inning after the game shifted away from Yamamoto.
"You got to give credit to [William] Contreras, Bauers - those guys put together great at-bats. They were spoiling really good pitches.
They took some pitches that were tough," manager Dave Roberts said on the FOX broadcast of the game in the top of the fourth inning. "I just felt that we had to kind of stop the damage right there and get Vesia in there."
Yamamoto’s rough opening started before the Dodgers’ right-hander ever really found his rhythm, and the Brewers benefited from a missed opportunity for Los Angeles behind the plate. Brice Turang opened the first inning with a one-out double that would have ended his at-bat on strikes if the Dodgers had used an ABS challenge, but catcher Will Smith chose not to.
Milwaukee made the moment count. Contreras drove in Turang with a one-out single, and the Brewers answered quickly after the Dodgers had scored first in the top half of the opening inning.
Yamamoto did settle in during the second, and for a stretch it looked like he might be on his way to taking control of the game. Instead, the third inning swallowed him whole.
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