Yamamoto struggles as Dodgers fall to Diamondbacks

PHOENIX — The Los Angeles Dodgers let another game slip away as the Arizona Diamondbacks secured a 5-3 victory with two crucial hits on Thursday at Chase Field.

Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto was poised for another outstanding performance, but the Diamondbacks had different intentions. Trouble arose in the fourth inning when he loaded the bases with no outs. Gabriel Moreno then hit a grand slam over the right field wall, crushing a 91 mph cutter that was left down the middle of the strike zone.

The combination of his fastball and splitter worked well with his cutter and curveball. In the second inning, Yamamoto faced challenges when he allowed back-to-back singles with two outs. However, when Alek Thomas came to the plate and worked the count full, Yamamoto struck him out swinging, which allowed him to escape the inning without any damage. He managed to finish the fourth inning after allowing those runs, but in the fifth inning, he surrendered a solo home run to Ketel Marte, marking Marte's first home run of the season.

Yamamoto has shown remarkable focus and concentration in his performance so far this season. However, he struggled to maintain his control during challenging moments. While he hadn't given up more than two runs in any game until now, one swing of the bat resulted in him allowing four runs in a single inning.

Yamamoto (4-3, 1.80 ERA) entered Wednesday's game with the best ERA in the league at 0.90. He had faced challenges during his outing in Arizona, giving up five earned runs over five innings and allowing six hits, which resulted in a decline of his ERA following his first eight starts. 

Throughout April, Yamamoto had only surrendered one earned run in 24 innings and had not allowed a home run in six of his previous seven starts. Coming off a one-hit performance over six innings last Friday in Atlanta, this marked the first time Yamamoto pitched on five days' rest; he had been on six days' rest for the entire season prior to this game.

The Dodgers are currently on their longest road trip of the season, which will conclude this weekend in Arizona after a 10-game stretch. So far, they have a record of 4-3 during this trip and are getting ready to return to Dodger Stadium to face the Athletics on Tuesday night.

Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt delivered an impressive performance on the mound for Arizona, pitching 6 ⅓ scoreless innings. He allowed four hits, walked three batters, and struck out six, all while throwing 99 pitches. The Arizona bullpen maintained the lead, with left-hander Jalen Beeks coming in to relieve Pfaadt. Beeks successfully closed out the seventh inning without allowing any runs.

In the eighth inning, Diamondbacks left-hander Juan Morillo came in for one inning of relief and immediately struggled against the Dodgers' offense, allowing two runs on four hits.

Max Muncy delivered an RBI double in the eighth inning, finishing the game with a strong performance of 2-for-4, including a double and a single. Mookie Betts set the stage by hitting a single to left and then Will Smith followed with another single. The momentum continued as Andy Pages contributed with an RBI single, driving in the Dodgers' second run of the game. Despite striking out twice earlier, Pages ended the night with a 1-for-4 record. The Dodgers seemed to be gaining traction late in the game, but Michael Conforto's grounder led to a double play, ending the inning.

The Dodgers scored their third run in the ninth inning when Shohei Ohtani hit his 11th home run of the season, marking his fourth in the last eight games. Ohtani is batting .296 with 16 RBI.

After losing the first game of a four-game series, the Dodgers will start right-hander Roki Sasaki (1-1, 3.86 ERA), who recently earned his first major league win in Atlanta. He will be facing left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (1-3, 5.92 ERA) on Friday night.