Dodgers to go with bullpen game versus Red Sox

Yamamoto left with a 4-2 lead, but he doesn’t get the win — even though the Dodgers did — because the Los Angeles bullpen couldn’t hold that cushion. The 28-year-old has whiffed 21 hitters over his last two outings, and his ERA is now a healthy 2.61 on the season. Yamamoto has established himself as one of the very best hurlers in baseball, and he’ll look to continue the good run next weekend against the Tigers in Detroit.

Sheehan had just been recalled from Triple-A on Tuesday to function in a multi-inning relief role, but he did not make an appearance. The expectation is that he’ll stay stretched out as a starter at the Triple-A level until he’s needed once more by the Dodgers. He won’t be able to return for at least 10 days unless he’s replacing someone that’s heading to the injured list. Paul Gervase was recalled in a corresponding move on Friday.

Sheehan is slated to pitch in relief for the Dodgers down the home stretch. He’ll be available for Tuesday’s game against the Rockies at Coors Field behind starter Eric Lauer. The 26-year-old former starter is back in the majors after spending a couple weeks in the minors. He offers very little fantasy appeal as a multi-inning reliever, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see his stuff play up in shorter bursts out of the bullpen.

The Dodgers sent Sheehan for a two-week stint in Triple-A to reset and now he’s reportedly coming back up to join the big league squad. His first appearance with Oklahoma City was a disaster as he was pulled in the first inning after allowing four hits and two runs. Then, he cruised through 5 2/3 scoreless frames with eight strikeouts in his following start. Yet, he’ll reportedly be an option out of the bullpen upon his return.

Yamamoto struck out nine and sported a 37 percent CSW. It’s the 11th time in 22 starts this year that he’s allowed one or no runs. He’ll make his next start on six days’ rest next Friday versus the Pirates.

It was not an efficient start for Yamamoto, as he needed 107 pitches to get his 17 outs, and he walked three. It was still an effective one — as it usually is for the 27-year-old — that saw him allow just three hits and strike out six while lowering his ERA to 2.65. Yamamoto will look to keep this going — and work a smidgen deeper into the game — next weekend against the Brewers.

The Dodgers sent shockwaves through baseball by acquiring back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from the Tigers over the weekend. It’ll be Sheehan who loses his spot in the club’s rotation as a result. The 26-year-old was a trendy target in fantasy drafts this spring, but struggled mightily to a bloated 5.29 RA across 95 1/3 innings this season. He could potentially make it back to Los Angeles as a reliever for their upcoming postseason run. However, he can be safely dropped in all fantasy leagues.

Sheehan allowed two runs on a walk and three singles in the first and then gave up three solo homers in a seven-pitch span in the third. He hadn’t allowed three homers in any of his 19 previous starts. Sheehan fell to 4-8 with a 5.29 ERA. The Dodgers have lost his last five starts and nine of his last 10, which seems nearly impossible. With Tarik Skubal’s addition and Blake Snell nearing a return, Sheehan’s time in the Dodgers rotation should be about to come to an end. He could be more helpful to the team’s cause out of the pen.

Yamamoto gave up just two hits through seven, but both were homers off the bat of Ceddanne Rafaela. He then allowed a double and a bunt single to start the eighth, with the go-ahead run scoring on a double play afterwards. The loss leaves him 11-7 with a 2.76 ERA. His next start will be his third of the year against the Diamondbacks. He beat them on Opening Day, but he had his worst start of the season last time he faced them, giving up six runs on July 11.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Dodgers will send outfield prospect Zyhir Hope and right-handed pitching prospects River Ryan and Brady Smith. It was initially reported that Emmet Sheehan was included, but multiple outlets have confirmed he’s not headed to Detroit. Skubal is inarguably one of the best pitchers in baseball and has won back-to-back Cy Young Awards for the Tigers, and he joins Los Angeles with a 2.79 ERA and 116/14 K/BB in his 16 starts this year. The pending free agent will join the loaded Dodgers’ roster as the new ace, and obviously, fantasy managers have no reason to believe he won’t continue to pitch at an elite level now that he’s in Los Angeles rather than Detroit.