Yoshinobu

Yamamoto

Even with their backs against the wall, Roberts maintained confidence when asked if his star hurlers would be available out of the bullpen on Thursday, saying, “No. ... Our bullpen is rested, very, very capable. You’ve still got to win four, but obviously you’ve got to win one first, and I completely understand that. But the short answer, no.” It’s possible that the calculus could change if the Dodgers get down early in Game 4, but for now he appears to have full faith in Tyler Glasnow and his rested bullpen.

The Brewers made Yamamoto work, running up his pitch count before chasing him from the contest in the third inning when Christian Yelich delivered a go-ahead two-run single after Jake Bauers drew a surreal 12-pitch walk to load the bases. He struck out one batter and issued a pair of walks in the abbreviated 75-pitch outing. It was an uncharacteristic postseason stumble for Yamamoto, who has emerged as the Dodgers’ most reliable stopper over the last two Octobers. The 28-year-old right-hander is in line to start a potential Game 6 showdown and should be available out of the bullpen for the remainder of the series, if needed.

That was the expectation all along, but it has now been confirmed. Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start in Game 2 with Blake Snell expected to start in Game 3. Skubal delivered a dominant performance in his Dodgers’ postseason debut, striking out seven batters over six innings of one-run ball in a victory over the Braves in Game 1 of the NLDS.

Yamamoto has repeatedly found another gear when the postseason demands it, and he authored another masterpiece at Truist Park to put Los Angeles back in the metaphorical driver’s seat in the best-of-five series as they pursue their third consecutive World Series title. It was the first double-digit strikeout performance of his playoff career, and he allowed just five baserunners while needing an economical 98 pitches (62 strikes) to navigate seven impressive frames. The Dodgers grabbed an early lead on homers by Enrique Hernández and Freddie Freeman, while Yamamoto carried a shutout into the fifth inning before Atlanta finally broke through on a bases-loaded groundout by Drake Baldwin. He escaped the jam without further damage by coaxing a harmless ground ball from Ronald Acuña Jr. to extinguish the threat. He’ll presumably be available out of the bullpen for the final two games, should the Dodgers require his heroics.

Yamamoto said through an interpreter that he’s willing to pitch on short rest, or in relief, if needed, this postseason. That doesn’t come as a surprise after witnessing his herculean effort during last year’s World Series title run. He’ll get the ball for a pivotal showdown at Truist Park in Atlanta with the best-of-five series tied after a pair of games in Los Angeles.

Tarik Skubal is expected to start Game 1, though the Dodgers still haven’t announced it. Yamamoto probably wouldn’t come back on Sunday after throwing Wednesday, so Blake Snell figures to get the Game 2 start. That’d leave Tyler Glasnow set up for Game 4 and Skubal for Game 5.

The unearned runs resulted from his own error in the fifth. After two infield singles, he tried to retire the lead runner at third on Dustin Harris’s sac bunt attempt but made a wild throw that allowed the runner to score. The loss means Yamamoto ends the regular season 14-9 with a 2.53 ERA. He’s currently fifth in the majors in ERA and second to Jacob Misiorowski with a 0.87 WHIP.

Yamamoto gave up two walks in the first and an Elly De La Cruz double in the third, retiring the other 21 batters he faced. He struck out seven. Yamamoto is 14-8 with a 2.51 ERA in 179 innings this season, which is pretty close to his 12-8 record and 2.49 ERA from 173 2/3 innings last year. The big differences are that his strikeout rate has dropped from 29.4 percent last year to 26 percent this year, but also that he’s upped his efficiency; those 179 innings have come in 28 starts this year, whereas he needed 30 to throw 173 2/3 innings last year. He’ll likely make his next start Tuesday against the Padres.

The lone run came on Elly De La Cruz’s homer in the fourth. Yamamoto allowed only two other hits and walked one in the 90-pitch gem. He currently ranks second in the majors with a 0.88 WHIP, trailing only Jacob Misiorowski at 0.80. He’ll pitch in Cincinnati next time out.

Leo Bernal’s two-run homer in the seventh made this just the fourth time this year that Yamamoto has given up four runs and only the third time he’s allowed four earned runs. He did leave with a one-run lead anyway, but it didn’t hold up in what turned into an extra-inning loss. Yamamoto finished up with eight strikeouts, making this four straight starts in which he’s totaled eight or nine. He’ll face the Reds next week.