{"id":32560,"date":"2025-07-02T12:30:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T12:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/32560\/"},"modified":"2025-07-02T12:30:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T12:30:11","slug":"yoshinobu-yamamoto-and-the-dodgers-cruise-past-the-white-sox-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/32560\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Dodgers cruise past the White Sox"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the Chicago White Sox, it was not a question of whether Shane Smith was the best pitcher they had to offer against the Dodgers<\/a> \u2014 he was very likely their best.<\/p>\n

Among White Sox pitchers with 10 or more starts, the rookie right-hander had the best strikeout-per-nine inning rate (8.2), as well as the lowest earned-run average (3.38) entering the game. Smith had been respectably good on a young White Sox roster that has been anything but.<\/p>\n

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Yet, Smith couldn\u2019t make up the gulf in quality between the best-in-the-National-League Dodgers (54-32) and the worst-in-the-American-League White Sox (28-57). The Dodgers would make sure of that in quick fashion. A four-run, two-out rally in the first inning separated the teams quickly in a 6-1 victory<\/a> to begin the six-game homestand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re really pitching well,\u201d Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. \u201cWe\u2019re getting a lot of contributions from guys in the middle to the bottom of the order which is huge. We\u2019re getting timely hits.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, that gauntlet of going through 26 games of some really good opponents record-wise, getting through that, not letting down, staying on the gas \u2014 I think that\u2019s good, and finishing strong going into the break.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whereas Smith was chased from the game in the fifth inning, Yoshinobu Yamamoto<\/a> was excellent again. A week after being pulled after five innings in Denver \u2014 because of a lengthy rain delay \u2014 Roberts called on the sure-to-be All-Star to pitch with an extended leash.<\/p>\n

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Yamamoto gave up one run, a two-out RBI double to Lenyn Sosa in the fourth inning, but twirled his way through an otherwise overmatched White Sox lineup, retiring the final 10 batters he faced. The right-hander tossed seven innings, gave up one run and three hits, while striking out eight, walking one and bringing his earned-run average down to 2.51.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny given night, a big league team can get you,\u201d Roberts said, \u201cand I was just happy that he was still aggressive and using the split, putting hitters away, but he’s doing what he needs to do.”<\/p>\n

Across his last 12 innings, Yamamoto has given up just four hits.<\/p>\n

\"Shohei<\/p>\n

Shohei Ohtani runs the bases after hitting his 30th homer of the season. (Gina Ferazzi \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019m pitching with really good form,\u201d Yamamoto said through his interpreter after the game. \u201cI think it\u2019s becoming very clear what I have to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

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White Sox first baseman Miguel Vargas \u2014 the former Dodgers top prospect who the franchise parted ways with at the 2024 trade deadline in exchange for Michael Kopech and Tommy Edman \u2014 represented the heart of the Chicago lineup, batting cleanup with his .229 batting average and 10 home runs entering the game.<\/p>\n

Vargas, who failed to bring the power in an 0-for-4 effort, received a 2024 World Series ring from Roberts and general manager Brandon Gomes during pregame batting practice. Yamamoto set him down his first three times at the plate Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cYoshinobu did spectacular work today,\u201d Shohei Ohtani told NHK, a Japanese television station, after the game.<\/p>\n

Of more promising White Sox prospects, rookie Chase Meidroth faced a potential NL Cy Young award candidate. In the third inning, Yamamoto struck out Meidroth with a three-pitch combo: 95-mph fastball on the edge of the strike zone, a 92-mph cutter on the outside corner and a splitter down and in, forcing a swing more than a foot above where the pitch landed.<\/p>\n

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Read more:<\/b> Clayton Kershaw and 3,000 strikeouts: A partnership built on a consistent three-pitch mix<\/a><\/p>\n

Andy Pages struck two run-scoring hits \u2014 a double and a single \u2014 en route to a two-for-four day at the plate. The 24-year-old Cuban slugger sits in sixth in the most recent NL All-Star outfielder voting, and ended Tuesday with a .294 batting average and 57 RBIs, the latter statistic being the best on the Dodgers.<\/p>\n

“He’s earned it,\u201d Michael Conforto, who struck the two-RBI single that capped off the four-run first, said of Pages\u2019 All-Star candidacy. \u201cWhat you may or may not see is just how hard he works\u2026 really just doesn’t seem to take days off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ohtani, who was not a part of the Dodgers’ hit parade that led to their first five runs across three innings, joined the run-scoring effort in the fourth with a no-doubt solo home run \u2014 408 feet and 116.3 mph, halfway up the right-field pavilion \u2014 off of Smith, his 30th this season. As fireworks unexpectedly shot up from the Dodger Stadium parking lot during the ninth inning\u00a0\u2014 it was a reminder that Wednesday could bring fireworks on the field as Clayton Kershaw takes the mound three strikeouts away from being the 20th MLB player to reach the 3,000-strikeout milestone.<\/p>\n

Etc.<\/b><\/p>\n

Kopech returned to the 15-day injured list \u2014 of which he recently returned from on June 7 \u2014 with right-knee inflammation. He said before Tuesday\u2019s game that he wasn\u2019t sure what caused the injury, and would characterize the ailment as discomfort rather than pain.<\/p>\n

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Roberts said there isn\u2019t a timeline for Kopech\u2019s return, but said it was a short-term issue. The 29-year-old, who received a cortisone shot in his knee, had yet to give up a run in eight scoreless appearances out of the bullpen.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/b> More than the glasses: How a lightbulb moment made Max Muncy a ‘complete hitter’ again<\/a><\/p>\n

In pitchers on their way back from injuries, Tyler Glasnow (right shoulder inflammation) will throw his third rehabilitation with triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday. The expectation is that Glasnow will pitch five innings\/75 pitches, Roberts said.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers manager added that Blake Snell (left shoulder inflammation) and Blake Treinen (right forearm sprain) will throw to live hitters Wednesday, the next step in their recovery progression.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHopefully we’re starting to turn the corner a little bit,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n

Next Ohtani start<\/b><\/p>\n

Ohtani will next start on the mound Saturday against the Houston Astros \u2014 a 4:05 p.m. start \u2014 and southpaw Justin Wrobleski will again piggyback off the two-way star\u2019s opening effort.<\/p>\n

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.<\/a><\/p>\n

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For the Chicago White Sox, it was not a question of whether Shane Smith was the best pitcher…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":32561,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[5955,27043,27051,27350,21894,7480,875,2442,27348,26803,2382,22796,27351,2444,27349,26805,27038,20419,4712,62,22888,6599,6601,67,132,68,5390,20410],"class_list":{"0":"post-32560","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-andy-pages","9":"tag-blake-snell","10":"tag-blake-treinen","11":"tag-brandon-gomes","12":"tag-chase-meidroth","13":"tag-clayton-kershaw","14":"tag-dave-roberts","15":"tag-dodgers","16":"tag-dodgers-manager","17":"tag-first-inning","18":"tag-houston-astros","19":"tag-justin-wrobleski","20":"tag-lenyn-sosa","21":"tag-los-angeles-times","22":"tag-michael-conforto","23":"tag-michael-kopech","24":"tag-miguel-vargas","25":"tag-shane-smith","26":"tag-shohei-ohtani","27":"tag-sports","28":"tag-the-dodgers","29":"tag-tommy-edman","30":"tag-tyler-glasnow","31":"tag-united-states","32":"tag-unitedstates","33":"tag-us","34":"tag-white-sox","35":"tag-yoshinobu-yamamoto"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114783651377580251","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32560"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32560\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}