Yamamoto looks to play stopper as Dodgers look to snap 3-game skid – Dodgers Digest

They dropped the final two games against Atlanta 7-2 and really had last night’s game get away from them. It was a competitive game through six innings, as Roki Sasaki put up five strong innings before the wheels came off to start the sixth. The Dodgers gave Sasaki a 2-1 lead, but he allowed two singles and a double to give the Giants the lead. Max Muncy tied it up in the bottom of the sixth, but Alex Vesia gave up three runs in the seventh and Wyatt Mills gave up three in the ninth to turn it into a 9-3 laugher. Today, the Dodgers look to even up the series with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the bump.

	7:10 P.M.		Los Angeles
RF	Lee (L)	DH	Ohtani (L)
2B	Arraez (L)	SS	Betts
3B	Schmitt	1B	Freeman (L)
DH	Devers (L)	RF	Tucker (L)
LF	Ramos	C	Smith
SS	Adames	3B	Muncy (L)
1B	Eldridge (L)	CF	Pages
CF	Bader	LF	T. Hernández
C	Haase	2B	Kim (L)
P	Houser (R)	P	Yamamoto (R)

Yamamoto’s been in a funk of late, allowing three runs in each of his last three starts. This stretch started in San Francisco, where he allowed a season-high six hits and three runs over seven innings. He followed that up allowing three earned runs and an unearned run over five innings against Miami, and last time out allowed three runs over six innings in Houston. He’s allowed nine runs in those 18 innings after allowing six in his four starts prior to this stretch. A third of Yamamoto’s runs allowed have come in the first inning of games, including giving up a three-run first inning against the Giants. Yamamoto allowed two singles and a walk to load the bases with no outs in that game, and then gave up another single, sac fly and another single for a three-run frame. He only allowed two hits and a walk for the rest of his seven innings. His last start came last Monday, so hopefully the seven days’ rest helps reset Yamamoto to snap this un-ace-like stretch.

Adrian Houser makes his eighth start of the season for the Giants. He’s posted a 6.19 ERA/5.57 FIP over 36 1/3 innings and the Giants are only 1-6 when he starts. Houser’s first start of the season came against the Padres and his most recent start came against the Padres, and those are his two best starts of the season. In his debut, he allowed one earned run (two unearned) over 5 1/3 innings and last time out he allowed one earned (one unearned) over six innings. In the five starts in between, not so great. Houser allowed four earned runs in three consecutive starts and then allowed eight runs on 11 hits in four innings against the Marlins. Houser hasn’t struck out more than four batters in a game this season. Houser’s never been a big strikeout guy, but his 11.4 percent strikeout rate is the worst of his career and is the fourth-lowest among pitchers with 30 innings pitched this season. Houser’s only faced the Dodgers three times in his career despite 159 of his 180 career appearances coming with an NL team. Houser is 0-3 in his career against the Dodgers and has not fared very well. He faced them once in each year between 2022 and 2024 and has allowed 16 earned runs (one unearned) and 17 hits in 11 2/3 innings. Despite not really being a strikeout guy, Houser has struck out 13 in those 11 2/3, but only completed five innings in one of those three starts.

Houser leads with a sinker, throwing it 44.6 percent of the time. Four of the seven homers Houser’s surrendered this season have come off the sinker and it only has an 8.6 percent whiff rate. He mixes in a changeup (20.5 percent), slider (13.3 percent), four-seamer (12.8 percent) and curve (8.8 percent).

The Dodgers roll out the same exact lineup as yesterday. Teoscar Hernandez remains hitting eighth after a two-hit game yesterday that included his first extra-base hit since the first game of the other Giant series. Matt Chapman sits for the Giants today, with Casey Schmitt sliding from first to third and top prospect Bryce Eldridge getting the start at first.

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Shohei Ohtani could be out of the lineup in each of the next two games.

Dave Roberts said Shohei Ohtani won’t be in the starting lineup Thurs, & Roberts is leaning towards keeping him out of the lineup Wed (his pitching start day). Cited a need for a reset.

“It might be a good thing to take a little bit of a load off his plate offensively.”

— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) May 12, 2026

Ohtani won’t be in the lineup on Thursday and might also be out of the lineup tomorrow. He does start tomorrow, but he could sit the remaining two games against the Giants. Ohtani is 4-for-38 in his last 10 games at the plate with one extra base hit in that time and hasn’t homered since April 26.

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The Dodgers made a rare intra-division trade, as they acquired the recently DFA’d Alek Thomas from the Diamondbacks after he posted a .563 OPS in 28 games. He’ll fit right in. Dustin wrote about the move in greater depth earlier, and this could be a nice speed + defense player to spell Teo in left.

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A new display is coming to Dodger Stadium.