​The All-Star break suddenly feels more essential for the Dodgers after another blowout defeat at Dodger Stadium, as they were stacked up by the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-2 on Saturday night. Losing back-to-back games in such a dramatic fashion is rare for L.A.; in fact, this marked only their second two-game skid in roughly two months. But the manner of the losses—both by wide margins—made this stretch even more unusual, following Friday’s 9-3 setback with a seven-run drubbing on Saturday.
So far this season, the Dodgers have been resilient against lopsided losses, tallying just eight defeats by six or more runs and winning 22 games in which they faced that same margin. They had never before dropped consecutive games by seven or more runs until now. The only comparable stretch in recent memory occurred from May 9 to May 12, when they dropped four straight games by margins of five, five, six, and four runs.
Early on, Saturday’s game carried a familiar tone, especially for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He entered the sixth inning holding Arizona scoreless with the Dodgers still in front 1-0—yet Arizona erupted for five runs in that pivotal frame, capped by a three-run homer from Diamondbacks catcher James McCann. The frame shattered Yamamoto’s outing, as six runs became a season high against him. Despite the rough inning, Yamamoto’s line reflected a solid night in part—six innings pitched, five hits allowed, six runs, four walks, and six strikeouts—before exiting with the Dodgers trailing. He will still head to the All-Star festivities in Philadelphia, though he will not pitch in the game. The walks marked a season-high for him, matching the total he previously set.
Landon Knack was summoned to soak up the final three innings, stepping in after Friday’s bullpen game. He allowed three runs, including another three-run homer for McCann, in his stint out of the bullpen.
Home runs told part of the story for Arizona. James McCann tattooed two long balls, driving in six across the two games, while Nolan Arenado contributed a solo shot in this one. The run support came quickly, spreading across six innings and pushing the Diamondbacks ahead decisively.
On the mound, Brandon Pfaadt earned the win for Arizona, improving to 3-1 after 5 1/3 innings of work with two runs allowed on six hits and two strikeouts. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (9-6) took the loss, surrendering six runs on six hits over six frames while walking four and fanning six. The Dodgers’ bullpen, pieced together to cover extra innings after Friday’s bullpen-heavy approach, could not bridge the gap against a determined Arizona lineup.
As the calendar flips to Sunday, the Dodgers will get one more chance to erase the sting of this two-game skid before the All-Star break. Emmet Sheehan is slated to start at 1:10 p.m. on SportsNet LA, with Mitch Bratt expected to take the mound for Arizona. It’s a critical final tune-up before the break, and the Dodgers will undoubtedly be hoping to salvage at least one win to head into the pause with a more favorable mood and a cleaner slate to begin the second half of the season.