​The Dodgers’ 9-2 defeat to the Diamondbacks on Saturday didn’t derail their hold on the best record in the majors heading into the All-Star break, but it did cap a lackluster effort that sealed a series loss in the final weekend of the first half. Los Angeles (61-35) offered little resistance to Arizona’s pitching, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, making his first-half finale, was knocked around for six earned runs over six innings—the most runs he’s yielded in a start this season.
During the All-Star break, Yamamoto, who owns a 2.85 ERA, will have time to rest. Manager Dave Roberts confirmed before Saturday’s game that Yamamoto, an All-Star for a second straight year, would not pitch in the All-Star Game. The timing of Yamamoto’s start, just three days before the Midsummer Classic, aligned with that plan. Shohei Ohtani is slated to have his left knee drained after the break and will not travel to Philadelphia, leaving Justin Wrobleski as the sole Dodgers pitcher slated to appear for the National League in the All-Star Game after his addition to the roster Saturday.
Yamamoto had kept Arizona at bay for the first five innings, allowing just one run, but his final frame unraveled. A leadoff walk opened the inning, and James McCann’s three-run homer capped the eruption. Meanwhile, the Dodgers finally put two runs on the board in the sixth but then went dormant again. Arizona tacked on three more runs against Landon Knack in his three-inning return from the injured list, sealing the outcome.
That uncharacteristic sixth inning snapped Yamamoto’s streak of five straight quality starts, two of which lasted eight innings or longer. He still leads the Dodgers with 110⅔ innings pitched this season. “His delivery is so consistent, repeatable,” Roberts said before the game. “He uses his body so efficiently. I just see how he takes care of himself, and the tax wasn’t going to be a problem for him.” Yamamoto’s workload, combined with Wrobleski’s emergence, has helped the Dodgers weather a series of injuries to pitchers who were expected to shoulder major responsibilities.
In other encouraging news, closer Edwin Díaz got a step closer to returning, beginning a rehab assignment with single-A Ontario on Saturday. Díaz appeared briefly for the Dodgers before undergoing elbow surgery in late April to remove loose bodies from his right elbow. “He’s been throwing pretty effortlessly, free, maybe a week after he started throwing,” pitching coach Mark Prior said. If progress continues smoothly, Díaz could be back in action in roughly three to four weeks.
Additionally, Blake Snell—who also had loose bodies removed from his elbow and underwent a NanoNeedle Scope procedure on May 19—tossed two simulated innings to hitters on Saturday as part of his ongoing recovery. Snell is expected to resume throwing activities in the near term as part of his own rehabilitation plan.