by Cary Osborne
Dodger starting pitching has produced four of a kind thus far in the postseason.
It’s four starts — all high-quality outings, all wins, all with nine strikeouts.
Now it’s Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s task to put the Dodgers in position to finish off the National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
“He’s very confident,” said manager Dave Roberts. “I think he has a pitch mix that can manage lefties and righties, enough velocity to handle this team. He does a great job of managing his emotions, as good as anyone I’ve been around.
“And so (with) the opportunity to close it out, he’s the right guy tonight.”
Dodger starting pitching — as was predicted and stated by Dodger leadership going into this postseason — has been the strength of the club through four games.
The numbers this far have been extraordinary:
• 99 batters faced, 12 hits, zero home runs, a .135/.222/.180/.402 slash line.
• Dodger starting pitchers have allowed three extra-base hits in four postseason games.
• They have a 1.75 ERA, 36 strikeouts and a 0.78 WHIP in 25 2/3 innings.
• Dodger starting pitchers through four games compiled 82 swings and misses and have a whiff rate of 45.3% (The Major League average was 25.3% this year)
Dodger starters have completed at least six innings in all four postseason games. That ties the longest streak of the season — both previous streaks were in September.
The schedule has allowed the Dodgers to use three different starters in the first five games of the postseason — tonight’s starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto is making his second start (he started in NL Wild Card Game 2), Blake Snell has made two starts (NLWC Game 1, NLCS Game 2) and Shohei Ohtani took the other one (NLDS Game 1).
Blake Snell allowed one hit in each of his two postseason starts through six innings. (He allowed three hits in the seventh inning of NLWC Game 1).
Yamamoto allowed a hit in the first inning of NLWC Game 2 then retired the next 13 batters.
Yamamoto faced the Phillies on April 4, in the Dodgers’ ninth game of the season. He allowed one unearned run and three hits over six innings, walking three. He didn’t pitch against the Phillies when they came to Dodger Stadium in September.
It was that long ago that first baseman Bryce Harper said he didn’t recall facing him. Harper struck out, walked and grounded into a double play against Yamamoto on April 4.
Including his Wild Card Game 2 start, Yamamoto has allowed one earned run or fewer in six straight games.
There’s one other run he’s hoping to continue.
The top three of the Phillies lineup is 0-for-15 with nine strikeouts against Dodger starting pitching in this series. The trio has reached base three times against Dodger starters — all on walks.
“It’s always tough in the postseason,” Harper said. “You get into it, you’re excited, you’re ready to go. And then you run into a juggernaut of pitching. That’s our team and that’s their team as well.”
2025 NLDS: Dodgers starting pitching is flexing its power was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.