Fresh off his first All-Star selection, Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto experienced a humbling moment in Milwaukee on Monday night — one that underscored the frustrations of a team suddenly stumbling through its worst stretch in decades.
Yamamoto, typically a model of consistency in his second MLB season, lasted just 2/3 of an inning in the Dodgers’ 9-1 loss to the Brewers. The start was the shortest of his big-league career and served as a tipping point in the Dodgers’ current four-game losing streak — a stretch in which they’ve been outscored 38-7 and seen their once commanding NL West lead shrink.
The first inning unraveling began with a leadoff double by Sal Frelick and a walk to William Contreras. Yamamoto momentarily steadied, recording two outs. Then came Brewers newcomer Andrew Vaughn. The 27-year-old, acquired in a June trade from the White Sox and just recalled from Triple-A, was making his first MLB appearance in nearly seven weeks. He saw five pitches from Yamamoto — four of them sliders. The fifth pitch, another slider left elevated, landed in the left-field seats for a three-run homer.
“I think the first three sliders I threw were located pretty good,” Yamamoto said through his interpreter. “But that last one, I elevated it. It got away from me.”
Dodgers Ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto Hit Hard in Shortest Career Start as LA Skid Continues

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Manager Dave Roberts didn’t hide his frustration, not with Yamamoto’s execution, but with the pitch selection. “He sees four [sliders] in an at-bat, and the last one wasn’t a good one,” Roberts said. “That homer, and then the walk, the error, the pitch count — he’s just stressed too much for me.”
The moment was also statistically unique: Vaughn became the first right-handed hitter to homer off Yamamoto’s slider in a regular-season MLB game.
Yamamoto threw 41 pitches and allowed five runs (three earned) before being replaced by Jack Dreyer. A Mookie Betts throwing error prolonged the inning and widened the deficit. The Dodgers never recovered.
Roberts called the loss — and the broader slide — a wake-up call. “It’s on everyone,” he said postgame, referencing poor fielding, ineffective pitching, and cold bats.
That includes Shohei Ohtani, who’s seen his numbers dip dramatically over the last nine games (.147 AVG, one HR, two RBI). The offense has gone quiet at the worst possible time.
Before this four-game collapse, Los Angeles had gone 15-3 and led the division by nine games. They still lead the West, but the gap has narrowed to six, and their run differential has dropped by 31 runs in four days — the worst four-game swing for the franchise since 1932.
Despite the rough outing, Yamamoto still owns a 2.77 ERA and will head to Atlanta as an All-Star, joined by teammates Clayton Kershaw, Will Smith, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman.
But for now, the Dodgers’ focus is on stopping the bleeding. Kershaw takes the mound Tuesday in hopes of snapping a historic skid.