Dodgers sharpen their fundamentals in blowout win over Braves

ATLANTA -- After not playing their best baseball over the past few weeks, the Dodgers knew they needed to get back to basics.

For years, the Dodgers have been a model of consistency when it comes to doing the small things that help win baseball games. Over the past few weeks, they weren’t doing that, which resulted in them losing games they would usually have won in the past.

On Monday, the Dodgers played one of their cleanest games in recent weeks, getting a solid start from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, excellent defense behind him and timely hits in the 9-0 blowout win over the Braves at Truist Park, securing the series split.

“That was big,” said Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman. “When you start off a four-game set in a series like this toward the end of the year and you want to play well, to lose the first two and especially the second one in that fashion, to come back and respond these last two games, I thought that was big by our team.”

Yamamoto’s second start off the injured list wasn’t nearly as sharp as his first, but the Japanese right-hander was still able to make pitches when needed. Yamamoto didn’t have a strong feel for his signature splitter, instead relying on his four-seamer and curveball more than usual.

Yamamoto flirted with trouble in each of his four innings as the Braves got the leadoff hitter on base each time. But in the end, Yamamoto didn’t allow a run over four innings as Atlanta went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position against him over that span.

“I have not gotten perfect encouragement or confidence yet,” Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. “But overall, the last two games gave me a pointer for the next couple outings.”

A big reason Yamamoto didn’t allow a run was because of an excellent relay executed by Tommy Edman in center field and Kiké Hernández at second base in the third inning.

After a Jorge Soler double bounced high off the wall, Edman quickly got to the ball and flipped it over to Hernández, who was positioned just in front of Miguel Rojas in the outfield grass. Hernández then took one step toward home plate and unleashed a perfect 93.6 mph throw to Will Smith, nailing Michael Harris II at the plate for the first out of the inning. Yamamoto then retired Marcell Ozuna and Matt Olson to get out of the threat and keep the Dodgers ahead, 1-0.

“As far as fundamentally, Tommy’s got to hit the first guy, number one. But Kiké picked us up,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “It was to the wrong side of the body, but he made an athletic play and made a great throw, which really flipped the momentum of the game right there.”

In the seventh, the Dodgers’ offense got in on the action. Los Angeles loaded the bases with one out after three consecutive walks to the bottom of the order. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández then proceeded to each drive in a run to extend the lead.

But it was Freeman who broke the game wide open, smashing his 22nd homer of the season, a three-run blast to cap the six-run frame. It was the second consecutive night the Dodgers scored at least six runs in an inning as they continued to morph back into themselves with 12 games left in the regular season.

“Obviously the wins right now are important, but I also think that how you win games and how you go about fighting every inning, even the last two games could’ve gone the other way,” Roberts said. “We’re doing the little things. Breaking the game open the last couple nights, the guys in the bullpen really look like themselves. I thought that they imposed their will the way they should. It worked out.”