Yamamoto looks ready for postseason in stellar final tune-up

DENVER -- Before the Dodgers took the field on Saturday, they knew they had wrapped up the best record in the Majors, securing them the No. 1 seed in the National League and home-field advantage through the World Series.

Once they stepped onto the field, they showed, once again, why they’ll finish with the most wins in the sport this season. Led by their powerful offense and a solid start from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers beat the Rockies, 13-2, on Saturday night at Coors Field.

“Great tune-up for Yoshinobu,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “I thought the fastball was really good. Had life to it. I thought the command of it was really good. There were some near misses. As the game went on, the split got better. The curveball was good.”

Though the Dodgers had nothing to play for, their biggest priority this weekend was continuing to build up Yamamoto, who was making just his fourth start since returning from the injured list. Mission accomplished as the Japanese right-hander allowed two runs and went five innings for the first time since returning.

“I feel good,” Roberts said. “With Yoshi, I think the pitch count is fine. Getting him through the fifth inning was great. There’s going to be certainly a lot more adrenaline when he makes that [postseason] start. But then he’ll have time to recover. So as far as the build-up, I think he’s in a good spot.”

Yamamoto, who was dealing with an illness all week, had some trouble in the first inning, giving up a pair of singles that allowed the Rockies to get off to an early 1-0 lead. In the third, Ezequiel Tovar took Yamamoto deep for the second run.

But once the right-hander settled down, he looked sharp again. Yamamoto struck out six over five innings, doing so with all three of his main pitches -- four-seamer, curveball and splitter. With his five innings, Yamamoto finished his rookie season, which was interrupted with a right shoulder injury, with a 3.00 ERA.

“It was not a perfect season for me due to my injury, because I was away from the team,” Yamamoto said through translator Yoshihiro Sonoda. “However, I learned a lot, I experienced great things, and my teammates helped accumulate the wins, leading us into October. I really appreciate it and I’ll like to do my best to contribute.”

Yamamoto’s campaign was impressive when he was healthy. He’ll now be called upon to perform in the exact scenarios the Dodgers envisioned when they decided to invest top money in him.

Given that he got deeper in the game than he had in his previous outings, Yamamoto is set up to pitch five or six innings in his next start. That will come in either Game 2 or Game 3 of the NL Division Series against either the Padres, who have clinched a Wild Card berth, or the D-backs, Mets or Braves, who are all still vying for the second and third spots. It will be Yamamoto’s postseason debut.

“It’s going to be must-win situation,” Yamamoto said. “I’ll do my best to give everything I’ve got and to win.”

Offensively, the Dodgers got three-run homers from Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández. For Teoscar, he’s now just one RBI shy of 100 this season. The homer also gave him a new career high with 33. As for Shohei Ohtani, he went 2-for-5, improving his batting average to .310.

Though a bit unlikely at this point in the game, Ohtani is still just four points behind Luis Arraez to complete the Triple Crown. Arraez sat on Saturday with the Padres not playing for anything before their Wild Card Series on Thursday, but both players will be in their respective lineups on Sunday.

“I would expect Arraez to play tomorrow,” Roberts said. “And we’ll see if Shohei can throw out another big day.”