Yushin Yamamoto didn't lose points in six innings, and the Dodgers lost to the Cardinals

The 2025 season was a tumultuous 2025 season for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The ongoing injury spree for pitchers — Tony Gonsolin was on Saturday morning for another 15-day injury list — hasn't yet crushed the team, but a week-long spotting woes are waiting to be overcome.

Yushin Yamamoto, the only regular starting pitcher this season, delivered six high-quality starters in the 2-1 loss to the Cardinals at Busch Field in the early hours of Sunday Beijing time (Saturday afternoon local time in St. Louis), and the Dodgers still lost the series. The key sticking point of the series was the lack of timely hits: although the first two games hit 19 hits, the batting percentage of the lap was only 25 hits and 1 hit.

The slump began in the slump after the 18-2 Yankees bloodbath on May 31. The Dodgers scored 9 hits in 17 laps in the game, but only 8 hits in 59 hits the following week, and the loss on Saturday became a microcosm.

"There's always ups and downs," said head coach Dave Roberts, "and there's no need to go with emotions. The team members are well trained and prepared, and the situation will be reversed. There is no anxiety or panic at the moment, only the frustration of missing out on a scoring opportunity. "

"It's going to be a long season," stressed Kiké Hernández, who played for Michael Conforto in the sixth inning and hit a first base in the eighth. There is no need to be emotional about the results of the seven-day race, six or seven races are just a drop in the ocean for the whole season. "

In search of a positive sign, the Dodgers pulled a point back from Cardinal finisher Ryan Helsley after hitting a pointer in the ninth inning. After Hyeseong Kim received strikeouts for the lead, Shohei Ohtani hit a ball-shot from second base and bounced off the base and into the right field.

Mookie Betts hit a hit to push Shohei Ohtani to third base, and Freddie Freeman swung the ball into the air. Cardinal catcher Pedro Pagés made a failed interception and Shohei Ohtani took the opportunity to run back to home plate to equalize the score, counteracting the Dodgers' poor luck in the game.

With the bottom two of the eight innings out, Masyn Winn hit Ben Casparius' right wrist with a strong ball to form an infield hit, running back from second base to score the winning point, creating a chance for the Dodgers to counterattack in the ninth inning.

Nolan Gorman opened the inning with a first-time second base in the ninth inning, and José Barrero, the substitute runner, came on. The Dodgers moved to Hernandez to defend the five, but the infielder was still difficult to stop Nolan Arenado from hitting a well-timed hitter to send a goodbye point.

"Always find a way to score," Hernandez admitted, "but it wasn't pretty, but it worked." "

The Dodgers' scoring ability is unquestionable, and the three MVP winners in the previous period — Shohei Ohtani, Freeman, and Bates — are ready to threaten a key hit. Even though Roberts acknowledged the team's recent inefficiency, the number of hits alleviated some of the concerns.

"With the naked eye, we can see that the opponent is mostly playing around with soft balls, and our side is not attacking effectively," Roberts analyzed the line, "and the base rate is impressive, but the scoring conversion rate is sluggish." "

Dodgers emphasized patience and confidence while facing up to the urgency of visiting the 2nd San Diego Padres of the National League West next week. With the Bullpen Wheel Battle and rookie Justin Wrobleski in two starters, scoring opportunities are even more precious.

"It's easy to magnify the details of the divisional struggle," Hernandez noted, "but at the end of the day, I believe in the strength of the line. At this moment, the downturn is not eternal, and tomorrow or 15 minutes of wild bombardment will regain the hot state. "