Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts praised Yoshinobu Yamamoto's performance in a 3-0 win over the San Diego Padres on July 5, 2026, saying Yamamoto "gave us length and pitched like an All-Star" across seven innings.
Roberts described Yamamoto as a tactician when healthy, noting that a located fastball paired with a splitter coming out of the same delivery window makes his arsenal "virtually unhittable when he's right." Roberts added that Yamamoto's splitter returning to form was a game-changer, keeping hitters guessing and off balance throughout the night. Roberts also noted that since a rough outing against the Giants in May, Yamamoto had been on a fantastic run, and that he improved as the game progressed — getting locked in after a tough first inning. "He was flirting with that eighth inning," Roberts stated, "but he gives up the base hit and has a long at bat. So that was the end of it for the night." Roberts also mentioned that Yamamoto elevated his fastball against Jake Cronenworth when the situation called for it.
On the offensive side, Roberts credited the Dodgers with scratching three runs across, including what he called a big hit from Freddie Freeman off Mason Miller. Roberts noted that the Dodgers have now faced Miller three times and gotten good innings against him each time, adding that Miller had not pitched a lot in the last 10 days and was rusty. "He hasn't been as sharp against us, allowing some free passes and things like that," Roberts explained. "So we've been able to stress him a little bit." Roberts also credited Freeman's consistent form to his health, specifically citing his right ankle and his ability to hit off his front side. "This is as healthy as he's been in a long time," Roberts said.
Roberts acknowledged that Shohei Ohtani was intentionally held out of the lineup on July 4, 2026, but added, "I do expect him in the lineup tomorrow." Roberts also assessed the All-Star worthiness of Tanner Scott and Mookie Betts, noting that Scott had an All-Star-worthy first half and that Betts had a great half playing shortstop. Roberts mentioned that the Dodgers having four position players start the All-Star Game was, in his words, "the first time in a long time" that had happened.
Roberts also spoke about Andy's motivation heading into the 2026 season, citing two factors from 2025: not making the All-Star team and not getting to start Game 6 of the postseason. "There was a lot of motivation coming into the season for him," Roberts said. When asked about Andy's emotional reaction to earning his first All-Star start, Roberts described it as "as emotional as Andy's going to be" — a reflection, he suggested, of the player's reserved personality. Roberts noted that in 2025, Andy had been close to making the All-Star team but tailed off right before the end of the first half.