Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Cam Schlitter enjoyed stellar first halves and earned All-Star selections, leading to anticipation about their first head-to-head encounter.
But after Saturday night’s nationally televised matchup was postponed due to inclement weather, the standout pitchers will instead pitch Sunday afternoon, opening up the day-night doubleheader as the Los Angeles Dodgers close out a weekend series at the New York Yankees.
Neither team announced their pitching plans for the nightcap but Emmet Sheehan may start for the Dodgers against New York’s Ryan Weathers as they were slated to start before Saturday’s game was rained out.
Yamamoto (9-6, 2.85 ERA) is coming off his worst outing of the season when he allowed six runs on five hits in six innings of a 9-2 loss to Arizona on July 11. The right-hander won four straight starts May 24 to June 13 but is 2-2 with a 3.96 ERA in his past four outings.
“Overall, there’s good outings,” Yamamoto said, through an interpreter, of his showing before the All-Star break. “And also physically, condition-wise, it’s been good. And I hope that I can carry this into the second half.”
Yamamoto is pitching at Yankee Stadium for the second time. On June 7, 2024, he allowed two hits and struck out seven in seven innings during a no-decision when Los Angeles earned a 2-1 win in 11 innings.
He also earned the win in Game 2 of the 2024 World Series against the visiting Yankees when he allowed one run on one hit in 6 1/3 innings. Last season, he allowed four runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings in a 7-3 home loss to the Yankees on June 1.
Yamamoto, whom the Yankees pursued ahead of the 2023 season, is pitching after Los Angeles opened the series with Friday’s 2-1 victory that stopped a three-game losing streak. Max Muncy hit a go-ahead two-run homer with no outs in the seventh inning off Gerrit Cole; and Mookie Betts threw Trent Grisham out at the plate in the eighth.
Schlittler (9-5, 2.05) is pitching after the Yankees fell to 18-20 without Aaron Judge, whose fractured rib has not healed enough for him to progress to baseball activities.
The right-hander ranks second in the American League in opponents’ batting average (.200) and is third in strikeouts (137), though he opted to not pitch in the All-Star Game.
“My priorities are to the team and how I can help this team to win a championship. I wasn’t comfortable enough that I was going to recover 100% to try and go out there for an inning and throw as hard as I can,” Schlittler said last week.
Schlittler has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 16 of his 20 starts this season, including his final two starts before the All-Star break at Tampa Bay and Washington. He allowed two runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings while surviving four walks on July 11 against the Nationals. The Yankees won 4-2 but he did not get the decision.
The 25-year-old right-hander is facing the Dodgers for the first time.
–Field Level Media
