Dodgers rebound after rough start from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, take NLDS Game 1

Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres walks back toward the dugout after striking out to end the game as catcher Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts to win game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County register/ SCNG)

Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres walks back toward the dugout after striking out to end the game as the Los Angeles Dodgers win game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game 7-5 at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County register/ SCNG)

Manager Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after Donovan Solano (not pictured) of the San Diego Padres strikes out to end the eighth inning of game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County register/ SCNG)

Manager Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts towards the home plate umpire in the eighth inning of game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County register/ SCNG)

Dodger fans and players react as Teoscar Hernández ( not pictured) of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a two run RBI single against the San Diego Padres in the fourth inning of game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)

Hall of famer Sandy Koufax and Magic Johnson look on during game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County register/ SCNG)

Miguel Rojas #11 of the Los Angeles Dodgers forced out at home plate by catcher Kyle Higasgioka of the San Diego Padres in the fourth inning of game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)

Tommy Edman of the Los Angeles Dodgers breaks his bat on a foul ball against the San Diego Padres in the fifth inning of game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County register/ SCNG)

Teoscar Hernández #37 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a two run RBI single against the San Diego Padres in the fourth inning of game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)

Shohei Ohtani #17 high fives manager Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers after scoring on a single by teammate Teoscar Hernández (not pictured) against the San Diego Padres in the fourth inning of game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County register/ SCNG)

Miguel Rojas #11 of the Los Angeles Dodgers forced out st home plate by catcher Kyle Higasgioka of the San Diego Padres in the fourth inning of game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)

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Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts with teammate Will Smith after hitting a three run home run against the San Diego Padres in the second inning of game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County register/ SCNG)

Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers watches his three run home run against the San Diego Padres in the second inning of game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County register/ SCNG)

Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a three run home run against the San Diego Padres in the second inning of game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County register/ SCNG)

Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Dodgers watches his three run home run against the San Diego Padres in the second inning of game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County register/ SCNG)

Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after hitting a three run home run against the San Diego Padres in the second inning of game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County register/ SCNG)

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Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers reacts after hitting a three run home run against the San Diego Padres in the second inning of game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County register/ SCNG)

Starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks toward the baseball after giving up a three home run to Manny Machado (not pictured) of the San Diego Padres in the first inning of game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)

Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres high fives teammates after hitting a two home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning of game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)

Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres high fives teammate Fernando Tatis Jr., left, after hitting a two home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning of game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)

Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres reacts after hitting a two home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning of game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)

Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres flips his bat after hitting a two home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning of game 1 of a National League Division Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)

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LOS ANGELES – October history threatened to repeat itself. But the Dodgers had an answer.

Nope.

The San Diego Padres scored five times in three innings against Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto. But the Dodgers responded in ways they hadn’t when put in the same predicament in last year’s postseason. The offense punched back, the bullpen covered for Yamamoto and the Dodgers won Game 1 of their National League Division Series, 7-5, over the Padres Saturday night.

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After Yamamoto’s three-inning callback to his major-league debut in Korea against the Padres, five Dodgers relievers held the Padres scoreless on two hits over the final six innings.

Game 2 of the best-of-five series is scheduled for 5 p.m. Sunday.

The win in Game 1 ended a six-game postseason losing streak for the Dodgers, stretching back to a Game 1 victory over the Padres in their 2022 NLDS.

The common theme in the back half of that six-game October losing streak was poor starting pitching. Yamamoto kept it going. The first two batters he faced reached base. A wild pitch and a passed ball set up a run-scoring ground out. Then Manny Machado sent a splitter from Yamamoto into the left-field pavilion for a two-run home run.

It brought back memories of Yamamoto’s start against the Padres in the Seoul Series when he lasted just one inning and gave up five runs.

He settled down this time – but only briefly. After Shohei Ohtani tied the game with a three-run home run in his second postseason at-bat, the Padres got to Yamamoto again in the third inning. A leadoff double by Fernando Tatis Jr. and a two-out walk of Jackson Merrill – when a 1-and-2 pitch call went against Yamamoto – set up a two-out, two-run double by Xander Bogaerts.

Over their past four postseason games, Dodgers starting pitchers have recorded a combined total of 23 outs while allowing 18 runs – 12 of those runs in the first inning of the games.

During the between-innings interview with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts on the FOX broadcast, Roberts said that would be “the end of the line” for Yamamoto in Game 1.

It wasn’t the end of the line for the Dodgers.

With one out in the bottom of the fourth inning, Tommy Edman beat out a bunt single. Miguel Rojas singled to bring Ohtani up with two on again. This time, Ohtani dropped a broken-bat single into center field to load the bases for Mookie Betts.

A wild pitch brought in Edman and moved the runners up. With the count 2-and-2, the Padres sent Betts to first base with an intentional walk. Freddie Freeman (2 for 5 playing on his injured ankle) bounced into a forceout but Teoscar Hernandez dropped a soft line drive just in front of Merrill in center field.

Two runs scored on the two-out hit – a rarity during their postseason losing streak – and the Dodgers had their first lead in a postseason game since the seventh inning of Game 4 in 2022 against the Padres. They added to it with an unearned run in the fifth inning, again building it from the bottom of their lineup.

The bottom four hitters in the Dodgers’ lineup – Will Smith, Gavin Lux, Edman and Rojas – were on base eight times on five hits, two walks and an error (turning the lineup over and forcing the Padres to pitch to Ohtani) and scored four of the Dodgers’ runs.

The Padres’ best record in baseball after the All-Star break featured frequent comebacks and late rallies – Merrill alone had six go-ahead or game-tying home runs in the eighth inning or later. But the Dodgers passed their lead from Ryan Brasier to Alex Vesia and Evan Phillips, retiring 11 consecutive hitters at one point.

But Michael Kopech couldn’t find the strike zone. He walked two of the three batters he faced. Roberts went to Blake Treinen who got Bogaerts to pop out before he walked Jake Cronenworth to load the bases — then struck out Solano to strand them all.

The Padres put the tying runs on base with two outs in the ninth, bringing up Machado who homered twice off Treinen during the regular season. He struck out to end the game.

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Dodgers rebound after rough start from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, take NLDS Game 1

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