Yoshinobu Yamamoto Heads Into Sixth Start at 2-2

Yoshinobu Yamamoto enters his sixth start of the 2026 season at 2-2, and the Dodgers have not given him much margin through the first month of the year. He took the loss against the Giants at Oracle Park despite seven innings of three-run ball, with Los Angeles going 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position in that outing.

Oracle Park and the Giants

That last start fit the pattern that has followed him early in 2026. The Dodgers have failed to score more than two runs in the majority of his outings, after run support was already a theme for him last season.

Yamamoto’s line against San Francisco showed enough to keep the game close, but the offense did not cash in when chances arrived. The Giants game left him with another no-decision or loss that had less to do with his workload than with what came behind him.

Dodgers offense in Miami

The Dodgers arrive against the Miami Marlins with a.828 OPS, a figure that points to production overall even as Yamamoto’s starts have lagged behind the team’s broader offensive output. That gap is the story inside this series: the lineup has been productive enough to post a strong OPS, but not consistently enough in his games.

Miami sends Chris Paddack into the matchup, and he has lost all four of his starts in 2026 while allowing 31 hits in 24 innings. The Dodgers also have Tyler Glasnow, Justin Wrobleski, Emmet Sheehan and Shohei Ohtani combining for an 11-0 record, which adds another layer to how sharply Yamamoto’s starts have stood apart.

Chris Paddack and the 11-0 group

For Yamamoto, the immediate issue is simple: turn a solid outing into a win while the lineup does more with the chances it creates. The Dodgers have the numbers to support a starter; this series against Miami is another chance to prove it behind him.