{IMAGE_1}
After Yamamoto’s solid start, Treinen took the mound but faltered badly. Dodgers’ right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto started Sunday’s home game against the Giants (Los Angeles time) with a gritty performance, allowing three runs through 6 2/3 innings. But reliever Blake Treinen surrendered all inherited runners, turning a tight game into a nightmare. Yamamoto finished with a season-worst five earned runs, and fans quickly turned their frustration on the 37-year-old veteran.
Yamamoto held the Giants scoreless in the first two innings, but in the third, No. 9 hitter Ha-Seong Kim hit a solo homer to tie the game. The Dodgers struck back in the bottom half as Shohei Ohtani smashed his seventh homer of the year – his first in 12 games – to retake the lead. Yamamoto flashed a smile in the dugout, but his night soon unraveled. In the fifth, he gave up back-to-back solo shots to Mike Yastrzemski and Kim, surrendering the lead.
He battled through a 1-2-3 sixth and returned for the seventh, but consecutive hits put runners on first and third with no outs. After getting Mauricio Dubón to fly out to right, Yamamoto was pulled. But Treinen, who replaced him, quickly made things worse. A safety squeeze brought in an extra run, and then Lee Jung-hoo ripped a double to right-center. Treinen’s line: 0 2/3 innings, 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 earned run. Yamamoto sat motionless on the bench, looking stunned.
Treinen has been a key bullpen arm for the Dodgers over the years, but last season he struggled to a 5.40 ERA and 1.84 WHIP over 32 appearances. He had shown signs of a rebound this year, but Sunday’s meltdown reignited fan anger. Social media erupted with criticism: “Treinen…” “Why put him in?” “What is he doing?” “It’s time to cut ties.” “Absolutely terrible.” “Why Treinen?” “He just poured gasoline on the fire.” “This is the Treinen from last year.” “How many more times do we have to watch this happen?”
