McCann’s Two-Homer Night Leads D-backs Past Dodgers in Route Job

The Arizona Diamondbacks came to Los Angeles on Saturday and reminded everyone why the Dodgers have become one of baseball’s most frustrating underachievers. In a performance that was part methodical execution and part Dodgers collapse, Arizona absolutely dismantled Los Angeles 9-2, dealing Yoshinobu Yamamoto his worst outing of the season in the process.

Let’s be clear about what happened here: This wasn’t a close game that got away from the Dodgers. This was a complete and utter evisceration. Arizona scored early, often, and decisively, particularly in a devastating sixth inning that saw the Diamondbacks plate five runs to essentially end any semblance of competitive baseball.

McCann’s Breakout Performance Highlights D-backs’ Dominance

James McCann was the story of Saturday, and rightfully so. The Diamondbacks’ catcher went absolutely nuclear, launching two home runs and driving in four runs in a display of power hitting that made you wonder why Dave Roberts isn’t sweating bullets every time McCann steps into the box. His three-run blast in the sixth essentially put the Dodgers in a deep hole from which there was no escape.

But McCann wasn’t alone. Nolan Arenado smacked a solo shot in the eighth, and the back-to-back homers from Arenado and McCann in that inning felt like adding insult to injury. Tim Tawa was a consistent thorn in Los Angeles’ side, collecting three hits and driving in two runs through smart, efficient at-bats. Max Kepler contributed two sacrifice flies, the kind of fundamental baseball that’s supposed to be the Dodgers’ trademark but clearly wasn’t on Saturday.

Yamamoto’s Disaster Mirrors Dodgers’ Season-Long Woes

On the flip side, Yoshinobu Yamamoto looked nothing like the ace the Dodgers are paying premium dollars to anchor their rotation. Six innings, five hits, six earned runs, and four walks. That’s not Cy Young caliber stuff, folks. That’s a pitcher getting absolutely worked over by a hungry lineup that had his number from the jump. Yamamoto did strike out six, so it’s not like he was completely ineffective, but he couldn’t locate his fastball when it mattered and couldn’t keep the Diamondbacks off balance.

Brandon Pfaadt, meanwhile, was efficient and effective for Arizona, pitching 5.1 innings of quality baseball and allowing just two earned runs on six hits. The Diamondbacks’ bullpen cleaned up the rest with relative ease, never allowing the Dodgers a sniff of a comeback.

The Dodgers managed to score twice, both times in the sixth when Andy Pages singled home Tommy Edman and Mookie Betts drove in Pages. It was a pathetic consolation prize, a two-run rally that accomplished nothing except making the final score slightly more respectable than it probably should have been.

Saturday was everything you need to know about the Dodgers this season. When they get decent pitching performances, they can’t hit. When they do manage to score runs, they’re already so far behind it’s laughable. Arizona came into their house and treated Dodger Stadium like it was Chase Field, and that should concern Roberts and ownership alike. This team has enough talent to win it all. Instead, they’re getting routinely embarrassed by division rivals who have figured them out.

The Diamondbacks walk out of Los Angeles with a statement victory, and the Dodgers are left with more questions than answers.