Yamamoto is emerging as the new staff ace at just the right time for the Dodgers' depleted rotation

ATLANTA (AP) — A Los Angeles Dodgers rotation filled with injuries has seen a new ace emerge in right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Yamamoto pitched like the leader of a rotation — and perhaps one of the game's top starters — in the Dodgers' 2-1 win over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning and giving up no runs.

“He's turning himself into a staff ace,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the game.

Austin Riley doubled with two outs in the sixth inning for Atlanta’s first hit off Yamamoto (4-2). The right-hander lowered his ERA to 0.90, the best mark in the major leagues. He left the game with a 2-0 lead after allowing one hit with two walks and six strikeouts in six scoreless innings.

Yamamoto confirmed he feels he is pitching at the same top form he showed in the Nippon Professional Baseball league in his native Japan.

“Yes, I've been able to be at a high level,” Yamamoto said through a translator. “I think it feels very close to my top pitching.”

Yamamoto said he wasn't focused on the possibility of a no-hitter, but Roberts said it entered his thoughts “for a quick minute.”

“He had no-hit stuff tonight,” Roberts said, adding the right-hander's control and mastery of his splitter set the foundation for his dominance.

“I thought tonight the splitter was fantastic,” Roberts said. “His command was back to being who he is. The last (game) he wasn't that sharp.”

But even when giving up four walks in a 3-0 loss to Pittsburgh on April 25, Yamamoto's less impressive starts have still been above par. He has yet to allow more than five hits or two earned runs in any of his seven starts this season.

The emergence of Yamamoto as an ace is especially important as the Dodgers try to adjust to having three starting pitchers on the injured list. The staff is without Blake Snell (shoulder inflammation), Tyler Glasnow (shoulder inflammation) and Clayton Kershaw (recovery from toe and knee surgery).

Yamamoto has allowed only four earned runs in 40 innings. For Roberts, that places him among the game's elite starting pitchers.

“You look at a handful of guys that when they take the mound you know they're going to go six innings and give you a chance to win the game,” Roberts said.

“There's been so much consistent production from Yoshi, it is real.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stands in the dugout during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto gestures after a double play ended the top of the third inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Friday, April 25, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) works against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, May 2, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) reacts after cathing a ball hit by Atlanta Braves' Sean Murphy in the X inning of a baseball game, Friday, May 2, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) works against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, May 2, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) reacts in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, May 2, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

MUMBAI, India (AP) — Shreyas Iyer was provisionally named in India’s squad on Saturday for the home one-day international series against New Zealand starting Jan. 11.

India will host the Black Caps in a white-ball engagement — three ODIs and five T20s — in the build-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Iyer returns to the international fold after sustaining a spleen injury during an ODI against Australia in Sydney last October.

His selection is subject to fitness clearance from BCCI’s medical team and he will return as India’s vice-captain for the three-match series.

Skipper Shubman Gill also returns, after he missed the ODI series against South Africa in December. He had a neck spasm in the test series earlier, and subsequently played in the T20s against the Proteas.

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Verma missed out. Gaikwad had scored a maiden ODI hundred against South Africa in Visakhapatnam.

Rishabh Pant is retained as second keeper-batter behind Lokesh Rahul, who had stood in as captain against the Proteas.

Star batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had both participated in the domestic List A tournament — Vijay Hazare Trophy — and return to the international stage for the ODIs.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya is fit, but not sufficiently enough to bowl 10 overs in an ODI. Thus, he has been rested further ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup (in India and Sri Lanka) starting Feb. 7. Nitish Kumar Reddy is included in the squad.

Pacer Mohammed Siraj returns to lead the bowling lineup with Jasprit Bumrah rested again. Siraj had missed the South Africa series because of workload management.

The three ODIs will be played in Vadodara (Jan. 11), Rajkot (Jan. 14) and Indore (Jan. 18), with the five-match T20 series starting Jan. 21.

Squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

FILE - Captain of Punjab Kings Shreyas Iyer addresses a news conference on the eve of the final match of Indian Premier League at Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki, File)