Yoshinobu Yamamoto could benefit from tight Dodgers games, lack of offensive support

During his last outing against the Diamondbacks on May 20, Yoshinobu Yamamoto took a no-hitter into the seventh. He already registered eight strikeouts going into that inning (three came in the sixth), and only one ball was hit for hard contact — a 103.7 MPH groundout from Josh Naylor to Freddie Freeman.

Even though Ketel Marte, who has continued to be one of the more underrated players in the game, hit a leadoff single in the seventh to break up the bid, Yamamoto still registered seven innings with just that one single and two walks allowed. It was hardly shocking for a pitcher who's been dominant so far this season, but it felt like it foreshadowed the inevitable.

However, the Dodgers' bullpen and offense came really close to blowing it. The only run the Dodgers scored through seven was on an RBI double from Will Smith; otherwise, stopgap starter Ryne Nelson didn't have a bad night either.

The Dodgers' prized closer Tanner Scott gave up three runs - one a Gabriel Moreno homer to tie the game in the top of the ninth, and then a two-run homer to Corbin Carroll while the offense continued to flounder. Although they rallied in the bottom of the 10th to walk it off after some baffling choices by D-Backs manager Torey Lovullo (they intentionally walked Freeman to load the bases with just one out, and then former Dodger Shelby Miller hit Smith to score a run), they came very close to spoiling a mostly flawless day for Yamamoto.

It would've been utterly embarrassing if the Dodgers had lost that game (that's Pirates behavior, not Dodgers behavior), but it could actually be good for Yamamoto in the long run, especially when it comes to the postseason.

Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto is already priming himself to be the best pitcher in the postseason

The postseason is characterized by tight, tense games, but if Yamamoto can keep his side of the street clean like he did on Tuesday, then he's doing his job perfectly. It'll be up to the Dodgers' offense and the bullpen (seriously, what happened to Scott) to take his momentum and run with it, preferably in earlier innings than the other night.

Yamamoto already has some postseason experience — he got four starts last year — and he leveled up significantly by the World Series, when he gave up just one run in 6 1/3 innings against the Yankees after a bad three innings against the Padres to kick off the Dodgers' October.

Yamamoto lowered his ERA below 2.00 again with those scoreless seven innings, and he's been one of the best pitchers in baseball across the board. If the rest of his team can get themselves together around him, a Yamamoto start could turn into a guaranteed win for LA.