LOS ANGELES -- As manager Dave Roberts has worked to establish his trust tree of arms this year, the Dodgers' starting pitchers have climbed the highest. Chief among them is Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who ascended to the role of staff ace in a dominant sophomore season.

With a chance to close out the NL Wild Card Series and send the Reds packing with a win on Wednesday night, Roberts could have chosen to manage his pitching staff aggressively. But he figured that the Dodgers' chances of winning were as high as could be as long as Yamamoto was on the mound.

As he has all season long, Yamamoto delivered. He pulled off an impressive escape act in the sixth inning to get out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam, then got the first two outs of the seventh and departed to a roaring ovation after throwing a

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