Beyond the work put in, Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s transformation this season for the Dodgers has, in the view of many around the team, also come down to a few simple things.

The Dodgers continued their plod through this opening month, dropping their third in a row in a 3-0 loss to Skenes’ Pittsburgh Pirates.

Paul Skenes pitched 6 1/3 innings of five-hit ball with a season-high nine strikeouts, winning his duel with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 3-0 victory over the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers.