Yu Darvish is regaining his confidence. Is he ready to sway Dodger Stadium doubters?

Los Angeles — Yu Darvish wasn’t sure what kind of reception he should expect Saturday night when he pitches at Dodger Stadium for the first time since his 2017 World Series debacle.

“I don’t know,” Darvish said. “Maybe boo.”

Yu?

“Boo.”

At least at this point, Darvish isn’t hyping his return to Dodger Stadium with the same lofty expectations he placed on himself on May 20 after referring to former Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta as a “legend.” Darvish pitched six innings of four-hit ball against the Phillies and Arrieta, the 2015 National League Cy Young Award winner with the Cubs.

“It’s the same game as usual,” Darvish said. “I just want to do my job. That’s it.”

Saturday’s game might be more emotional for the Dodgers fans who blame Darvish for his early knockouts in Games 3 and 7 of the World Series, forgetting his exceptional performances in wins over the Diamondbacks and Cubs in the 2017 playoffs.

Although Darvish knows the Dodgers offense is formidable, he also has the confidence that wasn’t present when he last visited Dodger Stadium 12 months ago. Darvish’s 2018 season reached a low point when his bullpen session was halted because of lingering discomfort in his right elbow that led to season-ending surgery 2½ months later.

“Last year, I couldn’t even play catch last year here,” Darvish recalled.

This season Darvish has shown flashes of dominance, reminders of why the Cubs signed him to a six-year, $126 million contract in February of 2018.

Darvish hasn’t walked more than three batters in a game since May 9, his slider and cut fastball have locked up right- and left-handed hitters, and the command of his fastball has improved to the point where he threw 63 of 83 pitches for strikes in his last start Monday against the Rockies.

Those stepping stones support the confidence Darvish showed shortly after signing with the Cubs, when he sent a text to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts with the message, “see you in October.”

“If you want to go to the World Series, you have to face the Dodgers,” Darvish said.

Darvish’s road ERA of 4.04 is considerably better than his 5.89 home ERA. But manager Joe Maddon believes Darvish passed a big test at Wrigley Field when he didn’t allow a run in his five innings against the Phillies and returning hero Arrieta.

“And the fact he talked about Jake and had to face Jake head-to-head and overcame that,” Maddon said. “He’s been pitching well. I think he’s going to come out with a different mindset. A lot of that is going to be in his rearview mirror. He’ll admit there are still hurdles for him to get over. I get that. But I think he’s better at putting things in his rearview mirror. More recently. If he continues along that way and throws the ball like he has, good stuff is right around the corner.

“Physically he’s been great. His last start his fastball command was the best since I’ve seen him. And his stuff is good. So he’s going to turn the corner and get a couple breaks here and there that he’s going to finish games. I don’t mean nine innings, but finish and win. And I think he’s in a good place. I like how he’s talking.”

During his three months with the Dodgers, Darvish said he was exposed to analytics for the first time and studied the numbers.

“Sometimes it helps,” Darvish said after a long pause. “Sometimes not. So now I don’t want to see the numbers a lot, just a little bit.”

Darvish’s Dodgers tenure ended on a sour note as he went 0-2 against the Astros in the 2017 World Series, allowing nine runs, eight earned, in only 3 1/3 innings over two starts.

But it wasn’t all negative. He said he appreciated the feedback he received from Dodgers three-time NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw allowed home runs to Kyle Schwarber and Kris Bryant on Thursday but overcame a 3-0 deficit to earn a 7-3 win over the Cubs.

“I looked at him as perfect,” Darvish said. “Some days he has a bad day too. I’m always thinking I have to be perfect. But he has a bad day too. And he’s a good teammate.”

mgonzales@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @MDGonzales

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