Before Saturday’s game against the Chicago Cubs, manager Dave Roberts told rookie Roki Sasaki to focus on command and rhythm. Drawing from Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s great performance the night before, Roberts had a simple plan: get ahead in the count, mix in breaking balls with fastballs, and command the zone.
“Get ahead. Mix in both of your breaking balls,” Roberts said. “Command the fastball and fill it up. I think Yoshi had good rhythm last night and if Roki can follow that, we’ll be good.”
Sasaki had some early struggles that come with being a young pitcher but he went the deepest he’s ever gone in the majors, pitching into the 5th inning for the first time. He threw 50 strikes on 81 pitches—both career highs—and gave up 1 run on 4 hits with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts in 5 innings.
“For me, that was the bright spot of the night,” Roberts said after the Dodgers got pounded 16-0. “And probably the most important part of the game was for him to get better, go deeper, throw strikes, get strikeouts, soft contact. He looked really good tonight.”
A Rocky Start Turns Into Progress
Sasaki didn’t have the best of starts. Despite getting the side out in the first inning, he found himself behind in the count to every batter. He was 3-0 to Ian Happ, 2-0 to Kyle Tucker and 1-0 to Seiya Suzuki. He escaped unscathed thanks to two groundouts and a flyout but it was clear he was pressing early.
Things got tougher in the second when Michael Busch hit a leadoff homer – the first extra base hit Sasaki has given up this season. But instead of letting that moment get to him, Sasaki settled in. He retired the next three batters in order and got out of a bases loaded, one out jam in the third.
“Didn’t feel comfortable in the first inning,” Sasaki said through interpreter Will Ireton. “But I felt like I found my rhythm after that first inning. Overall, better command. That was something I was able to carry over from my last outing.”
The Splitter Shows Promise
One of the things Roberts wanted Sasaki to work on was his offspeed stuff, especially his splitter. On Saturday, the splitter was 25% of his pitches, 7 swings and misses, 4 whiffs, 50% success rate.
“I thought Roki was good. It’s a tough lineup,” said catcher Austin Barnes, who has caught Sasaki’s last two starts. “Those middle hitters, Busch is a tough at-bat. I thought he was good. He mixed his stuff. I thought it was a quality start. Kept us in the game.”
Sasaki agreed that mixing pitches was key to his development. “It puts me in a little tough spot when I don’t throw a lot of different pitches. So today I had to lean on the slider at the end of the game to get something over the plate besides my fastball. But when my fastball is good, I feel like guys will swing a little more on my split.”
Bullpen Meltdown Overshadows Sasaki’s Effort
Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the game got away from them once Sasaki left. Reliever Ben Casparius, who came in with a 0.00 ERA, gave up 6 runs on 7 hits in 1 2/3 innings. Luis García followed with a terrible 1/3 of an inning, giving up 4 runs on 3 hits as the Cubs poured it on and won 16-0.
While the final score was ugly, Sasaki’s outing was progress for a young pitcher still figuring things out in the bigs. Saturday was a step forward.
“It’s one of those games you throw away once you’re out of it and move on,” Roberts said. “Sasaki is ready to build off this for his next start.”
Barnes on Sasaki’s Future
Austin Barnes was confident in Sasaki’s future, saying he’ll only get better. “He’s 23, in the big leagues, four starts,” Barnes said. “Everybody knew he was going to get better and better. He’s got a clear path to what he wants to do and I think he’ll be fine.”
