Going into Tuesday’s game against the Guardians, the intent for Roki Sasaki was for three innings and 45 pitches. However, it was a Jekyll and Hyde outing for Sasaki. In the first inning, Sasaki threw 23 pitches (8 strikes), gave up a walk, single, walk, HR, and walk without recording an out.
Wyatt Crowell got out of the first inning without allowing another run, but he walked a tightrope by walking two others to go with 2 strikeouts.
Spring Training allows for a pitcher to leave and then come back. Sasaki came back out for the 2nd inning. He threw 2 arm side balls to the first batter, Brayan Rocchio. Then something hit, and Sasaki struck out Rocchio on the next three pitches, the last coming on an unhittable splitter. Sasaki retired the next five batters, with one additional K.
After throwing 23 pitches and not getting an out, Sasaki came back and retired the order in the next two innings on 22 pitches (13 strikes). Some will look at Sasaki’s outing and conclude he is not a starting pitcher for a contending team. Others believe he had a bad inning but figured it out and made the proper adjustments and showed elite “stuff”.
I am staying positive and believing that Sasaki will continue to develop and get better command of his fastball. His misses were almost exclusively on the arm side, regardless as to whether the batter was a R or L. As I remember, and as Rick Monday reminded us, to consistently miss in the same manner is mechanical, and can be fixed. 2nd outing in ST, I think the 24 year old makes the adjustments.
Another positive outing for River Ryan. 2.0 scoreless innings, no hits, 1 BB, and 3 K.
Will Klein followed up a meh outing with an exceptional 1.0 flawless inning with 2 K. Tanner Scott got pinched on a 2-2 pitch and walked the leadoff hitter in his inning. He gave up a one out single but did not allow a run. He did register 2 K. Ronan Kopp pitched a scoreless 9th allowing a hit and a K getting a save.
Offensively, LAD got a 2-run HR from Miggy Ro, a 2-run triple by Zach Ehrhard, and a run scoring single by Ryan Ward. Hopefully that is a confidence builder for Ward. Ehrhard continues to put up productive ABs.
Kyle Tucker is not in camp as he and his wife are expecting their first baby.
Kyle Tucker has been away from Dodgers camp as he and his wife anticipate the birth of their first child.
Also, Kiké Hernández (who has been rehabbing at CBR) will head to be around team Puerto Rico for the WBC in coming days. Has already dyed his hair for the occasion.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) March 3, 2026
Don’t get the whole dying your hair bit. Looks ridiculous. Team USA killed the Giants 15-1. Hauser got lit up in the first inning. Nice to see Miggy flex his muscles. Zyhir Hope has some guns. Very impressive.
What about Antoine Kelly? Could he be a guy?
Sasaki will figure it out. I am still positive about him. The stuff is elite.
Ryan will be a stud if he stays healthy . I hope Klein makes it to the opening roster to give him the ovation he deserves and his last outing is encouraging.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With Snell and Stone delayed, and Sasaki shaky, the starting rotation could begin with:
Yamamoto
Glasnow
Shohei
Sheehan
Wrobleski
Ryan
I’m wondering whether the playing field is truly level for Sasaki. He may have a higher ceiling, but others might be more dependable. (Wrobleski replaces Snell as the group’s lefty.)
No doubt there will load management with the pitchers, but I hope Shohei gets enough innings to compete for the Cy Young. We can expect injuries, aches and pains–and maybe we’ll see Jackson Ferris at some point.
Bullpen: Diaz, Scott, Vesia, Dreyer, Hurt, Treinen, Klein…???
A 200 game baseball season starts quite slowly. Right now we’re watching minor league games with a sprinkle of Major League players thrown in for a few innings at a time. It’s interesting, but I wonder how telling these games are. The Dodgers probably already know what the April squad will look like, which will be marginally different from the July squad and different yet in September.
Sasaki’s stuff is electric. His command is ungoverned. He will get it together by April or he will get it together in Oklahoma.
Sooner or later the minor league players will be reassigned. We won’t see the varsity play together for a while. In the meantime it’s back to the future, which is a pretty good show.
Casparius
Like Hurt, Casparius is no longer considered a starter, at least with the Dodgers. In an emergency, yes he could start, but he is not going into a rotation, again, at least with the Dodgers
I assumed he was mentioning him for the bullpen.
Correct
Watch the first 3 innings of the game yesterday. Looking at Sasaki pitching, it seemed like his leg kick in the first in was slightly more open then in innings 2 and 3. Sasaki said it was his upper body that was out of sync. Either way, it’s a mechanical adjustment. That’s what spring training is for.
Starting Lineup vs Team Mexico
SS – Miguel Rojas
LF – Teoscar Hernández
1B – Freddie Freeman
DH – Andy Pages
3B – Santiago Espinal
C – Dalton Rushing
CF – Alex Call
2B – Nick Senzel
RF – Josue De Paula
P – Tyler Glasnow
Others scheduled to pitch:
Emmet Sheehan
Alex Vesia
Blake Treinen
Jack Dreyer
Ben Casparius
Espinal nearing lock status
Senzel at 2b–hmm
Nice win over Mexico today. Glasnow a little shaky in the 3rd. and the kid pitcher did not help him out much. Sheehan did not look sharp, but he has been ill and this was his first outing. Pages looks ready to go. Espinal should be considered the front runner for the 26th spot on the roster.
Man, Pages career season incoming
Keep the dynasty going!