Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki struggled again in his latest start, allowing three runs and five walks over just four-plus innings against the San Diego Padres.
The outing pushed his season ERA to 4.88 across 14 starts.
Sasaki has surrendered 13 runs in his last 14 innings, a sharp contrast to his performance in May when he posted four consecutive quality starts.
During that stretch, he allowed only four earned runs while striking out 21 batters in over 24 innings.
Manager Expresses Surprise
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts admitted he was taken aback by the sudden regression. “I am a little surprised, because there was such good momentum going on,” Roberts said.
“Hopefully we can get him back to throwing the way he did in May.”
Roberts noted that Sasaki’s fastball velocity has improved, averaging 98 mph, but his command has faltered.
“To kind of take a step back with the command is a little surprising,” Roberts added.
“But I don’t think that he’s lost that feel for the power, because the velocity is still there.”
The manager emphasized the need for Sasaki to perform under pressure.
“At the end of the day, even if you don’t feel great, you’ve still got to go out there and make pitches and not walk guys,” Roberts said.
“That’s just the bottom line, that’s the big leagues.”
Sasaki Remains Optimistic
Despite the struggles, Sasaki remains confident in his mechanics. “I actually felt different than I never felt before, mechanically,” he said.
“I need to go over it and see what was really happening.
But overall I am trending in the right direction so I’m just going to keep working on it.”
Sasaki has allowed 14 home runs over 70 innings this season, a concern for the Dodgers as they rely on him in the rotation.
Padres Recall Offseason Pursuit
The matchup against San Diego revived memories of the offseason bidding war for Sasaki.
The Padres were among the finalists before he signed a six-year deal with the Dodgers.
Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove reflected on the recruitment process.
“Guys like Yamamoto and Ohtani, who are in their prime and have a history with Sasaki, it seemed very likely that was going to be his landing spot,” Musgrove said.
“We gave him our pitch, we did what we could. But I got the personal feeling that he already had his mind made up.”
Musgrove added that the Padres focused on honesty during their pitch. “I just tried to keep it as real as possible and just be very honest,” he said.
“We want somebody who wants to be a Padre.”
