Roki Sasaki’s first Cactus League start of the new season for the Los Angeles Dodgers did not inspire the confidence many were hoping for coming off the momentum he gained at the end of last season.
The right-hander allowed three runs over 1.1 innings while walking two. He added three strikeouts, but not much went right for him and he once again struggled with his command, an issue that plagued him last year as well.
The Dodgers had been pleased by Sasaki’s development up until that point, and manager Dave Roberts said the right-hander was far ahead of where he was at the same point last year.
But after the rough start, the Dodgers again wanted Sasaki to really focus on commanding his fastball in his next bullpen session, and that drew eyes from Roberts and the pitching coaches.
“Well, I thought the bullpen, the intent was to command the fastball,” Roberts said. “And I thought I saw a lot of good throws.
“I think it’s just kind of, even today with (Landon) Knack, the fastball was fine, but it was just elevated. And good Major League hitters are going to hit it. And so I really wanted to watch Roki, as far as what he thought, what I saw, what the pitching guys saw, as far as the command of the fastball, and making sure that we’re aligned, that that’s the standard.
“And so that’s why I just wanted to keep a watchful eye on him. And I think we got a lot out of today. And then with that, the split, the breaking ball, they were all good today, too.”
Sasaki has been executing well in practices, but the next step is to get that to carry over into games. However, there shouldn’t be too much put into Spring Training stats.
Sasaki was relying more on his fastball in his outing to continue working on it, and that won’t be the case when the actual season begins.
Still, Sasaki needs to show better results at some point this spring after posting a 4.72 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in eight starts before a right shoulder injury sidelined him for more than four months last year.
Roberts also reiterated this is an important spring for Sasaki as he looks to establish himself as a Major League starter.
Roki Sasaki throwing max effort in bullpens
While Sasaki was throwing his bullpen session, it was not difficult for onlookers to see the effort he was putting in. Sasaki let out a loud grunt after every throw, which stood out from the other three pitchers there.
“I think it’s max effort, and I actually like when guys train like that,” Roberts said. “And so there might be something to it, but I think, in general, he’s more vocal. And I know that’s not being vocal, but in general, he’s more vocal.
“But when he pitches, whether it’s a pen or in a game, it’s max effort, you’re going to hear those grunts for sure.”
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