Roki Sasaki’s third start of the 2026 season for the Los Angeles Dodgers was more of the same, showcasing both the encouraging and concerning aspects of his current state.
Sasaki improved upon his previous start in some ways, limiting the Texas Rangers to one hit in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position against and setting a career-high with six strikeouts.
But he was unable to build upon the one positive from his start against the Washington Nationals by exiting the game after four innings of work.
“I think the thing that stands out is, he limited the damage. Once he exited the game, we were still in a good position to win the game. That was important. He didn’t let it spin out of control,” Roberts said. “And then, looking at the lack of efficiency, I think that’s something that, with the stuff that he had today, the six strikeouts and the swing-and-miss and all that stuff, that sets up for going deeper in the game.
“So that’s something that I talked to him about, and challenging him to, when you take the baseball, we’re trying to go five innings or more. So I think that’s kind of the next progression for him, to be consistently able to do that. But I do feel the growth part of it is to hang in there, make pitches when he needs. That’s important. He spread the walks out, I guess, as well as you could, to kind of limit damage. That was something I was proud of in that sense.”
Roberts previously expressed his pleasure seeing Sasaki get through five innings against the Nationals despite not having his best stuff. He saw it as a step in the right direction for the 24-year-old, showing growth in his mentality.
The Dodgers’ skipper also wants to see Sasaki pitch deeper into games in order to avoid overworking the bullpen. The right-hander has not provided a ton of length for the Dodgers this season, which could have long-term effects on the bullpen if not corrected.
Emmet Sheehan also had a rough start to the season, with an outing lasting fewer than four innings. However, he has since bounced back with consecutive starts of nearly six innings each.
Roki Sasaki sets goal of providing more length
Sasaki is in agreement with his manager and has already set his sights on pitching deeper into games going forward.
“I’ve thrown three games, and the innings are four, four and five, or something like that,” he said. “It’s not that many, so my goal is go deeper in the game a little bit more.”
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