The Los Angeles Dodgers remain undefeated by completing a sweep of the Detroit Tigers despite Roki Sasaki struggling in the series finale.
The rookie allowed two runs on three hits and walked four batters in just 1.2 innings of work. He threw 41 of his 61 pitches in the first inning, which included a walk with the bases loaded.
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“Overall, I didn’t feel like I had a great feel for my mechanics. My slider felt pretty good, but my fastball, split, velo-wise, command-wise, wasn’t there,” Sasaki said through interpreter Will Ireton after the Dodgers’ 7-3 win.
Sasaki further elaborated that he has been tinkering with his mechanics since the start of Spring Training. “There’s been good times and bad times in terms of the mechanical things,” Sasaki began.
“And I think there’s some things that came up during the outings. So every day has been a challenge in terms of being able to tackle what I should tackle.”
After an emotional MLB debut in the Tokyo Series, Sasaki said he didn’t feel much anxiety on the mound against the Tigers.
“I felt like I was able to get into the game pretty well without any nerves. Just didn’t feel like I had the stuff today,” Sasaki noted.
Roki Sasaki making next start against Phillies
Sasaki has walked nine batters in his first two MLB starts, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is confident he will eventually fix his command issues.
“Roki, throughout his entire career, he’s been a command guy. He doesn’t walk guys. He’s filled the strike zone. So I think that right now where he’s at, there’s some new surroundings,” Roberts said of Sasaki.
“He wants to impress, he wants to pitch well, he’s going out there competing, and right now, it’s just not syncing up, and so we’re going to keep working on it. But from the outset, I’ve always said we believe that this is a process.
“He’s a young player who is first delve into Major League Baseball, and we’re going to keep getting better and go back to work and get ready for a start in Philadelphia. And so right now for me, I’m not going to overthink it and just continue to support him and make sure he’s ready to go his next start.”
Sasaki is scheduled to make his next start on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies.
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