The Los Angeles Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday behind Roki Sasaki’s solid start in the series finale at Coors Field.
The right-hander gave up two runs on seven hits and collected six strikeouts in five innings of work. He has now yielded two or fewer runs in six consecutive outings.
The Dodgers allowed Sasaki to stay back in California before traveling to Denver on Tuesday night as a way to help limit the potential effects of Denver’s high altitude. They had a similar plan for Blake Snell, who returned to L.A. after his start against the Rockies on Friday.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tarik Skubal also did not travel with the team so they could prepare for their upcoming starts against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium, via Jack Harris of the California Post.
Neither Yoshinobu Yamamoto nor Tarik Skubal made the trek at all, staying in California to prepare for their respective starts on Friday and Saturday this coming weekend –– and avoid any altitude-related adjustments they would have had to make after going to Denver.
Monday night’s starter, Blake Snell, also returned to L.A. the morning after his six-inning, one-run outing, limiting his exposure to the mile-high elements as much as possible ahead of his next scheduled outing back home on Sunday.
Playing in Denver can take a toll on any athlete, but that’s especially true for pitchers who have a longer recovery period and preparation between starts.
With the Dodgers entering the stretch run, they want their pitchers at their absolute best so they can finish the regular season on a strong note and carry that momentum into the playoffs.
Dodgers’ upcoming stretch of games
After sweeping the Rockies, the Dodgers are back in Southern California for a brief homestand against the Pirates. Yamamoto is scheduled to start the series opener on Friday, with Skubal taking the mound in the middle matchup and Snell pitching the finale.
L.A. will then begin another road trip, with series against the Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers. After recently welcoming Snell back to their rotation, the Dodgers are expecting Tyler Glasnow to make his return start in one of those games.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
