Roki Sasaki’s recent rebound has given way to the same problem that bothered him early, and Dave Roberts said he did not see the drop-off coming. The Los Angeles Dodgers thought the right-hander had broken out after a month-long run of strong outings, but his last three starts have sent him back toward inconsistency.
That matters now because Sasaki has been the focus of the Dodgers’ effort to steady a young starter whose season has been built on swings. Over his last three starts, he has reverted to the trends that got him into trouble early in the year, and in his last outing against the San Diego Padres he lasted four-plus innings, gave up three runs and walked five batters.
The numbers explain why the reaction has been so sharp. Since beginning a run of four straight quality outings on May 17 against the Los Angeles Angels, Sasaki has given up 13 runs over his last 14 innings. He also has a 4.88 ERA over 14 starts this season, a mark that shows how quickly a promising stretch can be undone when command slips.
Roberts said the Dodgers had unlocked something when Sasaki’s velocity came back, and he said he was surprised that the pitcher could not repeat that level from start to start. He added that the step back in command was the part that stood out, while also saying he does not think Sasaki has lost the feel for power because the velocity is still there. In other words, the stuff has not vanished; the location has.
That is the part that keeps this from looking like a simple slump. The Dodgers believed Sasaki had turned a corner after a month of great outings, but the last three starts have looked too much like the early-season version that left him fighting to finish innings. The problem is not whether the fastball is there. It is whether he can repeat the delivery and put the ball where he wants it long enough to hold a game together.
Roberts’ hope is straightforward: get Sasaki back to throwing the way he did in May. The unanswered question is the more important one for the Dodgers, because it will decide whether that four-start burst was the start of a fix or just a brief stretch before the old command issues returned.
