Sasaki working on expanding pitch mix as he seeks to win rotation spot

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- It was just one spring start, the first of several to come. But these games that are meaningless in the big picture could be of some consequence to Roki Sasaki.

Sasaki made a shaky return to starting pitching on Wednesday afternoon, allowing three earned runs in 1 1/3 innings. He threw his new cutter and sinker, but struggled to command his four-seamer early on in the Dodgers' 10-7 win over the D-backs at Salt River Fields.

Adding another pitch or two to Sasaki's bag is viewed as one of the most important things he needs in order to be able to succeed as a starter in the long term. In the short term, polishing his pre-existing arsenal -- particularly the fastball -- may be equally important.

"The main thing is he’s got to pitch off of his split. He can strike it, shorten it," manager Dave Roberts said. "Then mix in the fastball, commanded. And then work on that third pitch we’re talking about."

Sasaki's four-seamer and splitter make for a devastating combination, but without a reliable third pitch, he got predictable at times last year. When he didn't establish the fastball in the zone, hitters would lay off the splitter. And when he couldn't drop the splitter in for the occasional strike, hitters would hunt the fastball.

Wednesday's outing was an example of how having an expanded mix could make Sasaki dangerous -- but he also needs his fastball working the way it should.

In the first inning, Sasaki allowed four of his first five batters to reach, giving up a trio of runs on three hits and a walk. He called his own pitches to begin his outing and went very heavy on four-seamers, only breaking them up with a few cutters, through his at-bat against Ildemaro Vargas, whose two-run double capped the scoring against Sasaki.

From there, catcher Dalton Rushing took over calling the game, and Sasaki began mixing in his signature splitter and the occasional sinker. He fared much better from that point on, striking out his last two batters of the first inning and his first batter of the second.

The Dodgers had hoped to get Sasaki through two innings, but his afternoon was over after he issued a second walk. He recorded four outs on 36 pitches, landing 17 for strikes.

"Honestly, today was the first day I thought he came out of his mechanics," Roberts said. "I just thought he was overthrowing."

While Sasaki finished last year on a better note than he started it, he came into Spring Training with something to prove. Sasaki's highly anticipated rookie year was underwhelming through his first eight starts, when he recorded a 4.72 ERA before hitting the injured list with an impingement in his right shoulder.

It took fulfilling an unfamiliar role to bring back the Sasaki who had drawn such acclaim during his Nippon Professional Baseball days: He had an electric turn as the Dodgers' postseason closer, returning with an improved delivery and the triple-digit velocity that he had been lacking earlier in the year.

Sasaki didn't hit triple digits on Wednesday, but he topped out at 98.6 mph and averaged 96.9 mph with his fastball.

"Mechanics is really important for me to get velo up," Sasaki said through an interpreter. "So I just want to work on it in between outings."

Sasaki's stint in the bullpen was always intended to be temporary. He will be a starter this year, but there's still the sense that he has to earn a rotation spot with the Dodgers -- even though it appears to be his to lose.

"Seeing how he's come into camp, there's a lot to like," Roberts said earlier in camp. "I personally expect him to be in the rotation. As we look out, he's still got to pitch well."

It can be difficult to balance development with spring competition. It puts players like Sasaki under a microscope, even while pitching in games that ultimately do not matter.

"That's the development side of being 24 years old and trying to pitch in the big leagues and develop in the big leagues," Rushing said. "It's not easy. Every single player develops once you get there. The more you develop, the better player you are."

At this time of year, teams look at much more than the box scores when deciding how to best assemble their rosters. But the body of work means something, too.