CHICAGO -- The Dodgers have lauded the growth they've seen from Roki Sasaki over the past month and a half. But Friday night was a stark reminder that development is rarely a linear process.
Coming off a 10-strikeout, seven-inning gem where he put everything together in his finest big league start, Sasaki took a step back in a series-opening 8-2 loss to the White Sox at Rate Field, where he was charged with an MLB career-high seven runs across 4 1/3 innings.
After surrendering a two-out solo homer to Andrew Benintendi in the first inning, Sasaki was solid through his first four innings. But the fifth spiraled on him.
"My offspeed pitches [weren't] really good today," Sasaki said through interpreter Kensuke Okubo. "So the third time through the order, I wasn’t able to get ahead in the count. I fell behind. So I couldn’t get those outs easily."
A leadoff walk to Tristan Peters followed by a base hit to Drew Romo set the table for the top of the order. Sam Antonacci grounded a ball that skirted past Freddie Freeman to bring home one run, and Miguel Vargas brought in another on a double. Sasaki struck out Benintendi for his first out of the frame, but then his command lapsed. The final eight pitches he threw were all balls, and he departed after walking in a run.
Sasaki left the bases loaded for Blake Treinen, who allowed all of the runners he inherited to score.
"You talk about that inning, the leadoff walk, then there's a flare in there," manager Dave Roberts said. "There's a potential double-play ball that we just couldn't get a handle on. … All that stuff kind of led to that big inning. That's one thing that Roki's done a really nice job of, and as a staff we've done a pretty good job of, not allowing the huge inning. Last couple times in the last four or five games, we've given up big numbers. Unfortunately, that happens."
It marked the first time since April 19 -- the start before Sasaki added the harder splitter that has been a big part of his recent success -- that the 24-year-old right-hander was unable to complete five innings.
In seven starts between then and Friday, Sasaki had seemingly found his groove. He went 3-1 with a 3.12 ERA (14 earned runs, 40 1/3 innings). He was reliably pitching deeper into games. The Dodgers felt more comfortable pushing him.
Sasaki felt that his offspeed command wasn't quite there from the beginning on Friday. He felt off arm side, but he wasn't able to find the adjustment he needed while he was in the game. He also pointed to how his feel for his pitches can change depending on the location. This was his first time pitching in Chicago.
"I feel a little different in each stadium, especially when I throw offspeed pitches," Sasaki said. "So I have to keep practicing on it."
While Sasaki looked more like the early-season version of himself who was unpredictable every time he took the mound, one clunker does not wipe away the gains he has made of late.
The ingredients for success were there: Sasaki averaged 98.6 mph with his fastball, his highest mark in an MLB start. White Sox batters missed on seven of the 19 swings (37%) they took at his splitter, despite his subpar feel for the pitch. But he did not put them together the way he needed to against the White Sox.
"My fastball was really good today, my stuff was good, so I don’t think it was a step back," Sasaki said. "But throughout the season I have to continue doing this, so I’ll just keep working on it and make sure I’m in a better spot."
That response is part of why the Dodgers feel that Sasaki is still in a good spot, despite the poor outing. As Sasaki stacked strong starts over the past month and change, he built a real confidence that was not diminished by his performance on Friday.
Now that Sasaki has a foundation, the Dodgers are hopeful that he can continue to build.
"He's on a good run, he really is," Roberts said. "And so it is a good test for a young player that after he has one like this, how he responds. So that's something that we're all waiting to see. But I do think that he's equipped now with a good base of success."