LOS ANGELES -- Before Monday’s 7-7 tie with the Angels in the middle game of the Freeway Series, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was clear about what he needed to see from Roki Sasaki. The time for "toying around" with Spring Training mechanics was over; it was time for the 24-year-old right-hander to flip the mental switch into compete mode.
Instead, the command struggles that defined Sasaki's spring in Arizona followed him to Dodger Stadium. In a 21-pitch opening frame, Sasaki failed to record an out, allowing two runs before being pulled for Ronan Kopp. Sasaki issued three walks and hit a batter, throwing only eight strikes. While Spring Training's re-entry rules allowed Sasaki to return to build his pitch count, the initial collapse underscored a lack of efficiency just days before his scheduled regular-season debut.
"Tonight we need to see him in compete mode," Roberts said before the game. "There's a time to work on your mechanics, and there's a time to go out there and compete. Once the game starts, it's about getting hitters out."
Sasaki finished the night with zero hits allowed and four earned runs in two innings. But the six walks and two hit batsmen across 61 pitches tell the story of a pitcher still searching for the zone. He admitted afterward that while his command felt good in the bullpen, his mechanics felt "a little off" once the game began.
"The results were really bad today, so I couldn't really find it," Sasaki said through an interpreter. "Spring Training and regular season are different. ... Spring Training is Spring Training, so I don't really care about the result right now. I'm just going to focus on coming into the regular season."
Sasaki’s performance is a pressing concern for the rotation. With Blake Snell and Gavin Stone starting the year on the injured list, the defending champions are counting on Sasaki to anchor the middle of a staff already missing veteran depth. If Sasaki cannot provide length, the burden shifts to a bullpen that cannot afford to cover significant innings as early as the first week of the season.
Sasaki has spent the last month attempting to integrate a new cutter/slider to complement a fastball and splitter that have shown improvement in flashes. However, Roberts admitted the new pitch remains a work in progress and noted that Sasaki has yet to gain full confidence in it. The 14.54 spring ERA suggests that while Sasaki’s velocity remains elite, his foundational command has slipped as he navigates the mechanical changes.
"I'm a big believer in the mind," Roberts said regarding Sasaki’s ability to make in-game adjustments. "If he could just stay external and focus on executing pitches and the sequencing, I think he’ll be just fine."
While Roberts emphasized the mental switch as the key to making in-game adjustments, Sasaki offered a different perspective on the struggle, noting that "technical things are more important than just mindset."
Roberts acknowledged the inconsistency but maintained that the team is committed to giving him a runway to find his rhythm.
"It hasn't been great. It really hasn't," Roberts said postgame. "We know that the standard needs to be better. He knows that. We know that. And then now it's go time and see how he can perform when the lights come on."
However, while the public expectation is for immediate production, Roberts made sure to offer a different message to the young right-hander behind closed doors – emphasizing that the organization understands the human element of transitioning to a new environment and a new pitch mix.
"We're still kind of trying to learn and get better and acclimate," Roberts added. "So I believe in him, I really do. I told him that in the dugout. And so for me, I'm going to keep pouring into him like our staff is and expect it to get better."
The Dodgers host the Diamondbacks on Thursday to open the regular season. Sasaki is projected to make his first start Monday in Cleveland.