MILWAUKEE -- Roki Sasaki’s stat line doesn’t accurately describe what the right-hander did to help the Dodgers run away with an 11-3 win against the Brewers on Saturday night at American Family Field.
Sasaki was getting hit around, falling behind batters, and even made a fielding error in Milwaukee’s three-run first inning, but then he proved on the field what manager Dave Roberts said about his 24-year-old starter before his start -- Sasaki’s confidence is at a new level.
A season ago, or even a month ago, this outing could have gone very differently. Sasaki’s growth as a starter since the start of last year has been inconsistent at best, but these past few starts -- as Sasaki has started to figure it out -- have proven why he was one of the most intriguing free agents in the game following the 2024 season.
Saturday’s first inning was a perfect example. The Brewers were all over him, taking advantage of both misses (Jackson Chourio’s leadoff double) and well-located pitches (Brice Turang’s double down and off the plate).
However, that didn’t stop Sasaki from trusting his stuff and finding his groove. He threw just one first-pitch strike to the first six batters he faced, and only four of his first 12, but he got ahead of seven of the next nine batters to give his offense a chance to get back in the game.
He started using his slider more (21% first time through compared to 35% second time through), and even Sasaki’s velocity ticked up as he settled in. His four fastest pitches all came during a 1-2-3 fifth inning -- and all resulted in strikes or outs.
Sasaki set down the final 10 batters he faced and allowed just one hit, a two-out double in the second, after his 35-pitch first inning threatened to cut his outing short.
“I just think that he’s gotten so much better, so much more confidence,” Roberts said of Sasaki, who threw a career-high seven innings in his previous start. “I sense it off the field, the way he’s carrying himself, the way he’s communicating more with coaches. I sense it on the mound with his rhythm and pace. … The most important is the strike throwing. I see better strike throwing now.”
That effort allowed the Dodgers to rally in the fourth, with Freddie Freeman and Andy Pages swapping places with a pair of doubles to get Los Angeles on the board before Teoscar Hernández swatted a three-run homer off the left-field foul pole. He finished with six RBIs, tying a career high for the fourth time.
That home run swing was enough even before the Dodgers added seven runs in the final two innings thanks to the bullpen, which threw four scoreless frames behind Sasaki -- extending their scoreless streak to 36 innings. That mark is the longest in franchise history in at least the Expansion Era (1961), breaking the previous record of 33 innings from April 17-27, 1998.
Alex Vesia worked around a leadoff walk to make it 33 straight frames before Kyle Hurt, who has thrown 14 scoreless innings in a row, also pitched around a leadoff base on balls to set the record. From there, Tanner Scott and Jonathan Hernández closed it out to even the series.