GLENDALE, Ariz. -- In a spring of peaks and valleys for Roki Sasaki, the Dodgers have approached their young right-hander with a steady hand.
Dating back to the early days of camp, manager Dave Roberts has made clear that he expects Sasaki to open the season in the Dodgers' rotation -- with the caveat that he has to perform. That did not change after Sasaki was shaky in his Cactus League debut, then started poorly but ended strongly in his next outing.
The Dodgers are still figuring out what exactly they have in Sasaki, who starred in Nippon Professional Baseball but struggled as a starter last year in his first big league season. And with both Blake Snell and Gavin Stone unavailable for the season-opening rotation due to shoulder injuries, they have reiterated that they expect Sasaki to start games at the Major League level from the beginning of the year.
"I just don’t see a world where he doesn’t break with us as a starter," Roberts said. "We’re going to need those innings."
While the Dodgers took the field against the D-backs for a 4-1 win on Tuesday afternoon, Sasaki toed the rubber on a backfield, facing a lineup of White Sox Minor Leaguers in a "B" game. Sasaki did exactly what he should do against nine hitters who, on average, spent most of last year in Double-A: he dominated.
Sasaki tossed four scoreless innings on 59 pitches (40 strikes) and generated 17 whiffs. After allowing a leadoff single, he struck out seven straight batters, and nine of the 13 he faced overall. His splitter was just about untouchable. Roberts wasn't able to see the outing first hand, but he received glowing reports from the coaches and front-office personnel who were there.
"They said it was electric. They said [his velocity] was 98 to 100 [mph]," Roberts said. "The fastball sprayed a little early, but then he locked it in. The split was on the plate, short, a lot of swing-and-miss. Couldn't have asked for a better day."
Said Sasaki, through an interpreter: “I actually felt pretty bad the last couple of days, in the way I throw. But today I was able to make an adjustment, and then my pitches were really good. I think that’s what I really need for right now, so I think I can keep moving forward.”
The Dodgers have been bullish on Sasaki breaking out this season, building upon the success he enjoyed when he shifted to the bullpen and dominated last postseason. They were complimentary of how he looked while throwing in the bullpen and facing live hitters, with assistant pitching coach Connor McGuiness remarking earlier this spring that Sasaki had worked hard on his delivery and seemed like he was "in his normal throw."
Then the games began. Sasaki's body of work in the Cactus League -- two appearances and 3 1/3 innings -- is too small a sample from which to draw long-term conclusions, but a short-term concern was that he reverted to some of the issues he faced during last year's season-opening stint in the rotation.
Spring Training is a time for Major League players to ramp back up, whether it be at the plate or on the mound, so the results in the box score tend to come second to feel. But for players like Sasaki, who has yet to establish himself with an extended stint in the big leagues, spring results can mean something. Even though a spot in the Dodgers' rotation appears to be his to lose, he still needs to show some progress to earn it as starters rejoin the roster from the IL later in the year.
Roberts expects Sasaki's performance to "trend up" before the end of spring, as was the case on Tuesday. Sasaki has been focusing on his delivery, using his outings to sync up his throw, which helps him maintain a higher velocity and lock in his command -- both of which were key for him last postseason.
"I think it's all about mechanics," Sasaki said. "If my mechanics are really good, I think my command is good, too."
With just over two weeks remaining until Opening Day, Sasaki should get another couple of starts to hone the physical side of his game. The Dodgers want to see him pitch with confidence, too. Dominating hitters -- even if they're Minor Leaguers -- only helps in that regard.
"There's still value to getting hitters out and seeing guys swing and miss," Roberts said. "We accomplished what we wanted to today, built him up. Obviously, built in some confidence, so just go from there."