The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to begin their first home series of the season against the Cleveland Guardians, with significant attention focused on the status of pitcher Roki Sasaki. The 23-year-old right-hander, who contributed as a reliever during last year’s postseason championship run, has encountered difficulties in his sophomore MLB season as a starter.
During spring training, Sasaki made four starts, allowing at least three runs in each appearance and posting a concerning 15.58 ERA over 8 2-3 innings. Despite these struggles, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts remains committed to Sasaki as the team’s fourth starter but emphasizes the need for improved performance.
Roberts stated, “Right now, we’re going to run him out there. It hasn’t been great. The standard needs to be better. He knows that, we know that. Now it’s go time.”
Meanwhile, Sasaki will benefit from a strong Dodgers bullpen that has yet to allow a run in the first three games of the season. Additionally, the offense has shown resilience, overcoming early deficits to secure victories in all three opening contests.
Notably, two-way star Shohei Ohtani has experienced a slow start at the plate, batting just .125 over eight at-bats. However, Roberts remains optimistic about Ohtani’s ability to bounce back.
On the opposing side, the Guardians will start rookie left-hander Parker Messick, who will make his first appearance against the Dodgers. Cleveland’s offense has been heavily reliant on Chase DeLauter, who has already launched four home runs in the season’s opening three games.
As the Dodgers and Guardians face off in Los Angeles, the spotlight will be on Sasaki, whose performance could significantly influence the trajectory of the Dodgers’ pitching rotation this season.
