Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts found the positives in right-hander Roki Sasaki’s start Sunday despite his early struggles.
Sasaki threw five innings against the Washington Nationals in his second start of the regular season Sunday, allowing six runs on five hits and three walks. He also struck out five batters while throwing 90 pitches. The 24-year-old allowed two home runs in the outing, one two-run shot and a three-run homer the following inning.
The right-hander still came out for another inning after allowing his second round-tripper of the day, though, and shut down the Nationals before passing the baton to the bullpen.
“I saw potential growth,” Roberts said after the outing, per the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett. “I think you could argue his last inning was his best inning that he threw the baseball. To respond from that, to get to that five-inning mark, I thought was important.”
Roberts then explained why the extra inning was so important.
“I told him afterwards — I don’t care about the line score, I care about the pitches in totality,” Roberts said, per MLB.com’s Sonja Chen. “And those ones that we want back, we’ll get those back. We’ll be mindful of those. But for him to give us that extra inning is going to help us win a couple games in Toronto.”
The Dodgers won’t get a rest day following their series sweep over the Nationals, and will play against the Blue Jays in a World Series rematch beginning Monday.
Apr 5, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn ImagesHow Has Roki Sasaki Pitched So Far in 2026?
Despite all of the talk about his struggles, Sasaki had a decent start to the regular season in 2026.
He allowed a singular run in four innings against the Cleveland Guardians in his first start of the season, though received a loss in the outing due to a lack of run support. His spring training, however, caused most of the worry surrounding him.
Sasaki allowed 15 runs through 8.2 innings in the spring, and also walked 15 batters in that time. He seemed largely unbothered given the weight of the games during the preseason, but his misfortune appears to have followed him into the regular season.
The right-hander managed a few solid innings in Sunday’s game, though, and will hope to replicate those frames rather than the others in his next outing.
When Will Roki Sasaki Pitch Next?
With the Dodgers’ current rotation, Sasaki will get a week of rest before returning to the mound for the Dodgers.
After their trip to Toronto, the Dodgers will return to Los Angeles for their second six-game home stand of the season. Sasaki is sure to get his next shot during this period, most likely towards the end of the first series of the split against the Texas Rangers.
LA will look to keep rolling without him, though, as they’re sure to be feeling good heading into the Rogers Centre for the first time since winning the World Series in Nov. 2025. The first game of the series comes Monday at 4:07 p.m. PT.
Is it time to start panicking over Roki Sasaki?
LA Baseball Report
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