The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to go undefeated against the Texas Rangers and complete the regular-season series sweep.
However, it will be a challenging game for Los Angeles as they face Jacob deGrom on the opposing mound and roll out the inconsistent Roki Sasaki on their end.
Sasaki has been far from a sure thing as a starter, with the only expectation from start to start being that it will go one of two ways — either full of struggles or marked by regular moments of promise.
The Dodgers are intent on giving Sasaki every chance to be a starting pitcher, but the growing pains have been a challenge to handle, and, considering it is the regular season, the cost of finding out what he can do is low.
Apr 11, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Alex Vesia (51) reacts after striking out Texas Rangers catcher Danny Jansen (9) for the final out of the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
For Sasaki, the Rangers will be quite the test, given the number of lefties in their lineup and their aggressive nature.
Any mistake on his part will be punished, but his control issues, were they to arise again, will be less pronounced if the Rangers are their usual swing-happy selves.
Dodgers lineup vs. Rangers on Sunday
1. Shohei Ohtani, DH
2. Kyle Tucker, RF
3. Andy Pages, CF
4. Freddie Freeman, 1B
5. Max Muncy, 3B
6. Alex Freeland, 2B
7. Dalton Rushing, C
8. Alex Call, LF
9. Hyeseong Kim, SS
P. Roki Sasaki, RHP
The Dodgers are made a couple of changes to their lineup, deploying their more lefty-focused lineup against deGrom.
Call and Pages are the two righties in the order, while the Dodgers will be using Kim over Miguel Rojas for the match-up against, giving the Korean a regular taste of action while Mookie Betts is out injured.
The Dodgers have scored 14 runs against the Rangers thus far, but they are going up against one of the best modern pitchers, who is 37 years old but remains a lockdown arm.
Ironically enough, one of the team’s coldest hitters, Kyle Tucker, has a favorable matchup and will be counted on to get his bat going.
Additionally, Kim could use a strong game to keep his strong start in the majors rolling.
LA Baseball Report
Get the app for faster news
GET ×