{"id":604858,"date":"2026-03-04T02:40:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T02:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/604858\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T02:40:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T02:40:16","slug":"dave-roberts-makes-roki-sasaki-decision-for-opening-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/604858\/","title":{"rendered":"Dave Roberts Makes Roki Sasaki Decision For Opening Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> Dave Roberts supported Roki Sasaki after his rough outing on Tuesday, March 3, which saw him not even get an out to start the game.<\/p>\n

Sasaki, a highly touted right-hander who came from Japan, failed to get his pitching arsenal<\/a> going against the Cleveland Guardians.<\/p>\n

His RPMs on the four-seam fastball were lower than his regular-season rookie campaign, an alarming figure considering his struggles in 2025.<\/p>\n

His velocity was stable, but the location was off from the jump, and batters quickly backed off and let him walk them or give them a flat fastball down the middle.<\/p>\n

\"MarMar 3, 2026; Goodyear, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) talks with coaches during the fourth inning of the game against the Cleveland Guardians at Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

He threw 23 pitches in the first inning before being pulled from the game after he gave up four runs, with three walks and two hits. There were only a total of eight strikes thrown by Sasaki.<\/p>\n

Sasaki came back out for the start of the second inning and retired his next six hitters, getting two strikeouts.<\/p>\n

He generated 10 whiffs<\/a>, four from his new cutter, two from his four-seamer, and three from his splitter, along with another from his sinker.<\/p>\n

Despite the struggles, Roberets is not changing how he views things with the righty.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it can change, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to change before we break (camp),\u201d Roberts said. \u201cWe see him as a starter and (we are) giving him every opportunity for success.<\/p>\n

Roki Sasaki Reacts to his start<\/p>\n

After the game, Sasaki was notably still somewhat upbeat about his performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe past few years, actually, my mechanics were really bad. It\u2019s not something that I really want, so I\u2019m now trying to make some adjustments,\u201d Sasaki said after his start.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI was able to find something I could really trust. But I still need to work on [it] to reproduce in the game. I was able to find a better way to use my lower body, but I still have some issues in the upper body, so I\u2019m gonna work on it and keep moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luckily, the Dodgers don\u2019t need Roki to succeed, but his development would be another feather in their cap and help show that even though they spend money, talent get schances and improves when joining the organization.<\/p>\n

\"App<\/p>\n

LA Baseball Report<\/p>\n

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