\u2014 Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The Dodgers (7-2) entered the series with two primary concerns. Roki Sasaki was one of them. He lumbered through five innings Sunday, and while his line indicated a worse showing than his overall performance, there are still a number of things he\u2019ll need to clean up. His fastball velocity was down to roughly 96.5 mph, and his forkball was virtually ineffective. Perhaps that\u2019s in correlation to the addition of a third pitch to his arsenal, a combination of a slider and cutter that Sasaki has increasingly used in his first two outings. It could also be a reflection of Sasaki\u2019s fluctuating confidence as he searches for consistent command.<\/p>\n There was (perhaps overblown) discourse regarding the Dodgers\u2019 slow start, specifically at the top of the order. After this series, that\u2019s been put to rest. The Dodgers scored 31 runs in three days, and their 16 total homers lead the majors.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a solid start to the season for the reigning champions. Here\u2019s what we learned about them over the weekend.<\/p>\n Why platoon shortstop instead of second base \u2014 and what it says about Alex Freeland<\/p>\n Before Sunday\u2019s game, Betts was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain<\/a>, and the Dodgers recalled Hyeseong Kim from Triple-A Oklahoma City. The Dodgers do not have a timetable for Betts\u2019 return and while Roberts was optimistic Betts would miss less time than the standard four to six weeks usually designated for oblique strains, such injuries are both delicate and finicky, making timetables difficult to project.<\/p>\n The Dodgers will now use Kim and Miguel Rojas in a platoon role at shortstop, while Alex Freeland sees the majority of the reps at second base. That might be surprising, given that Kim has played much more second base in the majors (278 innings) than at shortstop (46 innings). But the Dodgers want to see as much of Freeland as possible. Part of the reason Freeland made the team over Kim coming out of spring was because the Dodgers believed it was the best opportunity for him to see consistent playing time \u2014 something that won\u2019t be guaranteed when a few of the team\u2019s veterans return from the injured list.<\/p>\n The playing time won\u2019t always shake out that way, and Kim should see ample reps, too. There will be some games when Roberts will sit Freeland in favor of the matchup. But those instances are expected to be few.<\/p>\n \u201cI still want to try to get Alex some at-bats right handed,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cRight now, we just feel he\u2019s a much better hitter from the left side. But yeah, I would say that the platoon more so is (at) short. But I also see Miggy getting at-bats potentially at short if a right-hander (is starting).\u201d<\/p>\n The Dodgers know what Freeland can do in Triple A and feel the 24-year-old has nothing left to prove there. They would like to know what he can do as a major-league starter, specifically offensively. Those reps will eventually be harder to come by, with both Tommy Edman (ankle) and Kik\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez (elbow) slated to return in late May.<\/p>\n \u201cThe expectation is to go out there and play great defense, hit ninth in the order, take great at-bats, help us win baseball games,\u201d Roberts said of Freeland at the end of spring training.<\/p>\n Freeland now has the chance to do that on an every day basis.<\/p>\n \n Justin Wrobleski, who threw 60 pitches in a relief appearance last week, is scheduled to make his first start of the season Monday. (Jayne Kamin \/ Oncea-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n The plan for Justin Wrobleski and the hybrid six-man rotation<\/p>\n After serving as a piggyback behind Sasaki through the first turn of the rotation, Wrobleski is set to make his first start of the season Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays.<\/p>\n The Dodgers had toyed with the idea of using a six-man rotation, or at least a version of one, dating to start of spring training. They decided to implement it because they believe it\u2019s the most effective way to avoid overusing several starting pitchers who are either coming off injury or logging long seasons. With pitching injuries most prevalent in March and April, inserting Wrobleski when the calendar warrants it provides an extra day of rest for the remainder of the rotation. A favorable schedule in April \u2014 one that includes a scheduled day off on four out of five Thursdays, allows for the Dodgers to be even more strategic.<\/p>\n While the extra rest day will help all of the starters, the Dodgers will be especially mindful of Shohei Ohtani\u2019s usage<\/a>, especially in the season\u2019s early months. The Dodgers plan to start Ohtani on six or seven days of rest. Similar to last season, they will try to structure his starts to line up with a scheduled off day. Ohtani\u2019s next start \u2014 Wednesday\u2019s series finale against the Blue Jays ahead of an off day Thursday \u2014 mirrors that philosophy.<\/p>\n That would not be possible without Wrobleski, who was able to plug behind Sasaki in the rotation after throwing four innings of relief following Sasaki\u2019s first start of the season last Monday. Wrobleski logged 60 pitches and could be built up to roughly 75 for Monday\u2019s start. He acknowledged the role is unorthodox but said his experience coming out of the bullpen last season helped him quickly adjust, and he complimented the coaching staff\u2019s communication.<\/p>\n \u201cThey do a great job, even when you\u2019re in a normal relief role, to kind of let you know throughout the season the plan for the day,\u201d Wrobleski said. \u201cYou can\u2019t script a baseball game, but for the most part, I\u2019ll have a good idea of when I\u2019m going in there.\u201d<\/p>\n Because the Dodgers have another off day April 16, they likely won\u2019t need to make a second turn through the rotation with six starters. They could treat Monday\u2019s game as a spot start for Wrobleski and revert him to a piggyback option, especially with Sasaki still battling through command and execution issues. The Dodgers still view Wrobleski as a traditional starter in the long term, but they\u2019ll utilize his flexibility for at least these first few weeks \u2014 and maybe even until Blake Snell (who threw another bullpen at Dodger Stadium while the team was away) is activated off the IL. The Dodgers are estimating a mid- to late-May return for Snell.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just staying ready for whatever role they want me in,\u201d Wrobleski said. \u201cHopefully, eventually that turns into the rotation, but if it doesn\u2019t, same kind of deal. It\u2019s just about focusing on what I can do to get better each time out.\u201d<\/p>\n How Dalton Rushing is learning to produce with limited playing time<\/p>\n Rushing could have been vexed by his at-bat in the top of the fourth. Down 0-2, he thought home-plate umpire Willie Traynor heard him call time. It was made evident he did not when Traynor gave Rushing a pitch-clock violation, resulting in strike three.<\/p>\n His next at-bat fared much better. Rushing whacked a two-run homer into the Nationals bullpen to cut Washington\u2019s lead to 6-3 in the sixth \u2014 a pivotal step in the Dodgers\u2019 mighty comeback.<\/p>\n Watch it fly, Dalton! pic.twitter.com\/RsEbc70vc1<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Justin](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/USATSI_28578813-scaled.jpg\")
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