SEATTLE — Roki Sasaki stared down one of the crucial fearsome sluggers in baseball.
Pitching in reduction for the second time as a giant leaguer, Sasaki had simply served out a scorcher of a double to Randy Arozarena after getting two outs within the seventh inning. That introduced up Cal Raleigh, the seventh participant in Main League historical past to hit 60 homers in a season.
As “M-V-P!” chants rained down at T-Cellular Park, Sasaki went on the assault. He threw three straight splitters, and after Raleigh could not maintain again an ungainly swing on the final one, was out of the jam.
“I do not assume we would have had that very same consequence in April,” supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned.
Two reduction outings, two scoreless innings for Sasaki. As he had in his first look out of the Dodgers’ ‘pen on Wednesday, he protected a two-run lead in Friday evening’s eventual 3-2 win over the Mariners.
Earlier than the Dodgers clinched the NL West, there was some query of how they might discover the innings to have relievers audition for a spot within the postseason bullpen. Now that the division title and the No. 3 seed within the NL have been secured, they will see what they must work with within the ‘pen earlier than the Wild Card Collection begins on Tuesday.
Within the ultimate week of the season, pitching in an unfamiliar position, Sasaki has lastly seemed just like the dynamic arm the Dodgers signed out of Japan this previous offseason.
“That is the man that we have seen previously and had been actually enthusiastic about,” normal supervisor Brandon Gomes mentioned earlier than the sport. “He got here out of it feeling nice. I believe it’s going to be essential for him to get on the market and proceed to grasp the warmup routine and simply pitching in several conditions as a reliever. So I believe it is mutually helpful to get him again on the market.”
Sasaki struck out a pair in his second outing as a reliever. He topped out at 100.1 mph on his four-seamer — on the double to Arozarena, who scalded the ball at 109.6 mph off the wall in left-center — and sat 98-99 mph on the providing.
Of the 12 pitches he threw, 11 went for strikes. Sasaki generated 4 misses (three on his splitter, one on his four-seamer) on eight swings.
Not solely are the Dodgers seeing the stuff they anticipated, however they’re getting a take a look at Sasaki with edge.
Sasaki’s physique of labor in reduction, together with his rehab outings with Triple-A Oklahoma Metropolis, includes simply 4 innings. However in that minuscule pattern, he has seemed like a really completely different pitcher than the one who posted a 4.72 ERA throughout eight begins earlier than injuring his shoulder earlier this 12 months.
“Greater than the 100 mph fastball and the break up, and the motion on the ball and attacking the zone and throwing strikes, I believe it is the angle,” Miguel Rojas mentioned, “You may see him — not afraid of the second and the scenario. He desires to be there.”
Sasaki pitched on in the future of relaxation on Friday, and beforehand bought two days off in between his different reduction outings. Roberts mentioned Sasaki won’t make it into the ultimate two video games of the common season.
Has the 23-year-old righty proven sufficient to carve out a task within the Dodgers’ postseason bullpen?
“We’ll see,” Roberts mentioned. “We have some good robust choices to make.”
After ruling out one arm in Brock Stewart — who is about for season-ending shoulder surgical procedure — earlier than the sport, the Dodgers noticed a number of of the choices at hand.
Emmet Sheehan, who was moved up within the rotation so he may very well be obtainable for the Wild Card Collection, basically served because the opener of a bullpen sport. He gave up an unearned run and struck out three in a single inning, getting him prepared for the short-burst position he is anticipated to fill within the postseason.
Scoreless outings for Justin Wrobleski, Will Klein, Anthony Banda, Sasaki and Tanner Scott adopted. Blake Treinen was the one different Dodgers pitcher to surrender a run, though Scott practically bought himself in bother by loading the bases within the ninth inning.
However this time, Scott didn’t let his issues snowball and was capable of convert his twenty third save. As with Sasaki, the Dodgers must see the model of Scott that they signed final offseason come October.
“It actually hasn’t been the 12 months that we envisioned [for Scott],” Roberts mentioned, “however he probably has the chance to make all of it go away by displaying his finest within the postseason.”
