Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki performed exceptionally in his start against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday, his latest strong effort in a string of such appearances which began immediately following the All-Star break.
Sasaki, while not at his best Wednesday, threw five innings while allowing just two runs in a disadvantageous pitching environment, also walking just one batter after issuing five free passes last time out. He logged six strikeouts during the outing, which are his most in August.
“He’s been great for us,” Roberts said. “Roki is not a finished product, but he’s gotten considerably better from last year. Since the break, you look at the numbers, he’s been outstanding.
“I thought the fastball was good, the split was good and he didn’t run from altitude. It was a little bit of a grind – he got the pitch count up. But getting through that fifth inning kind of put us in a much better spot with the ‘pen.”
Sasaki entered the fifth inning on 83 pitches, but put together one of his most efficient innings of the evening together to hold off the bullpen until the sixth inning. The Dodgers lost their two-run lead after Sasaki’s departure, but managed to score two runs in the 10th inning to secure their sweep over Colorado.
How Has Roki Sasaki Performed in the Second Half?
Since the All-Star break, Sasaki has consistently turned in stellar performances on the mound. Over the course of his six starts in the second half, Sasaki has a 2.31 ERA—allowing just nine earned runs in 35 innings—while maintaining a flawless win/loss record.
He kicked the second half off strong against the New York Yankees, posting 5.2 scoreless innings in the Bronx in the first series following the All-Star break, and followed that up with his best start of the bunch, where he struck out nine across seven innings of one-run baseball against the New York Mets.
The right-hander had a 4.46 ERA through 10 games last season, and his 4.42 ERA after his start against the Rockies now outperforms his rookie mark.
Sasaki’s performances have been invaluable to the Dodgers in the second half, and he’ll look to continue improving as he aims to cement himself in the Dodgers’ rotation.
