Los Angeles Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki has been much improved since the All-Star break and the right-hander has another chance to show it when he faces the visiting Seattle Mariners in the finale of a three-game series Thursday.
In a pair of starts at New York on the most recent road trip — one against the Yankees and the other against the Mets — Sasaki went uptown. He had 21 pitches at 100 mph or higher against the Yankees on July 17, including one at a career-best 101.8 mph, and held the Mets to one run over seven innings one week later.
He went into the All-Star break with a 5.33 ERA through his first 16 starts of the season, and an equipment change could be helping the cause.
Sasaki (4-5, 4.71 ERA) is now using a larger glove after the Dodgers discovered that he might be tipping his pitches to opponents. More leather allows him to be more discreet when manipulating the ball in his glove to get a grip on a desired pitch.
“I thought (against the Yankees) he was fantastic and (against the Mets) I think was even better,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “.. Just keep stacking good outings. He had a good run in May. Let’s keep building on this.”
Sasaki had a lone appearance against the Mariners last season as a rookie and pitched a scoreless inning in relief.
The Dodgers rebounded from a 7-6 loss in the series opener to earn a 4-2 victory over the Mariners on Wednesday. Andy Pages hit a home run and had three hits, while Eric Lauer allowed one hit over six scoreless innings.
The Mariners made a change to their starting rotation and will have right-hander Bryan Woo (7-7, 4.37) return to the mound on four days of rest. Right-hander Bryce Miller had been scheduled to start but he will have his next outing pushed back to Friday.
“Bryce just needed an extra day, and it just kind of worked out well that way, and should be a very smooth, easy transition,” Seattle manager Dan Wilson said.
An American League Cy Young Award candidate when the season started, the year has not unfolded as Woo expected. On the road against the Texas Rangers on Saturday, Woo was roughed up for five runs on nine hits with two walks over five innings.
Woo is 2-4 with a 5.84 ERA in eight starts since the beginning of June. He is also just 1-7 with a 6.52 ERA in 11 road starts and will be away from home again Thursday. He is 6-0 with a 2.20 ERA in nine starts at Seattle.
Cole Young had two of the Mariners’ five hits, including the only hit off Lauer. Seattle managed to make things interesting late when Cole had an RBI single in the eighth inning and Josh Naylor had an RBI double in the ninth.
After shortstop Colt Emerson was a late scratch in the series opener with back spasms, he was back in the starting lineup Wednesday but went 0-for-2 before he was lifted for a pinch hitter in the eighth inning.
Seattle is now 2-6 since July 21 and 2-4 on its seven-game road trip.
–Field Level Media
