Better, Not There Yet: Sasaki Shows Progress as Dodgers Drop First Game

The first loss of the season will get the attention. It probably shouldn’t be the main takeaway.

For the first time in a game that counted, Roki Sasaki looked closer to what the Dodgers believe he can be — not finished, but at least recognizable.

That matters more than a 4-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians.

Sasaki entered Monday night with questions lingering from an uneven spring. He didn’t erase them, but he did quiet some of the noise. Over four-plus innings, he allowed four hits, struck out four, and walked two, working with better rhythm and more controlled misses than he showed in March.

It wasn’t dominant, and it didn’t need to be. It just needed to look like it belonged.

Manager Dave Roberts offered a telling assessment afterward, noting that Sasaki’s “misses weren’t bad misses.” It’s a small distinction, but an important one. The command isn’t there yet, but it’s trending in a direction that makes sense.

If anything, this was a step forward disguised by the final score.

The Guardians got to the Dodgers’ bullpen for the separation. Justin Wrobleski ran into trouble in the seventh, walking in a run with two outs before surrendering a two-RBI double that turned a manageable game into a deficit that stuck.

Up to that point, the only damage against Sasaki came on an RBI double in the third. It was hardly clean, but it was controlled enough to keep the Dodgers within reach.

The offense just didn’t meet them there.

The Dodgers (3-1) collected nine hits but couldn’t sequence them until it was too late. Kyle Tucker manufactured the first run in the ninth, taking an extra base on a wild pitch before scoring on a double by Mookie Betts. Betts later came home on a groundout from Freddie Freeman, but the rally stopped there.

It was the kind of night where the pieces were present, just never aligned.

Which brings it back to Sasaki.

There’s still work to do. The command isn’t consistent, the pitch count climbed quickly, and nothing about the outing suggested immediate dominance. But compared to what the Dodgers saw in spring, this was progress — tangible, if not complete.

Sometimes that’s the more important development, even if it doesn’t show up in the standings.

The Dodgers will turn to Shohei Ohtani on Tuesday night as the series continues.

For Sasaki, the first real step of the season is already in place. The next one will be making it repeatable.