Sasaki Wobbles, Dodgers Fall Down

For a game played under bright skies, this one had all the energy of two teams still shaking off a Spring Training hangover. The Dodgers and Rangers spent most of the afternoon trading miscues, missed chances, and enough free passes to qualify as a charitable event.

The Dodgers’ pitching staff issued 10 walks, including at least one in every inning except the ninth. The Rangers, not wanting to feel left out, stranded 12 runners of their own. It was baseball, technically — just not the kind anyone brags about.

Ohtani Starts Loud, Dodgers Go Quiet

Shohei Ohtani wasted no time, launching Jacob deGrom’s first pitch into orbit. It was the kind of swing that makes you think the Dodgers were about to put up a crooked number or three.

Instead, the bats promptly curled up for a mid‑afternoon nap.

Ohtani, for what it’s worth, quietly extended his on-base streak to 46 games — which, at this point, barely qualifies as breaking news.

Los Angeles mustered just one more run — a seventh‑inning push that fizzled as quickly as it arrived. The rest of the day was a parade of stranded runners, pop‑outs in big spots, and at‑bats that will not be making anyone’s highlight reel.

Two Starters, Two Different Realities

Slice it however you want: Roki Sasaki is all over the place right now, and not in the fun, “look at that movement” way. More like the “spray pattern on a garden hose someone stepped on” way.

His line defies logic:

• 4 innings

• 97 pitches

• 5 hits

• 2 earned runs

• 6 strikeouts

• 5 walks

Trying to make sense of that is like trying to fold a fitted sheet — technically possible, rarely pretty.

Sasaki is now 0–2, and still very much a work in progress. The Dodgers continue to preach patience, optimism, and silver linings, though the silver is starting to look a little tarnished.

Jacob deGrom, meanwhile, looked like Jacob deGrom. After the Ohtani ambush, he settled in and carved:

• 6 innings

• 93 pitches

• 4 hits

• 1 run

• 9 strikeouts

• 3 walks

It was a very deGromesque afternoon — efficient, ruthless, and largely unbothered.

Sloppy Play Doesn’t Help

If Sasaki was shaky, the Dodgers around him weren’t exactly steadying the ship.

A sampling of the day’s greatest hits:

• A baserunning blunder in the third that ended with Alex Call in a rundown and Ohtani caught halfway to nowhere.

• A throwing error from Edgardo Henriquez that set up a Rangers insurance run.

• A wild pitch from Will Klein that brought home another.

• Burning both ABS challenges in the third inning, including one on a called strike that was, unfortunately, very much a strike.

Even when the Rangers gifted the Dodgers an opportunity — a dropped Freddie Freeman pop‑up — nothing came of it.

Roberts Stays Steady

Dave Roberts, ever the calm voice in a storm, focused on the positives in Sasaki’s outing:

“I think the thing that stands out is that he limited damage. Once he exited the game, we were still in a good position to win. He didn’t let it spin out of control.”

He’s not wrong. Sasaki stranded the bases loaded, worked around traffic, and kept the Dodgers within reach. But the margin for error shrinks when the rest of the team is busy making the afternoon harder than it needs to be.

The Bottom Line

The Dodgers still own the best record in baseball and took the weekend series. But this loss — like the one in Toronto — was a reminder that even elite teams can’t always outrun sloppy fundamentals.

Sasaki’s ERA now sits at 6.23, and the command issues remain the headline. The Dodgers will keep giving him runway. The question is how long before the turbulence smooths out.

Up Next

The Mets come to town for a three‑game set. Justin Wrobleski (1–0, 4.00 ERA) gets the ball Monday against David Peterson (0–2, 6.14 ERA).