The Dodgers Wasted a Gem From a Growing Roki Sasaki

For much of the season, discussions about Roki Sasaki centered on what he wasn't yet.

He wasn't consistently efficient. He wasn't pitching deep into games. He wasn't always commanding the electric arsenal that made him one of the most anticipated arrivals in baseball. Every start seemed to come with equal parts promise and frustration, flashes of brilliance mixed with reminders that development is rarely a straight line.

Saturday night felt different.

Although the Dodgers ultimately dropped a 4-3 decision to the Phillies, the bigger story for much of the evening was the continued evolution of their young right-hander. By the time Sasaki walked off the mound after 5 1/3 innings, he had delivered what was arguably his most complete major league start, only to watch the result slip away after his departure.

Over those 5 1/3 innings, Sasaki allowed just three hits and one run while striking out seven and walking one. More impressive than the stat line was the way he compiled it. The fastball touched 100 mph for the first time this season, the secondary pitches played off it beautifully, and perhaps most noticeably, his body language finally matched his talent.

Earlier in the year, Sasaki often looked like a pitcher searching for answers between pitches. On Saturday, he looked like someone who already knew them.

Dave Roberts has been preaching patience with the rookie all season, and nights like this are beginning to explain why.

"I know the month of May has been a very good month for him," Roberts said afterward. "It seems like every outing he continues to improve. Tonight, the velocity was where we're hoping it would be, and then you layer the velocity with the command and the secondary stuff."

The manager pointed to both physical and mental growth when describing Sasaki's recent progress.

"He's much more physical," Roberts said. "You see his mound presence. He doesn't look unsure of himself anymore. It's real confidence."

That confidence was evident throughout the evening. Outside of a solo homer by Alec Bohm in the second inning, the Phillies had little success against him. Even when traffic developed, Sasaki appeared composed rather than rattled, attacking hitters with a conviction that wasn't always present earlier this season.

It's also worth remembering how quickly narratives can change. Not all that long ago, there were voices suggesting Sasaki might be better suited for the bullpen. Now it's difficult to remember the last time that conversation surfaced. The Dodgers believed his development would come through repetition, experience and patience, and increasingly that investment looks wise.

The problem for Los Angeles was that baseball games aren't won on pitching development alone.

The Dodgers carried a 3-1 lead into the eighth inning but never fully capitalized on several opportunities to put the Phillies away. They finished just 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and repeatedly left the door cracked open for Philadelphia to climb back into the game.

One of the game's strangest moments arrived an inning earlier. Andy Pages doubled and later attempted to score on a Mookie Betts single. What followed looked less like a textbook slide and more like an interpretive dance performed at home plate. Pages appeared to slide over the plate, J.T. Realmuto appeared to apply a tag to everything except Pages, and somehow both players seemed equally unconvinced about what had actually happened.

The play went to replay review, where officials apparently saw enough evidence to confirm the safe call. Pages trotted back toward the dugout, Realmuto moved on with his evening, and anyone trying to understand exactly what occurred was left without closure.

The run gave the Dodgers a 3-1 lead.

It just didn't last very long.

That inability to create separation became costly in the eighth when Tanner Scott entered looking to protect the two-run advantage. The inning unfolded quickly, but not because Scott lacked good stuff. In fact, his biggest problem was failing to finish hitters after getting himself into favorable counts.

J.P. Crawford opened the rally with a hit after falling behind 0-2. Bryce Harper later delivered an RBI single despite another advantageous count. Then, with two outs and Scott ahead 1-2 against Edmundo Sosa, one fastball drifted into exactly the wrong location.

Sosa didn't miss it.

The Phillies infielder launched the 96 mph pitch into the left-field seats, turning a Dodgers lead into a Phillies lead in the span of a few pitches and abruptly shifting the tone of the evening.

"Tanner's been great," Roberts said. "No one is trying to give up hits and homers. But part of the equation is you get count leverage, and then you've got to be able to put them away. Tonight we couldn't do that."

The reaction from portions of the fan base will undoubtedly focus on Scott, particularly given some of his struggles from a season ago. But losses are rarely that simple.

The Dodgers had opportunities to score more and didn't. The Phillies capitalized on theirs. Scott made one costly mistake. All of those things contributed to the final result.

That's what made the loss frustrating.

The Dodgers lost only their third game in the last 16 contests. They wasted one of Sasaki's strongest starts of the season. And yet, despite the disappointment of watching a late lead disappear, the most significant takeaway may have nothing to do with the final score.

Roki Sasaki is beginning to look less like a talented young pitcher trying to find his footing and more like the frontline starter the Dodgers envisioned when they brought him to Los Angeles.

The Phillies won the game.

The Dodgers may have still gotten the bigger long-term victory.