The Los Angeles Dodgers earned a hard-fought 4-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night. They took two of three games in the series.
Second-year pitcher Roki Sasaki made his 16th start of the season after entering the outing amid a stretch of inconsistent performances.
He ran into trouble early but settled in as the game progressed, finishing with 6.0 innings pitched while allowing three earned runs on four hits and striking out five.
Dave Roberts Addresses Sasaki’s Season
After the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked to evaluate Sasaki’s first half of the season, which has featured plenty of ups and downs.
“Inconsistent, room for growth,” Roberts admitted. “He’s continuing to get better and to learn himself. May was fantastic.”
Dave Roberts reflects on Roki Sasaki’s first half of the 2026 season:
“Inconsistent, room for growth. He’s continuing to get better and to learn himself. May was fantastic.”
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) July 9, 2026
Roberts also praised Sasaki’s competitiveness, saying the rookie was in “fight or flight” mode against the Rockies but continued battling throughout the outing.
“Certainly I can talk about until I’m blue in the face. Competing in between the lines, that’s what it’s all about.”
That mindset was on display in the fourth inning, when Sasaki escaped a major jam after allowing runners to reach second and third with no outs. He responded by striking out the next two batters before inducing a flyout to end the inning without allowing another run.
“It was good to see him bow his neck and go compete,” Roberts added. “Giving up 3 runs at that point, there was some stress, he found a way.”
His 2026 Campaign
Sasaki, 24, came over from Japan before the 2025 season. Because he signed before turning 25, MLB classified him as an international amateur, leaving him on a rookie-scale contract with six years of club control.
His first MLB season has been a mixed bag. He owns a 3-5 record with a 5.33 ERA across 81.0 innings and has allowed at least three earned runs in each of his last five starts, including six or more in two of those outings.
That said, Sasaki has shown plenty of flashes. In May, he went 3-1 with a .750 winning percentage over seven appearances, recording 32 strikeouts. Although he posted a 4.34 ERA that month, it marked one of the strongest stretches of his young career.
Dodgers’ Dave Roberts Gets Honest About Roki Sasaki After 16th Start