The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered a harsh loss on Tuesday as their pitching woes came to a head.
The team opted for a bullpen game against the division rival San Diego Padres and were blown out by 10 runs. However, they did get some good news on the future of their rotation.
Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani enjoyed three dominant simulated innings in his latest progress toward a return to the mound. And the team announced some encouraging injury recovery progress from Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow as well.
“Really encouraging,” manager Dave Roberts said, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. “So yeah, you can start to see us get to the other side. It’s stuff to look forward to.”
But the latest on highly-touted rookie hurler Roki Sasaki was less positive. Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior indicated that he is “stuck in a holding pattern,” as Plunkett put it.
“I think right now we’ve got to get him in a position where he feels confident in his ability to throw the baseball,” Prior said. “He is pain-free, but hasn’t gotten to the point where he can put enough intensity to push forward in his progression. It’s just a light catch, just exercising in his throw and not necessarily pushing the throw.”
Sasaki struggled with his command before being placed on the injured list earlier this season, and this latest update might suggest his issues are not only physical. Adjusting to Major League Baseball was certain to be a tall task for the Japanese phenom and it isn’t clear if he’ll be able to make an effective return to the Dodgers’ rotation this season.
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