SAN DIEGO — The Dodgers faced off against a pitching prodigy on Friday night at Petco Park, and it was quite the showdown.
Walker Buehler stood out as the former ace.
Aki Sasaki, on the other hand, is currently struggling.
In a significant 7-1 victory for the Padres, the contrast between the two pitchers was pretty stark.
While Sasaki took a step back during a tumultuous second season, pitching four erratic innings, Buehler showcased a return to his top form. He went 5 1/3 innings, allowing just one run, leading the Padres in this crucial rivalry series opener.
It wasn’t a shock to see Buehler ready for this challenge.
Before the game, manager Dave Roberts joked that Buehler would happily raise the team’s standards.
However, Sasaki’s struggles reflected deeper issues that could signify a troubling trend this season.
He seemed to lack control from the start, with lengthy at-bats filled with foul balls, and he walked three of the first five batters. In the second inning, after briefly holding a 0-2 count against Ty France, he allowed a low slider that resulted in a three-run homer.
Though the Dodgers attempted to rally, they couldn’t find a solution to Buehler’s pitching and squandered a chance with the bases loaded after he was pulled in the sixth inning. The Padres even managed to score four runs against Dodgers reliever Jonathan Hernandez in the eighth, making it unnecessary for their closer Mason Miller to come in.
This was Buehler’s third team since his absence during the Dodgers’ 2024 World Series championship, but he’s been experiencing a turnaround this season, now holding a 3.81 ERA and a solid 1.71 ERA since early June.
As for Sasaki, after giving up 13 runs over 14 innings in his recent outings, this loss to the former Dodgers star was not a good sign.
What It Means
The Dodgers’ division lead is still safe, but it’s a situation to watch as they enter a stretch of seven games in 10 days against the second-place Padres.
With a record of 52 wins and 30 losses, the Dodgers hold the most wins in the majors, but they are still trailing the Padres, who are at 42 wins and 38 losses. Notably, the Padres recently pulled off an impressive series against the Braves and are 11-7 since overcoming a tough 1-10 stretch in late May and early June.
Who Is Hot
The Dodgers briefly took a lead thanks to Mookie Betts, the hottest hitter in the lineup right now.
In the second inning, Betts hit a solo home run off Buehler on a high fastball, continuing to surge with a batting average of .375 and four home runs over the last two weeks.
However, despite his efforts, Betts wasn’t enough to energize a mostly lifeless Dodgers offense, which hit into two double plays late in the game, including one that extinguished a two-on, one-out chance in the eighth inning.
Who Is Not?
Just three weeks ago, Sasaki seemed to be on an upward trend, delivering seven shutout innings with 10 strikeouts against the Angels. His ERA was at an impressive 1.49, backed by 29 strikeouts and only five walks in four starts. At that point, he merged a high-velocity fastball with a varied pitch selection and better command.
Unfortunately, he has since lost that momentum.
Though his average fastball remained around 98 mph, and he reached up to 160 mph, he reverted to the command issues that troubled him earlier this season, issuing multiple walks in the fourth inning.
Consequently, his season ERA has climbed back to 4.88, the highest it’s been in quite a while.
It raises questions about whether his earlier success, particularly against the Angels, was more about the competition and favorable batting conditions than a genuine breakthrough in his development.
To The Next
Looking ahead, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (7-5, 2.65 ERA) will take the mound against Padres right-hander Randy Vasquez (6-5, 4.17 ERA) on Saturday.
