Welcome to the latest edition of Aki Sasaki.
For the Dodgers, it wasn’t just a loss; it was a frustrating setback, particularly for Tanner Scott.
As the bottom of the eighth inning rolled around on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers, riding a wave of momentum, seemed poised for a seventh consecutive win against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Sasaki threw an impressive 5 1/3 innings, showing a burst of speed on his fastball that hadn’t been seen all season. The team held a two-run lead thanks to solid performances by relievers Alex Beshear and Kyle Hart in the preceding innings.
In came Scott, aiming to build on a streak of 12 1/3 scoreless innings, reminiscent of his struggles last season.
Unfortunately, the veteran lefty quickly fell apart, leading to a 4-3 defeat, as he faced familiar two-strike challenges that had haunted him in 2025.
He managed to strike out lead-off batter Justin Crawford at an 0-2 count but then allowed a single after throwing a low slider.
With two outs in the next at-bat, Bryce Harper took the lead with a 1-2 count, but Scott’s down-and-in fastball hit Harper, resulting in an RBI.
In the following encounter, Scott faced Edmundo Sosa with two strikes again, trying to elevate his fastball. But, as manager Dave Roberts mentioned, it was right where Sosa could do damage. Sosa responded with a game-winning two-run homer.
“We were aiming for a higher pitch, and I thought it was good enough, but I threw it too well in the zone. Just a bad pitch,” Scott reflected.
All of a sudden, the Dodgers lost a lead they had maintained since Santiago Espinal’s sacrifice fly in the fourth inning, which they’d later extended with an RBI single from Mookie Betts in the seventh.
Sasaki’s brilliant one-run, three-hit performance, featuring seven strikeouts, went to waste, squashing what once seemed like an ongoing winning streak.
What It Means
For the first time since the Dodgers’ strong 13-3 start, their bullpen stumbled.
The last two recent losses were due to a struggling offense, while the bullpen had been nearly flawless, setting a club record with 38 consecutive scoreless innings at one point.
But on Saturday, the blame mainly fell on Scott, as it marked the first instance this season where he failed to protect a lead.
“To have count leverage, you’ve got to finish them off, and we just couldn’t do that tonight,” Roberts said.
Who Is Hot
Sasaki particularly excelled with his fastballs.
From the start, he revitalized his four-seamer, hitting 99 mph against Kyle Schwarber and surpassing 160 mph for the first time since he pitched out of the bullpen last postseason.
Sasaki continued to impress, averaging a season-best 98.5 mph with his fastball throughout the game.
This enabled him to challenge the Phillies’ impressive batting lineup effectively, bouncing back even after Alec Bohm hit a second-inning home run by retiring the next 13 batters he faced.
His outing ended with six consecutive one-out singles, requiring manager Roberts to have left-handed batters ready. Fortunately, Alex Bashear managed to escape that situation, saving Sasaki’s only one-run start of the year, his third.
In his last three appearances, Sasaki pitched 17 1/3 innings with a 2.08 ERA, striking out 19 batters while allowing just three walks.
For the first time this season, he hit 100 mph, which is a promising sign in his development in the big leagues.
Who Is Not?
While Scott was the primary issue, the Dodgers’ lineup didn’t do him any favors either.
Despite nine hits, including three from Betts, the team struggled with runners in scoring position, going merely 2 for 11.
Kyle Tucker’s 0-for-4 performance stood out, especially after he worked in pregame batting practice to get his swing back.
Instead, he grounded out to end the first inning with two runners on and failed to bring Betts home after a one-out double in the third. He rolled into second base again in the seventh inning after Betts widened the Dodgers’ lead to 3-1.
Tucker’s average dropped to .236 this homestand, with only one hit in 16 at-bats.
“It’s still a work in progress,” Roberts commented on the $240 million slugger’s performance. “I think he’s frustrated. He’s been having a tough time hitting the ball hard.”
To the Next
The Dodgers will aim to salvage this series in Sunday afternoon’s matchup. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (4 wins, 4 losses, ERA 3.09) will take on right-hander Andrew Painter (1 win, 5 losses, ERA 5.40).
