This article was generated by artificial intelligence and is automatically updated as news breaks. All credit belongs to the original reporters and their publications.

Roki Sasaki lasted just four-plus innings Friday night at Petco Park, pulled after his command deserted him early as the Dodgers dropped a 7-1 decision to the Padres, per the LA Times staff. It was a rough outing for the young right-hander, who couldn’t locate his pitches consistently and paid for it against a San Diego lineup that made him work from the jump.

Sasaki came to the Dodgers as one of the most hyped international signings in recent memory, arriving from Japan’s Chiba Lotte Marines with a fastball that touches triple digits and a splitter that ranks among the best in professional baseball. He’s the kind of arm you build a rotation around — the raw stuff is elite, full stop. But nights like Friday are a reminder that he’s still adjusting to the grind of a full MLB season. Command has been the swing variable for Sasaki all year. When he’s locating, he’s nearly unhittable. When he’s not, opposing lineups can sit on mistakes, and major league hitters don’t miss those. Getting pulled before finishing the fifth means he couldn’t even qualify for a decision in a game that was already getting away from the club. That’s not the kind of start the Dodgers need from anyone in their rotation, let alone someone they’re counting on as a frontline arm.

The loss itself stings a little extra because it came against the Padres, a division rival the Dodgers will be battling all summer. Petco Park has never been the friendliest venue for us, and dropping games to San Diego in late June matters when you’re trying to build separation in the NL West. The offense didn’t do Sasaki many favors either — one run isn’t going to get it done against a Padres club that can swing it. But the story of the night was Sasaki’s inability to throw strikes when he needed them.

I don’t want to make too much of one bad start. Every pitcher has them, and Sasaki’s ceiling remains as high as anyone in our rotation. But the command inconsistency is a pattern we’ve seen crop up a few times now, and it’s something the coaching staff will need to keep working on with him. He’s young, he’s talented, and the adjustments will come — but the Dodgers are in a stretch of the schedule where they need their starters to eat innings and keep games close. Friday was the opposite of that.

Looking at the bigger picture, this is a rotation that’s already waiting on Blake Snell to work his way back (he’s set to throw a bullpen session) and managing workloads across the board. Sasaki bouncing back in his next turn matters. The Dodgers have the depth to absorb a clunker here and there, but they can’t afford to let these kinds of outings become a trend — especially against division opponents. We’ll see how he responds. That next start is going to tell us a lot about where his head is at right now.

Source(s): Staff (LA Times) | First reported: June 27, 2026 4:58 AM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers