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The Dodgers hammered the Padres on Wednesday night despite a rough start from Roki Sasaki, who gave up six runs in just three innings of work. The offense bailed him out emphatically, scoring 12 unanswered runs against a beleaguered San Diego pitching staff, per the LA Times.

Sasaki’s outing was about as ugly as we’ve seen from him in a Dodgers uniform. Six runs in three innings — that’s an 18.00 ERA for the night if you want to do the math, and I’d rather not. The former NPB sensation came to Los Angeles with enormous expectations after his posting from the Chiba Lotte Marines, where he dazzled the baseball world with a fastball that regularly touched triple digits and a splitter that made hitters look foolish. He’s shown flashes of that dominance in stretches this season, but nights like Wednesday remind you he’s still a young pitcher adjusting to a major league schedule and a new league’s hitters. Three innings is a short hook by any standard, and it put the bullpen in a tough spot — or it would have, if the bats hadn’t taken over.

And take over they did. Twelve straight runs is the kind of offensive avalanche that turns a potential disaster into a laugher. This Dodgers lineup, when it gets rolling, is as deep and dangerous as any in baseball. We’ve talked all season about the firepower up and down the order, and this was one of those games where it all clicked at once. The Padres couldn’t stop the bleeding, and by the middle innings this one was already out of reach.

The rivalry with San Diego has had its share of tension this year, and games like this are the ones you want to stack up. Winning despite your starter getting shelled is a sign of a resilient team. It also takes some of the sting out of Sasaki’s line — you’d rather have a bad start in a 12-run win than a close loss where every pitch matters.

That said, Sasaki’s inconsistency is something I’m watching closely. He has the raw stuff to be a front-of-the-rotation arm, but the command hasn’t been reliable enough on a start-to-start basis. The Dodgers invested heavily in his potential, and they’re clearly willing to be patient, but at some point you need the results to match the talent. Three innings and six runs against a division rival isn’t going to cut it in October.

For now, the win is what matters. The Dodgers showed they can absorb a bad start and still dominate, which is exactly the kind of depth that separates contenders from pretenders. The offense carried the load, the bullpen held it together after Sasaki exited, and we got a comfortable win heading into the holiday weekend. I’ll take that trade-off every time — just maybe not too many more three-inning Sasaki starts.

Source(s): Staff (LA Times) | First reported: July 3, 2026 5:47 AM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers