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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Roki Sasaki took the mound Wednesday, looking to build off the success he enjoyed late last season, as he enters his second year with the Dodgers.
It did not go smoothly, with Sasaki struggling to find the strike zone and getting hit hard by the Arizona Diamondbacks when he did. The 24-year-old right-hander gave up three runs on three hits and two walks. He did record three strikeouts, with his fastball topping out at 98.6 miles per hour, but only 17 of his 36 pitches landed for strikes.
“There were some positive things, but also things I need to work on,” Sasaki said via an interpreter after he was lifted from the Dodgers’ 10-7 win.
Sasaki gave up a hard-hit single to leadoff hitter Geraldo Perdomo, and Tim Tawa walked. With one out, Nolan Arenado hit a line-drive double to left that scored Perdomo. Ildemaro Vargas followed with another double, scoring Tawa and Arenado for a 3-0 lead.
After a mound visit from pitching coach Mark Prior, Sasaki struck out Jordan Lawlar and Ryan Waldschmidt to end the inning. Sasaki struck out Druw Jones leading off the second, then walked Aramis Garcia and was removed.
“In the bullpen, I felt pretty good about the forkball but once I got on the mound, it didn’t go well,” Sasaki said. “And the four-seam, I felt pretty good in the bullpen but once I got on the mound, it felt a little off.”
Sasaki emerged as a viable high-leverage relief option out of Dave Roberts’ bullpen upon his return to the club’s big-league roster in late September. He gave up just one run, six hits and five walks over 10.2 IP in the postseason. But the goal this spring is for him to cement himself as a mainstay in the club’s pitching rotation.
“I thought he was overthrowing, I hadn’t seen that all spring,” Roberts said after the game. “He was a little too bullish on the fastball, but he was getting behind in the first inning. It was good to see that second inning, I thought he mixed better and commanded the baseball a little bit better.”
Sasaki spent the offseason working to develop a third pitch, to add to his fastball-splitter mix. The new weapon in Sasaki’s arsenal has been described by Roberts as a “slider-cutter” hybrid.
Two other notable names made their Cactus League debuts on Wednesday for the Dodgers, with River Ryan pitching a scoreless third inning while walking one and striking out one. Edwin Díaz pitched the fourth inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.
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Paul Gervase trying to make his mark in camp
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Paul Gervase is more than just the answer to a trivia question.
Yes, when the 6-foot-10 right-hander appeared in one game for the Dodgers last season, he became the tallest pitcher in team history, surpassing the 6-9 Mark Hendrickson. And this year at Camelback Ranch, the 25-year-old has cut a distinct figure on the mound as he works on his consistency and pitch mix.
“I’m working on a few things, mainly routine-oriented, trying to stay more consistent every time I go out there,” he said last week. “When I have a good outing, make sure the next one’s good and not just have spurts.”
Gervase joined the organization last year at the trade deadline as part of a minor three-team deal that became known more for netting the Dodgers catcher Ben Rortvedt, a crucial fill-in for an injured Will Smith down the stretch and early in the postseason.
But the story really begins with an ultimatum.
Gervase started his collegiate career at Pfeiffer University, a Division III school in Misenheimer, N.C. After struggling his freshman season, his father said they would not pay for school if Gervase didn’t improve his performance. The right-hander pushed himself to transform his game, working with a trainer to improve his mechanics and eventually increasing his fastball velocity by 8-10 mph.
After a stint in community college, Gervase latched on with Louisiana State for the 2022 season and got drafted that year in the 12th round by the New York Mets. He was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2024 and he made his MLB debut with the Rays last June and appeared in five games before going to the Dodgers.
Following the trade, Gervase spent most of his time with triple-A Oklahoma City but did pitch two innings against the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 20, giving up a run and two hits in two innings of work. And this spring, he’s made two scoreless appearances in Cactus League play, yielding two hits and recording three strikeouts over two innings.
“Yesterday was a good one,” Roberts said Wednesday morning of Gervase’s inning of work against the Cleveland Guardians. “He’s looked fine. It’s a really good fastball. I think the secondaries, just continue to tighten those up. I would expect Paul to pitch for us at some point this year.”
Gervase’s one appearance in 2025 was enough to earn him a World Series ring, which he’ll be happy to share with the father who gave him an ultimatum to improve his game.
“I wish I did more to get it, but it does feel really cool,” he said. “He’ll be excited.”
The post ‘Things I need to work on.’ Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki struggles in first Cactus League start appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
