LOS ANGELES — Roki Sasaki continued to impress, pitching into the sixth inning, and the Dodgers had a late lead. But Tanner Scott allowed his first runs on over a month in a decisive eighth inning in a stunning 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.
Scott had a rough go of it in his first year in Los Angeles, but this season has looked much more like the dominant reliever the Dodgers signed to a four-year contract. Entering Saturday he struck out a third of his batters
with a 1.14 ERA, 2.18 xERA in 23 2/3 innings, and hadn’t allowed a run since April 24, thirteen appearances ago.
Staked to a 3-1 lead in the eighth inning, Scott allowed a pair of singles for one run, snapping his scoreless skid, then Edmundo Sosa hit a two-run home run just over the left field wall to turn the game around.
After leading the majors with 10 blown saves last season, this was Scott’s first blown save of 2026. Before the three runs in the eighth inning on Saturday, all Dodgers actual relief pitchers (Miguel Rojas excluded) allowed two runs in their previous 50 2/3 innings.
Encouraging beginning
Sasaki has found some success of late in throwing his harder split-fingered pitch, which plays better off his fastball. That’s kept him in games longer, and helped him string together confidence-building starts.
“Over the last handful of weeks, he’s just more comfortable,” manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “For me, the quality of [the fastball], the command of it has gotten a lot better. He hasn’t hit 100, but it’s still commanded a lot better than it was early on. 97 commanded is a lot better than 100 out of the hitting zone.”
Sasaki did hit triple digits on Saturday, twice (100.4 and 100.1 mph), plus three more at 99.8 mph and 99.7 mph. It’s the first time he’s thrown 100 mph this year, something he did regularly in Japan and did three times last season. But more importantly, he was effective, matching his MLB high with 18 swinging strikes — eight on the fastball, seven on the slider, and three on the slider.
Alec Bohm hit a 98.9-mph fastball at the top edge of the strike zone over the center field wall for the first run of the game, in the second inning. But Sasaki didn’t allow much else, and retired his next 13 batters in a row before Kyle Schwarber — who struck out in his first two at-bats — reached on an infield dribbler in the sixth inning. A more traditional single, by Trea Turner to right field, ended Sasaki’s night at seven strikeouts through 5 1/3 innings, up 2-1 but with the potential tying and go-ahead runs on base.
Alex Vesia walked Bryce Harper to load the bases, but struck out Edmundo Sosa and got Bohm to ground out to strand the inherited runners, escaping his second jam in as many nights.
Sasaki ended his promising May with a 3.18 ERA in five starts, with 28 strikeouts against only six walks in 28 1/3 innings.
Alex Call, making his second start in a row in left field after Teoscar Hernández strained his left hamstring, was instrumental in the Dodgers’ first two runs. He singled home Will Smith in the second inning, then doubled to center in the fourth on a ball that got past a diving Justin Crawford, and took third on an error by Adolis Garcia attempting to help out in right. Santiago Espinal’s sacrifice fly gave the Dodgers their first lead of the night.
Andy Pages doubled in the seventh inning, and scored on a two-out single by Mookie Betts. Pages nearly got thrown out at home, but was ruled safe. That distinction proved important, because replays were inconclusive whether catcher JT Realmuto tagged his foot or whether Pages even touched home plate at all. Not enough to overturn the Phillies challenge meant the call stood, and the Dodgers got their insurance.
They just needed a little more cushion in this one, and the win streak is snapped at six games.
Saturday particulars
Home runs: Alec Bohm (6), Edmundo Sosa (3)
WP — Orion Kerkering (3-0): 1 IP, 2 hits, 1 run, 2 strikeouts
LP — Tanner Scott (1-2): 1 IP, 3 hits, 3 runs
Sv — Johan Duran (12): 1 IP, zeroes
Up next
The homestand concludes on Sunday (1:10 p.m., SportsNet LA), with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound against Phillies rookie right-hander Andrew Painter.
