Going out of their way to provide Roki Sasaki with the opportunity to find himself as a starting pitcher, the Dodgers offer him a spot in the Opening Day rotation. The reigning champs do that even if his spring training showing did little to lower the volume on those concerns. Part of why that’s feasible is that, to no one’s surprise, the Dodgers already start the year with starters on the shelf, as Blake Snell is currently on the injured list. Even so, if going by performance alone, Dave Roberts
had better candidates for that fifth rotation spot and chose to hand Sasaki this opportunity.
It’s under this outlook that Sasaki makes his season debut, dealing with the pressure of someone who probably has more to prove than any other player on this roster. The young Japanese starter was supposed to be the next big thing coming out of the NPB, and so far, all of his better moments have come as a reliever. Intent on making it as a starter, Sasaki needs to get off to a hot start in order to gain some confidence and then take things from there.
The Guardians at home aren’t exactly a cakewalk, but he could hardly ask for a much better matchup, squaring off against a team that averaged 3.25 runs per game in their first four appearances. Although that probably had a lot to do with facing an outstanding Seattle Mariners pitching staff, and not just the reflection of a mediocre effort from Cleveland. Don’t let Chase DeLauter beat you. Sure, José Ramírez is the big star, but what the rookie DeLauter did against the M’s was magnificent, hitting four home runs in as many games.
Monday’s game info
- Teams: Dodgers vs. Guardians
- Ballpark: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
- Start time: 7:10 p.m. PT
- TV: SportsNet LA
- Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)
