SAN DIEGO –– It was a battle for the Dodgers making a splash at Petco Park on Friday night.
The first, at Walker Buehler.
Current, in Roki Sasaki.
In the Padres’ 7-1 victory, there was no comparison between their two games.
While Sasaki took a big step back in his sophomore season, walking five batters and giving up a three-run homer in a weak four-plus-inning outing, Buehler returned to his old San Diego best form, ripping through 5 ⅓ innings of one-run ball to give the Padres a middling streak in the series opener.
That Buehler was ready for the moment was no surprise.
Before the game, manager Dave Roberts was joking when he said the former Dodgers ace “would love nothing more than to stuff you-know-what.”
Sasaki’s struggles, however, represent a startling development in a campaign that has gone backwards in the wrong direction.
He lacked command early on, walking his first five batters while grinding out long, foul-ball at-bats. After Ty France made it 0-2 with two out in the second inning, he threw a low slider that France launched to leave it for what would have been a three-run blast.
The Dodgers would trail all the way, failing to relieve Buehler before spending a bases-loaded inning with one out in the top of the sixth. The Padres didn’t have to go to closeout Mason Miller, either, not after their offense marked Dodger reliever Jonathan Hernández with four runs in the eighth to pull away.
For Buehler — now in his third organization since getting the last shot at the Dodgers’ 2024 World Series title — the outing continued his recent turnaround, which has given him a 3.81 ERA this season and a 1.71 mark since early June.
For Sasaki –– who has allowed 13 runs in 14 innings in his last three starts –– the player continued his recent slump, which left him on Friday outplayed by his former star.
What does it mean
The Dodgers’ division lead is not in jeopardy. But, as they begin a seven-game stretch in 10 days against the second-place Padres, it’s worth keeping an eye on.
Remaining the winningest record in the majors at 52-30, the Dodgers are eight games ahead of the Padres, 42-38, in the National League West. But the Padres have now won four games in a row, coming off a nice sweep of the Braves, and are 11-7 since a bad 1-10 rut in late May and early June.
Who is hot
The Dodgers took a brief lead on Friday, courtesy of the hottest new hitter on the roster.
In the top of the second, Mookie Betts tagged Buehler with a solo home run on a first-pitch fastball, continuing a rough two-week stretch in which he hit .375 with four home runs.
Still, even Betts ended a rough night for the Dodgers offense, hitting two double plays later in the game — including one to end a two-on, one-out eighth.
Who is not
Three weeks ago, Sasaki seemed to be on the rise. He pitched seven shutout innings with 10 strikeouts in a June 5 game against the Angels. He had a 1.49 ERA with 29 strikeouts and only five walks over four starts. And, most importantly, he was finally pairing triple-digit fastball velocity with an expanded arsenal and consistent command.
Wow, he didn’t waste any time and wasted all that momentum.
Although he still averaged nearly 98 mph with his fastball, and topped 100 mph again, he reverted to the wild command that had plagued him earlier this season, striking out six bases when he counted a hit batter in the fourth.
As a result, Sasaki’s season ERA returned to 4.88, the highest of the month.
And it’s worth wondering if his uptick in form earlier this year — which included another seven-inning gem against the Angels — was the result of poor opposition and good batting luck rather than a true shift in his continued growth.
Next
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (7-5, 2.65 ERA) will take the mound Saturday against Padres right-hander Randy Vásquez (6-5, 4.17 ERA).
