Dodgers Notebook: Roki Sasaki shows improvement in third rehab start

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Third time's the charm, right? Well, when it comes to the Dodgers' 23-year-old rookie Roki Sasaki, toeing the slab for yet another rehab outing for Triple-A OKC Comets, the steady uphill climb during his lengthy, but careful rehab process has presented the arsenal capable of being a productive force for Los Angeles.

On Tuesday afternoon, Sasaki was set to man the rubber for OKC against the Memphis Redbirds, the St.Louis Cardinals Triple-A affiliate, and had a final line score of 3.2 innings pitched, three earned runs on five hits, two walks, and four strikeouts on 75 pitches, the most pitches he's thrown in a rehab outing so far. 

Sasaki again showed tremendous life on his signature splitter, having batters whiff at the pitch 44% of the time in his start. Additionally, the 23-year-old added even more gas to the tank from his previous rehab outing to his fastball, topping out at a rehab-best 99 mph. 

The start of Sasaki's outing was rough, as he was dealing with some command issues and threw 21 pitches to end the first. After a lengthy beginning to his outing, Sasaki settled in and showcased his splitter with effectiveness, and by the end of his appearance, notched an average velocity of 85.9 mph on the pitch and registered a 523 spin rate on it as well. 

It wasn't until the third inning that Sasaki would find himself in some trouble again, walking the bases loaded and giving up three hits before being pulled by manager Scott Hennessey. 

By far, Tuesday afternoon's outing by Sasaki was his best rehab start in terms of stuff and pitch selection. Regarding the Dodgers' decision to bring Sasaki back to the major league club, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stated that the goal would be to see Sasaki pitch into the fourth and possibly the fifth before being an option for a call-up.