The Dodgers are back in New York City after an off day, rolling into town having already cleaned up their first two road series against the Yankees and then the Phillies. Now they’re squaring off with the Mets, and all eyes are on the mound because Roki Sasaki is making his second start of the second half.
Sasaki Is Throwing Absolute Lasers
Seriously, this dude is on fire. Sasaki had an incredible outing against the Yankees last Friday, going 5.2 innings without giving up a single earned run and only walking one batter. But here’s the kicker: he was absolutely dealing heat, touching 101.8 MPH on the radar gun. Plus, his movement was way better than what we’ve seen from him in the past. There’s even talk he’s rocking a bigger glove now to avoid tipping pitches, but honestly, whatever he’s doing, it’s working. He looks so much more like the dominant pitcher the Dodgers knew back in Japan. You just know other teams are already scouting this guy HARD.
Mets Pitching And Batting Matchups
For the Mets, Sean Manaea is taking the hill, and it hasn’t been the greatest season for him. He’s sitting at a 2-5 record with a 4.74 ERA. His last start against the Phillies was rough, too, only lasting 4.2 innings and giving up four earned runs. Now, if you’re a Dodgers fan, you gotta love this: Mookie Betts has been absolutely raking lately and he’s got Manaea’s number. In 40 plate appearances against Manaea, Betts has seven extra base hits, including three monster homers. Kyle Tucker, even though he’s been scuffling a bit, also has four lifetime homers off Manaea and has drawn 12 walks. On the other side, Marcus Semien is the only Met who’s faced Sasaki before, and he went hitless in three at-bats. Juan Soto got a nice rest, too, with Wednesday off and then the Mets’ off day Thursday. He’s batting .283 on the season, but he’s only hitting .125 over his last seven games, so that rest might be exactly what he needs.
Mets Are Struggling To Find A Groove
Let’s be real, the Mets as a team have been stuck in neutral for most of the season. They’re hanging out in the bottom quarter of MLB teams in pretty much every stat you can think of, except for home runs, where they’re 14th, and ERA, which is at 4.23. Remember back in April when the Dodgers swept them clean in Los Angeles? Yeah, that felt like ages ago but it’s a good reminder of how these two teams have stacked up against each other this season. The Dodgers have the momentum and a red-hot pitcher, while the Mets are trying to claw their way back.
This Friday game from Citi Field in Queens kicks off at 4:10 p.m. PT. You can catch it on SportsNet LA or listen on AM 570 for English or KTNQ 1020 AM for Spanish. This feels like another statement game for the Dodgers on this road trip, especially with Sasaki dealing like this.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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