Roki Sasaki had to bail out of Wednesday’s showdown against the Atlanta Braves way too soon, leaving in the bottom of the fourth inning. The culprit? A gnarly blister on his right middle finger, something no pitcher wants to deal with, especially mid-game. The Dodgers wasted no time announcing the injury, and you just know the dugout was holding its breath.
When The Finger Flared Up
Sasaki was actually looking pretty solid through the first three innings, giving up just one run against a tough Braves lineup. You’re thinking, “Okay, he’s locked in, let’s keep this going.” But then the bottom of the fourth hit different. He suddenly allowed three baserunners, and a sacrifice fly cut the Dodgers’ lead down to a single run. That’s when the alarm bells really started ringing. The final batter Sasaki faced was Sean Murphy, who cranked a double to right field. Immediately after that hit, you saw pitching guru Mark Prior and Will Ireton hustling out to the mound. The team trainer, Thomas Albert, was right behind them, checking out Sasaki’s right hand. Nobody wants to see that, man. After that quick inspection, the decision was made: Sasaki was done for the night. He was pulled after throwing 66 pitches over 3 1/3 innings. To make matters worse, he ended up getting tagged for four earned runs after Drake Baldwin followed up with another double later in the inning. Ouch.
Big Picture Blister Bust
This early exit wasn’t just a tough break in one game; it’s a huge speedbump for Sasaki’s season. This was his shortest outing since the All-Star break, plain and simple. Think about that for a second. He’s been grinding through the second half, and this is the first time he’s had to call it quits so early. The four earned runs charged to him? Yeah, that’s the most he’s given up in any of his seven second-half starts. Before this game, Sasaki had actually been rocking a decent 3.05 ERA since his July 17th start against the New York Yankees. That’s a solid stretch! But this single outing pushed his season ERA all the way up to 4.60 across 23 starts. You can see how quickly one bad, injury-plagued game can mess with those numbers. This isn’t just a bump; it’s a full-on detour for a guy who was finding his rhythm.
So, what’s next? With a finger blister, the big question mark hangs over his next start and how long he might be out. You never want to see a pitcher dealing with finger issues, it impacts everything. The Dodgers will be holding their breath hoping this is a quick fix, because Sasaki was clearly a key piece in their rotation, especially with that strong second-half ERA before this hiccup. We’ll be watching closely to see how quickly he can get back on the mound and put this frustrating, injury-shortened outing behind him.
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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