Dodgers Rally to Tie Angels 7-7 Despite Roki Sasaki’s Struggles

The Dodgers found themselves in an uphill battle against the Angels on Monday, forced to claw back from a daunting six-run deficit early in the game. With a pair of home runs, they managed to halve the lead and eventually tied the contest late in the eighth inning, but the game ultimately ended in a 7-7 draw.

Starting pitcher Roki Sasaki was looking to improve in his final spring tune-up, but his outing quickly unraveled. He hit Zach Neto with a 3-0 pitch to kick off the game and followed up with an errant throw to second base after inducing a ground ball from Mike Trout, allowing both runners to reach base. Sasaki then walked three consecutive batters, leading to two early runs for the Angels before he was pulled after throwing 30 pitches without recording an out.

Reliever Ronan Kopp stepped in to clean up the mess, managing to finish the first inning but not before allowing a two-run single from Josh Lowe, which pushed the Angels’ lead to four. All four runs were charged to Sasaki, who returned for the second inning but continued to struggle, hitting Neto for the second time after being ahead 0-2. He walked Trout again before finally recording an out, as Nolan Schanuel reached on a fielder’s choice. Jorge Soler then grounded into a double play, allowing Sasaki to escape the inning.

In the third inning, Sasaki showed signs of settling down. After issuing his fifth walk, he struck out two batters, facing just four hitters that frame. However, the Dodgers were unable to capitalize on a bases-loaded situation in the bottom half, as Angels lefty Reid Detmers struck out Will Smith and got Freddie Freeman to ground out, extinguishing the threat.

Unfortunately for Sasaki, his command issues resurfaced in the fourth inning, prompting manager Dave Roberts to pull him after just 2+ innings. He threw 66 pitches, with only 32 strikes, and despite not allowing a hit, he was charged with five earned runs, walking six and striking out two. A notable aspect of his performance was the use of his fastball and splitter, which made up 56 of his total pitches. His fastball velocity dropped from 99 mph to 95 mph by the end of his outing, while his splitter was his most effective pitch, landing for strikes 63% of the time.

Sasaki wrapped up spring training with a troubling 15.58 ERA over 8 2/3 innings, having given up 15 earned runs on just nine hits, with 12 strikeouts and a staggering 15 walks. With Opening Day looming just three days away, questions arise about his place in the starting rotation, as he is currently scheduled to start against the Cleveland Guardians on March 30.

In relief, Ben Casparius recorded two outs, both via sacrifice flies, while Tanner Scott managed to escape the jam. The Dodgers finally got on the scoreboard in the fourth inning when Teoscar Hernández and Miguel Rojas each hit home runs off Ryan Zeferjahn, cutting the deficit in half. Hernández reclaimed the team home run lead with his fifth of the spring, driving in his 21st RBI.

As the game progressed, the Dodgers continued to chip away at the Angels’ lead. A bases-loaded walk from Dalton Rushing in the sixth inning pulled them within two runs, but the Angels responded with a single from Lowe, his third RBI of the game, restoring the three-run advantage. Late-game heroics from Rushing, who drilled a two-run double against Jordan Romano in the eighth, coupled with an RBI double from Alex Call, tied the game at seven.

With the game tied, the Dodgers put the leadoff man on in the bottom of the ninth but failed to convert, settling for a draw.

The Dodgers will wrap up their spring training with a final game against the Angels on Tuesday at 5:10 p.m. PT, where Shohei Ohtani is set to make his final spring appearance, while the Angels have yet to announce their starter.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.