Sasaki, Rushing Take Positives From Start in Win Over Cubs

Los Angeles Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki and catcher Dalton Rushing spoke about the improvements the right-hander made in his start against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. Sasaki’s line wasn’t anything special in the Dodgers’ 12-4 win over the Cubs, pitching five innings with five strikeouts to go with four runs on seven hits, but he made an intriguing adjustment to his notorious splitter . The right-hander noticeably increased his velocity on the pitch, therefore increasing the rotation and break—a change he had been working on with pitching coaches Mark Prior and Connor McGuinness .

“My splitter had a better command,” Sasaki said . “Mechanically, I also started feeling better. ” Apr 25, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) throws a pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the third inning at Dodger Stadium.

Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Rushing also had good things to say about the pitch. “I think it’s more efficient for him,” Rushing said . “I think it’s gonna work for him over the course of the whole season, rather than trying to land the 84-86 on a splitter.

It’s hard to command that pitch. “It was around the zone. It was in the zone, early in the count, and that alone is a little bit of a difference from the past.