Sasaki’s masterclass – Roki Sasaki delivered seven sharp innings with one run and eight strikeouts as the Los Angeles Dodgers completed a weekend Freeway Series sweep of the Los Angeles Angels with a 10-1 win on Sunday. Kyle Tucker drove in three runs with three hits, while Shohei O
When Roki Sasaki stepped onto Angel Stadium’s mound. he did it with the kind of control the Dodgers have been craving—one run allowed. four hits surrendered. and eight strikeouts over seven innings without issuing a walk in 91 pitches.. The performance helped turn Sunday’s Freeway Series finale into a statement. with the Los Angeles Dodgers rolling to a 10-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels and sealing the weekend sweep.
Sasaki improved to 2-3 and produced the best start of his two-year major league career. marking career highs in innings and strikeouts.. The start also came after a season that began with a rocky beginning. an extended injury absence. and then an improbable transformation into an effective playoff closer in October.. With the early-season focus shifting toward settling into a rotation role, his Sunday outing offered another clean step.
Offense arrived when it mattered.. The Dodgers stretched their momentum to a fifth straight win. scoring in the fifth consecutive game to push the Angels’ early-season misery further.. Shohei Ohtani and Andy Pages delivered two-run singles in the fourth inning. a burst that underlined how quickly Los Angeles could break open a game.. Kyle Tucker added three hits and drove in three runs. finishing the afternoon as one of the key drivers of the Dodgers’ 10-run output.
The sweep also highlighted the gap between the two teams in their first series of the season.. The Dodgers outscored the Angels by a combined 31-3 across the matchup, and Sunday’s score only widened the contrast.. Ohtani. playing at his former home stadium. contributed three singles and continued a strong run with eight hits and eight RBIs in his past four games.. After a slump earlier in the week. the Dodgers gave him two days off from hitting. a decision that appeared to pay off in a big way.
For the Angels, Grayson Rodriguez’s return offered a difficult picture.. Making his debut. Rodriguez dropped to 0-1 after allowing seven runs on seven hits and four walks while working into the fourth inning.. The right-hander. acquired from Baltimore in the offseason. had not pitched in the majors since July 2024 due to multiple injuries. including shoulder inflammation that sidelined him this spring.
Yoán Moncada managed an RBI single for the Angels, but it was the only sustained threat against a Dodgers lineup that kept control from start to finish. The loss extended the Angels’ slide to six straight defeats.
With the series now over, the calendar turns quickly for both teams.. World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3-3. 3.60 ERA) is set to take the mound in San Diego on Monday night in the Dodgers’ first meeting of the season with the NL West rival Padres.. Meanwhile. Walbert Ureña (1-4. 3.29 ERA) goes to the mound at Angel Stadium on Monday to open a four-game series with the Athletics.
The story of the weekend is hard to miss: Sasaki allowed just one run while the Dodgers won their fifth straight, and Ohtani’s turnaround after two days off from hitting coincided with an offense that outscored the Angels 31-3 in the first series of the season.
Roki Sasaki Shohei Ohtani Kyle Tucker Andy Pages Dodgers vs Angels Freeway Series Grayson Rodriguez Yoán Moncada Yoshinobu Yamamoto Walbert Ureña MLB