Overview

• Sasaki was activated from the 60-day injured list for a right shoulder impingement and, in his first MLB outing since May 9, delivered a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts, including Ildemaro Vargas.
• His fastball touched 100 mph and averaged about 99.2, and he leaned on a four-seam/splitter mix after shelving the slider he used earlier as a starter.
• Roberts said the bullpen shift simplifies Sasaki’s assignment, called him a different person than in the spring, and emphasized the need to repeat the performance on Sunday before postseason decisions.
• Los Angeles won 5-4 to drop its NL West magic number to one, while persistent late-inning issues have produced a September bullpen ERA ranked 21st in MLB at 5.69.
• Clayton Kershaw volunteered for a ninth-inning relief stint and recorded a clean frame; he and Emmet Sheehan are among starters the Dodgers may tap for late-inning coverage as the club finalizes October plans.