Roki Sasaki dismisses spring training struggles after another rocky start for Dodgers

Roki Sasaki's performance in Dodgers spring training has been ... divisive, to say the least.

He has an unsightly 13.50 ERA in three starts (6 2/3 innings) but, of course, that doesn't tell the whole story. In all three of his outings, he's showed off some real proficiency — he has 10 strikeouts — but he's also gotten absolutely shelled, and his command has been at times completely missing.

On Tuesday, he pitched 3 1/3 innings against the Royals and gave up three runs on four hits and four walks. That included a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth, and he was on the hook for a RBI groundout that scored Starling Marte, who reached second on a double off of Sasaki before he was yanked again.

After the game, he dismissed concerns about his third inning, when he gave up three straight walks to load the bases with one out and was missing badly armside (that's been a theme for him so far).

He told reporters after the game that his new sinker was to blame for his command issues. He acknowledged, "there's a lot of things I need to work on," but added, "the result in spring training doesn't really matter."

Roki Sasaki downplays recurring command issues after third up-and-down start in Dodgers spring training

On one hand, Sasaki is right. Fans tend to overreact to spring training stats, when everyone is still just trying to shake off some cobwebs.

But there's more context with Sasaki. He was having the same issues with control and velocity last year, before he got hurt. He continued to have them in Triple-A while he was rehabbing. His brief stint as the Dodgers' closer was outstanding, but what if he's actually just more suited to that role in the majors?

The Dodgers are standing firm on their belief in Sasaki as a starter. Dave Roberts reiterated that Sasaki was going to open the season as a member of the rotation. So, in a certain sense, his spring training results don't matter because he knows he's guaranteed a spot.

But maybe we'd like to see a little more urgency and accountability from a guy who may very well be pushing a more deserving starter to the minors to start the year — and for what?

Sasaki continued: "I'm glad this was spring training. If I'm able to pitch the entire season, I don't think anyone will remember spring training."

We might argue that it won't matter if he's able to pitch the entire season if the results aren't there, but whatever. Sasaki better be hoping he gets the last laugh at the end of the year.