The Los Angeles Dodgers travel roster for Japan featured a surplus of relief pitchers compared to only four guaranteed starters in Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Yamamoto was named the Dodgers’ Opening Day starter and Sasaki was scheduled to make his MLB debut in the finale of the Tokyo Series. Manager Dave Roberts had previously indicated Glasnow and Snell would pitch at the Tokyo Dome as well in some order.
That wound up occurring in the same exhibition game as Snell and Glasnow were lined up for a piggyback scenario against the Hanshin Tigers. Rather than splitting their starters across the two Tokyo exhibitions, the Dodgers relied on a bullpen game for their matchup with the Yomiuri Giants.
“The thought was to make sure our guys in the bullpen have two days off to get ready for Opening Day,” Roberts explained. “Because we don’t know how those games are going to play out, so to have them ready and use them anyway we want.
“And as far as Blake and Tyler, as we look at the potential starts for them when we get back home, it lines up a day apart. But instead of having Tyler stay home, he chose to come here to piggyback and get his pitch count up.”
Snell threw 80 pitches over 4.1 innings. Matt Sauer entered in the fifth inning before Glasnow took over in the sixth to finish out the Dodgers’ 3-0 loss to the Tigers.
That included pitching the bottom of the ninth inning despite Hanshin holding a 3-0 lead. It had already been predetermined the game would go a full nine innings to better allow Glasnow an opportunity to continue stretching out.
Next for Glasnow is expected to be a start in the exhibition Freeway Series. Snell is on track to start the Dodger Stadium opener on Thursday, March 27.
Blake Snell’s start vs. Hanshin Tigers
Snell was outdueled by Tigers ace Hiroto Saiki after initially matching him with three scoreless innings.
A leadoff walk in the fourth led to trouble as a base hit followed and then a three-run home run by Teruaki Sato. That was all the Tigers needed in their second consecutive 3-0 win over an MLB club.
“Blake was very good for three innings, and he walked the leadoff guy, gave up a hit and left a fastball up in the strike zone,” Roberts said after the loss.
“It’s one of those things that when you execute, you’re going to get guys out. And when you don’t, you’re going to give guys opportunities. It’s still good to face another team, but it comes down to playing good baseball.”
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