GLENDALE, Ariz. — So much for getting in your work in the relaxed atmosphere of the Arizona sunshine.
All eyes were on Tyler Glasnow’s final Cactus League start Saturday against the Chicago White Sox as the team moved closer to Wednesday’s departure for Japan and the upcoming season-opening games March 18 and 19 against the Chicago Cubs.
Glasnow still is expected to pitch in one of two exhibition games in Japan, and again in one of the three Freeway Series games against the Angels from March 23-25. The Dodgers are now looking for some results amid the chaotic schedule.
“I think this is an important start that I expect him to have that preparedness, be ready to go and to pitch well,” manager Dave Roberts said Saturday morning before Glasnow took the mound. “It’s not just a run of show. I expect him to be good today.”
Glasnow obliged by striking out six over three innings, while throwing 53 pitches. The only run he allowed was a home run in the second inning from former teammate Miguel Vargas.
“Felt pretty good,” Glasnow said. “I think the rhythm early on wasn’t as good as the next two innings, but I felt sharp for the most part.”
The right-hander was a solid 9-6 with a 3.49 ERA in 22 starts last season, with his season coming to an early close with injury issues that have plagued his career. Glasnow did not pitch after Aug. 11 with elbow tendinitis.
“I think with Tyler, my opinion is he gets too mechanical at times and not let his natural athleticism and compete kind of drive his outing,” Roberts said. “I think this spring, that’s where he’s been. He’s freed himself up a lot more this spring.”
Roberts added that Glasnow continues to operate injury free after struggling with soreness last season.
“I think the main thing with Tyler is after starts, and sometimes during starts, he didn’t feel comfortable with his arm and there was some residual (discomfort),” Roberts said. “So right now, it’s really free and easy and he’s recovering really well.”
In Japan, Glasnow will face either the Tokyo Giants or the Hanshin Tigers. Off the field, he can’t wait to experience the spectacle that will come with the Dodgers’ arrival and the homecoming of Shohei Ohtani.
“Ohtani’s like Justin Bieber times 10 over there, so it’s probably going to be insane,” Glasnow said.
WELCOME ABOARD
The smiles on the mound Friday night are what confused the family of Dodgers right-hander Matt Sauer the most.
After a roller-coaster of an outing Friday against the Seattle Mariners that started well before ending by allowing four runs in the ninth inning without recording an out, manager Dave Roberts turned Sauer’s disappointment into a smile.
“I got into the clubhouse right after the game and my dad and my wife had already texted me like, ‘We need to know what that conversation was,’” said Sauer said, who noted that he happened to have 10 family members at the game
The conversation was Roberts breaking the news to Sauer that he would be on the traveling roster for the team’s trip to Japan. Whether he is on the active roster for the two games against the Chicago Cubs in a week and a half, he still will earn a $70,000 bonus.
While being extended to a third inning Friday, Sauer’s ERA ballooned to 8.22 in four spring outings. He also has eight strikeouts and one walk in 7⅔ innings. The former New York Yankees top prospect could end up being another key bullpen find by the front office. He was also a starter as recently as 2023.
“The staff here, in the offseason, everything we talked about where I could become a great pitcher just clicked with me and I felt this would be the best spot for me,” said Sauer, who had his first taste of the major leagues with 14 innings for the Kansas City Royals last season. “So far, I’ve been loving it.”
DON’T GET BURNED
White Sox roster hopeful Shane Smith made a memory for a lifetime when he struck out Shohei Ohtani twice in the first three innings. It might help the Rule 5 draft pick from the Milwaukee Brewers get his first call to the major leagues in a few weeks.
“Just have to mix and match with him,” the 24-year-old Smith said. “He sees things very well and he’s aggressive, so if you can play to the aggressiveness, that’s great. I think I fooled him on the last fastball; I don’t know what he saw. But he’s unbelievable. So you’re playing with fire a little bit.”
CRUNCH TIME
After he added a walk to his two strikeouts Saturday, Ohtani is not expected to play Sunday against the Athletics.
According to Roberts, Ohtani will play the Dodgers’ final two Cactus League games at home – Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians. It will be the first time Ohtani has played consecutive games this spring.
The Dodgers are scheduled to fly to Japan on Wednesday.