Dodgers' Roki Sasaki Says He Didn't Have 'The Stuff' After Being Pulled in 2nd Inning

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Rōki Sasaki offered an honest assessment of his performance in the team's 7-3 win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.

The Japanese right-hander was pulled midway through the second inning after allowing two earned runs on three hits and four walks. His pitch count had climbed to 61 with just 32 strikes.

"I felt like I was able to get into the game pretty well, without any nerves," Sasaki told reporters through his translator. "I just didn't feel like I had the stuff today."

Sasaki didn't have a great MLB debut, either. He walked five batters in three innings of work during his March 19 start in a 6-3 win over the Chicago Cubs.

Dodgers catcher Will Smith has a better view of Sasaki's arsenal than anyone else on the field. For the veteran backstop, it's just a matter of having the command match the stuff.

"It's probably one of the best splitters I've ever caught. It's nasty," Smith said, per MLB.com's Sonja Chen. "I think it just comes back to controlling the zone. Just falling behind in counts, not winning those battles, getting ahead early and really keeping them off balance. … But it's the big leagues. It's hard, and he's going to learn. He's going to get better."

Sasaki's next turn in the rotation is likely to come during the three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies. Taking the mound against Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Alec Bohm and Trea Turner will be a stiff test early in his MLB tenure.