The Los Angeles Dodgers earned a 5-4 victory over the Cleveland Guardians at Goodyear Ballpark on Tuesday in spring training action. Miguel Rojas paced the offense, going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI, giving the coaching staff plenty to be encouraged about as the exhibition schedule continues. Roki Sasaki worked 2.0 innings on the mound, allowing 4 earned runs on 2 hits. The Dodgers finished with 7 hits on the day while holding the Guardians to 4. The victory gives the Dodgers positive momentum heading into the final stretch of spring training. The coaching staff will look to build on the strong showing in the games ahead.
Key Performers
Miguel Rojas was the key contributor at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. His ability to drive the ball out of the park was the highlight of the afternoon. Performances like this give the Dodgers confidence that the lineup is rounding into form.
Zach Ehrhard chipped in, going 1-for-3 with a triple and two RBI, Ryan Ward added to the attack, going 1-for-3 with an RBI, and James Tibbs III provided support, going 1-for-2. The depth of production throughout the lineup was encouraging to see.
On the other side of the diamond, Kyle Manzardo led the Guardians offense with a 1-for-3 with a home run and four RBI day. Brayan Rocchio also contributed, going 1-for-3. Juan Brito added a 1-for-1 effort as well. Despite those contributions, the Dodgers pitching staff did enough to limit the damage and secure the victory.
On the Mound
Roki Sasaki earned the win after struggling with his command, working 2.0 innings while allowing 4 earned runs on 2 hits with two strikeouts. He threw 45 pitches in the outing. It was a useful learning experience as the Dodgers evaluate their pitching depth heading into the regular season.
The bullpen was spotless, combining for 7.0 scoreless innings while striking out 11. Spring training gives the coaching staff a chance to evaluate bullpen depth, and today was an encouraging showing from the relievers. Each reliever is auditioning for a roster spot, and innings like these factor into those decisions. Ronan Kopp recorded the save to close out the game.
Among the relievers, Wyatt Crowell stood out with 1.0 innings of scoreless work, striking out two. His performance was one of the day's bright spots from the bullpen.
How It Happened
Guardians got on the board first with four runs in the first inning. The Dodgers answered with two runs in the third. The Dodgers tacked on three runs in the fourth. The Dodgers out-hit Guardians 7-4 on the day, with 1 error committed between the two clubs. A crowd of 5,735 was on hand to take in the action.
Looking Ahead
As the exhibition schedule nears its conclusion, the Dodgers can point to this game as a step in the right direction. The combination of solid pitching and timely hitting is exactly what the coaching staff hopes to see at this stage of the spring. The focus now shifts to maintaining this level of play with the regular season just around the corner.