The Dodgers are treating altitude like an opponent of its own.
After wrapping up a three-game sweep of the Rockies on Wednesday at Coors Field, Los Angeles kept Roki Sasaki in California before the team traveled to Denver on Tuesday night. The move was designed to cut down on the effects of Denver’s high altitude, and it paid off with Sasaki turning in a steady outing in the series finale.
Sasaki allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out six over five innings. It was his sixth straight start giving up two runs or fewer.
Los Angeles used the same approach with Blake Snell, who went back to L.A. after his start against Colorado on Friday. Snell threw six innings, allowed one run, and returned home the next morning to limit his exposure to the mile-high conditions before his next scheduled outing back in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tarik Skubal followed that same script, but even more aggressively. Neither pitcher made the trip to Denver at all, staying in California so they could stay on schedule for their starts against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium, according to Jack Harris of the California Post. Yamamoto is lined up to start Friday, with Skubal set for Saturday.
For pitchers, the issue isn’t just the game itself. The recovery period matters, too, and a stop in Denver can complicate that process. With the regular season entering its final stretch, the Dodgers are trying to keep their arms as sharp as possible.
That plan now shifts back home. After the sweep, the Dodgers open a brief homestand against the Pirates, with Yamamoto in the opener, Skubal in the middle game and Snell finishing the series.
Then comes another road trip, with series against the Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers. The Dodgers also expect Tyler Glasnow to return to the rotation in one of those games after recently bringing Snell back into the mix.
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