As the Los Angeles Dodgers prepare for Monday night's series opener against the Cleveland Guardians at Dodger Stadium, Roki Sasaki will get the start.

Now, will Sasaki come out firing on all cylinders, or will he be unable to put his pitches together against a pretty stout Guardians lineup?

First pitch at Dodger Stadium will be at 10:10 p.m. ET (7:10 p.m. PT). 

After watching Sasaki struggle in Spring Training, it's not a far-fetched idea that some Dodgers onlookers don't really trust him. His last outing for the Dodgers ahead of the 2026 regular season starting didn't leave people feeling good about his work.

Sasaki pitched one of the Freeway Series games against the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium. In that start, he threw 21 pitches and didn't record an out in the first inning. Talk about an underwhelming effort from him. 

How did Sasaki finish Spring Training overall? Well, he posted a worrisome 15.58 ERA and 15 walks in 8 2/3 innings over four starts.

As Los Angeles prepares for the Guardians series, getting a powerful start from Sasaki really is important.

One has to wonder if Sasaki is on a short leash. Will Dodgers manager Dave Roberts allow Sasaki to wiggle his way out of trouble in the first inning, if it happens? It's understood that Sasaki is a key player in the Dodgers' rotation.

So, this game will be worth watching. 

Dodgers fans should keep their eyes on Guardians phenom Chase DeLauter. He had some highlight-reel moments during Cleveland's season-opening series against the Seattle Mariners up in the Pacific Northwest. 

Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt wanted to get a series win against the Mariners, but that didn't happen. Vogt talked about it after Sunday's 8-0 loss to Seattle.

“We feel pretty good," Vogt said, according to Guardians Roundtable. "We're playing good baseball. We had a couple of missed plays today, but outside of that, I feel like we're playing really good baseball these first four games. We just got to keep it rolling.” 

The Dodgers and Guardians play again on Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon. Los Angeles gets a day off on Thursday, which will be a travel day to Washington, D.C. The Dodgers open a three-game series against the Washington Nationals.

After the Nationals series, baseball fans get a 2025 World Series rematch as the Dodgers head north of the border for a series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

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