Even Cal Raleigh was impressed with Roki Sasaki’s bullpen transition

Although the Los Angeles Dodgers’ bullpen has been a weakness this season, Roki Sasaki made another strong impression in relief. After a lengthy injury absence, Sasaki worked out of the bullpen in his return to the team Wednesday.

The rookie hurler once again got the ball in the seventh inning during Friday’s series opener against the Seattle Mariners. And his three-pitch strikeout of Cal Raleigh left the AL MVP candidate stunned.

Sasaki threw three straight 85 mph splitters to Big Dumper. The Mariners catcher watched the first offering go right down the middle. He then took two uncertain hacks at the nasty pitch before walking back to the dugout with a baffled expression.

Can Roki Sasaki solidify shaky Dodgers bullpen?

Sasaki allowed one hit and recorded two strikeouts in a scoreless frame, reaching 100 mph on his fastball. While some insiders have floated the idea of Sasaki closing for the Dodgers, it seems more likely that he’ll have the seventh inning role. And Sasaki also provides Dave Roberts with a long relief option, making him a valuable bullpen asset.

The Dodgers are locked into the third seed in the National League after clinching the NL West for the fourth-straight season. Los Angeles secured its 12th division title in the last 13 years with an 8-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks Thursday.

The meaningless opener against the Mariners provided LA an opportunity to fine-tune its bullpen. While the Dodgers’ rotation has been dominant down the stretch, Los Angeles’ relief pitching continues to be an adventure.

Tanner Scott blew his 10th save on Tuesday. The gaffe spoiled Shohei Ohtani’s best start of the season, as the reigning NL MVP struck out eight in six scoreless innings. Roberts sent Scott out to pitch the seventh inning of an 8-0 game Thursday. But he was back in his closer role against Seattle, picking up his 23rd save of the year.

The Dodgers’ other major bullpen headache, Blake Treinen, took the mound in the eighth inning against the Mariners and allowed one run on two hits and a walk. Seattle still technically had something to play for on Friday. If they swept the Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees lost their remaining games, the Mariners would take the AL’s top seed.

But Seattle will have to settle for the No. 2 seed in the American League as the Dodgers held on for the 3-2 win. The Yankees and Blue Jays also won their matchups Friday.