Roki Sasaki Exits Game Early Due to Blister on Finger

Roki Sasaki's outing on Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves was cut short in the bottom of the fourth inning when he developed a blister on his right middle finger. Prior to his exit, Sasaki had pitched three innings, allowing just one run before facing difficulties that led to three baserunners and a sacrifice fly, narrowing the Dodgers' lead.

The last batter Sasaki faced was catcher Sean Murphy, who hit a double to right field. Following this, pitching coach Mark Prior and Will Ireton went to the mound to assess the situation. Thomas Albert, a member of the Dodgers' medical staff, was then called to evaluate Sasaki, leading to his removal from the game after he had thrown 66 pitches over 3 1/3 innings.

This outing marked Sasaki's shortest since the All-Star break, and the four earned runs charged to him were the highest total in any of his seven starts during the second half of the season. Despite this setback, Sasaki maintains a 3.05 ERA since his last start against the New York Yankees on July 17. Overall, his season ERA now stands at 4.60 across 23 starts.