Roki Sasaki takes another step forward but the Dodgers' offense regresses in ugly loss

Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki throws to the plate during a game against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday at Dodger Stadium. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

This is Roki Sasaki’s home now. The San Gabriel Mountains at his back as he stands atop the mound at Dodger Stadium. Stands filled with adoring fans. Warm spring evenings that soon will lip into summer swelter.

Sasaki, 23, is beginning to feel at home in Chavez Ravine and with the heat that comes with choosing the Dodgers among scads of suitors when he left his native Japan in January. He is under team control for six seasons at a bargain rate, and the Dodgers are perfectly willing to allow him the space and time to become acclimated.

Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hits the ball during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs Saturday. — Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hits the ball during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium Saturday. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

The right-hander made his fourth start Saturday — his second at Dodger Stadium — and it was his best yet, lasting five sturdy innings against the Chicago Cubs. Sasaki was nicked by a solo home run from former Dodger Michael Busch to lead off the second but pitched out of jams in the third and fifth, the former thanks to a leaping catch at the center field wall by Andy Pages that prevented a grand slam.

Sasaki was failed only by the Dodgers’ inability to generate offense in a 16-0 loss to the Cubs in front of a sellout crowd of 53,887. They couldn’t generate offense against starter Ben Brown, who came in with an earned-run average of 7.71 that shrunk to 5.09 after six scoreless innings.

The Dodgers’ only runs in two games against the Cubs to begin this six-game homestand came on a three-run home run by Tommy Edman in Friday’s 3-0 Dodgers victory in which Sasaki’s countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto tossed six scoreless innings.

Read more: Hernández: Roki Sasaki’s bond with Rikuzentakata endures, long after 2011 tsunami

The Cubs erupted Saturday after Sasaki departed, and the ERA of reliever Ben Casparius skyrocketed from zero to 5.06 when he was shelled for six runs in 1 2/3 innings. The onslaught continued against Luis García, whose ERA jumped from 3.24 to 7.27 after giving up four runs in the eighth, abating only when infielder Miguel Rojas was summoned to lob 45-mph pitches that retired the side. Rojas came back out for the ninth, though, and gave up five runs. His ERA? 22.50.

Still, the memory of Sasaki’s step in the right direction lingered.

Sasaki’s first start as a Dodger, remember, came in his homeland four weeks ago, and it didn’t go well. Neither did his second start, his Dodger Stadium debut a second consecutive blur of wayward pitches, walks, hits and runs. He recorded only five outs and fought back tears.

His third start was better, giving up one run in four innings while throwing first-pitch strikes to 13 of 17 batters. And his fourth was better yet. Sasaki established his four-seam fastball early, then leaned on his devastating splitter and functional slider as his pitch count rose and he faced batters a third time. He threw 81 pitches, 50 for strikes.

Read more: Hernández: Yoshinobu Yamamoto can be the first Japanese pitcher to win the Cy Young

OKC is looking at a big league week

Clayton Kershaw is scheduled to begin his rehab assignment Wednesday at the Dodgers’ triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City. The future Hall of Fame left-hander is not eligible to be activated from the injured list until May 17.

Two other Dodgers pitchers recovering from injuries will pitch at Oklahoma City on Tuesday: starter Tony Gonsolin and reliever Evan Phillips. Gonsolin will make his third rehab appearance after striking out seven in 3⅓ innings Wednesday in Round Rock, Texas.

“Things are slowly moving forward,” said manager Dave Roberts, who added that injured reliever Michael Kopech will throw a second bullpen Tuesday and starter Blake Snell will begin throwing Monday.

Bobby Miller is likely to be called up from Oklahoma City to make a start for the Dodgers on Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies, meaning Yamamoto won’t pitch again until Friday to open a series at Texas.

The rehab and roster shuffling nearly obscured a bullpen session at Dodger Stadium, this one the third in two weeks by Shohei Ohtani. The right-hander recovering from elbow surgery threw 30 pitches, nearly all four-seam and two-seam fastballs, although he did mix in a few split-fingered fastballs.

Crow-Armstrong offered an extension

Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who grew up in Sherman Oaks and starred at Harvard-Westlake High, recently was offered a long-term contract extension but has not accepted it, according to MLB.com. The offer reportedly was worth up to $75 million.

Crow-Armstrong, 23, is a talented defensive player with elite speed. He has 35 stolen bases in 40 attempts in 152 major league games, but hasn’t proved he can hit consistently. The left-handed batter and fielder is hitting .224 with 10 home runs in 446 at-bats in parts of three seasons entering Saturday’s game.

He did bat .260 during the second half last season and hit .500 in spring training this year. Whether his bat continues to improve will determine if he blossoms into a star or settles in as a great glove-fair hitter in the mold of Harrison Bader, Billy Hamilton or Peter Bourjos.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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