'Efficient' Dodgers showing Rangers their pitching, hitting prowess

The National League-West leading Los Angeles Dodgers have 14 runs over two games against the visiting Texas Rangers and will try for a series sweep on Sunday afternoon.

The Dodgers have Major League Baseball's best record and have won seven of their past eight games. The defending World Series champs also have won four of their five series this season.

Los Angeles beat Texas 8-7 on Friday on a Max Muncy walk-off home run and took a 6-3 win on Saturday.

Roki Sasaki (0-1, 7.00 ERA) will get the ball for the Dodgers on Sunday against Rangers veteran Jacob deGrom (0-0, 3.72) in a matchup of right-handers.

Sasaki was a force out of the Dodgers' bullpen during the 2025 postseason but has yet to find consistency as a starting pitcher. His best start of last season came against the Rangers, when he allowed two runs on two hits over six innings in Arlington, Texas, on April 19. The Rangers won 4-3, but Sasaki didn't figure into the decision.

Less than a month later, Sasaki went on the injured list, and when he returned in September, he moved to the bullpen.

This year, Sasaki has made two starts and was the losing pitcher in a 4-2 setback to the Cleveland Guardians on March 30 despite pitching four innings and giving up one run.

DeGrom, a five-time All-Star, has just one walk compared with 13 strikeouts over his two starts and 9 2/3 innings. The two-time Cy Young Award winner has appeared in 12 games (all starts) against the Dodgers and is 1-5 with a 2.58 ERA.

The Rangers and Dodgers have combined for 11 home runs -- six for Los Angeles and five for Texas -- in the first two games of the series. The Rangers have 14 home runs in road games in 2026, including two by leadoff man Brandon Nimmo on Saturday. The Dodgers lead the major leagues with 27 homers.

Shohei Ohtani hit one of the team's two home runs on Saturday, part of his two hits on the night. Ohtani extended his career-best on-base streak to 45 games, which is tied for the fifth-longest streak in franchise history.

His stretch is the best ever for a Japanese-born player in the majors. Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki previously held the record, which was broken against the Rangers.

As for the Dodgers' rotation, starting pitchers have gone at least five innings in 10 straight games.

"It's been great, and I think that it speaks to those guys being efficient," manager Dave Roberts told MLB.com. "Right now, these guys are allowing us to deploy the bullpen in their rightful spots. It's nice to get our feet underneath us with the starting pitching as the season starts."

For Texas, left fielder Wyatt Langford underwent an MRI on his strained right quad, and he won't need to go on the injured list. Langford didn't play Saturday after hurting himself while hitting a home run on Friday night and is considered day-to-day.

"It's always a little nerve-wracking, just because sometimes with something like this they want to put you on the IL if it's going to be five or six days, because it's hard to be down a guy," Langford told MLB.com. "So it's definitely good news not to be going on the IL."

--Field Level Media