At the end of what has generally been a positive week for injured Dodgers starting pitchers, the team is hitting pause with rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki. Sasaki stopped playing catch in the days before Sunday's finale against the Giants,

The Los Angeles Dodgers hoped that pitcher Roki Sasaki would return to the form he showed in Japan after a stint on the injured list. That time may be further away than the Dodgers anticipated.

At 40-27, the Dodgers lead the NL West, but by only 1 ½ games over the San Francisco Giants. It's a one-game lead in the loss column. The Dodgers started the season 8-0, their best start since moving to Los Angeles in 1958, but are 32-27 since. They're 16-16 in their last 32 games. That's not bad, but it is a month-long stretch of mediocre ball.