Dodgers' Surprising Breakout Pitcher Explains the Keys to his Rapid Rise

The Dodgers' season is still young, but you only need one hand to count their pitching success stories. Considering how far he's come in such a short amount of time, Matt Sauer might represent their best thing going.

Sauer, 26, is 1-0 with a 2.30 ERA in five games (one start). He's one of only three Dodgers who's pitched at least 15 innings with a sub-1.00 WHIP.

Last year, Sauer was a struggling Rule 5 draft pick who began the season in the Kansas City Royals' bullpen and ended it with the New York Yankees' Double-A affiliate. Now he's an indispensable swingman for the defending World Series champions.

So, how did he do it?

The answer follows a piece of traditional wedding advice: Something old, something new, something borrowed and something (Dodger) blue.

"One of the reasons I signed here was, I knew about the pitching development here," Sauer said. "Being able to work with guys like (Ryan) Dennick and Dave Anderson down in Triple-A have really helped me."

Sauer said the Dodgers' coaches encouraged him to go back to the mechanics he had when he was selected in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of Righetti High School in Santa Maria. He had practically abandoned it for eight years.

The result is a lower arm slot, one that's similar when throwing all five of his pitches. Sauer believes that added degree of deception has helped each of his offerings play up.

The fifth pitch, a cutter, is a new one, and it's made a world of difference. Rather than a secondary or tertiary offering, it's the pitch he now throws most often — 37.1 percent of all offerings, per Statcast.

It's a grip he borrowed from Ryan Dennick, the assistant pitching coach at Triple-A Oklahoma City, "but that wasn't really that difficult of a pitch for me to learn because my 4-seam fastball has a cut profile to it, so (I'm) just leaning into cutting a 4-seam more."

It's more typical than ever for MLB pitchers to throw three different fastball types. It was a practical necessity for Sauer, whose four-seam fastball yielded a .414 batting average and .655 slugging percentage last year in Kansas City.

Now that it's part of a mix that includes a cuter and a sinker, Sauer's four-seamer is yielding a .250 batting average with no extra-base hits in more limited usage (especially to right-handers). Even though his four-seamer and sinker have lost a tick of velocity (95 to 94 mph) compared to a year ago, the added deception has so far been worth the decline in speed.

A little harder to quantify, but just as important, is the way Sauer feels after each outing.

"When I was with the Yankees I had two elbow surgeries," he said. "Last year with KC I was kind of a mix of in-between a high and low (arm) slot. This year now that I've been able to repeat it, my recovery's been way better. I've noticed a big difference. I'm not as sore after I throw 75-plus pitches. It's been a huge advantage."

That's particularly true for a Dodgers staff that now counts four starting marquee pitchers on the injured list: Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki and Shohei Ohtani, who has yet to face hitters as his throwing progression ramps up.

Sauer has come a long way from an unknown non-roster invitee in spring training to where he is now. Given the injuries elsewhere on the pitching staff, it's hard to envision Sauer heading back to the minors anytime soon. For now he's just trying to enjoy the ride.

"It's still the game of baseball. I want to enjoy it wherever I'm at."