October 11, 2008 Dodger reliever Takashi Saito, who is not on the team's roster for the NLCS, threw 40 pitches in a side session and reported no problems, according to the L.A. Times.
Our View:Saito will throw again when the team travels back to L.A. We suppose it's possible that he could pitch in the World Series, but the Dodgers have a pretty big hole to climb out of.
October 9, 2008 As expected, Takashi Saito has been left off the Dodgers' NLCS roster, according to the AP.
Our View:Jonathan Broxton will be the undisputed closer for Los Angeles during the best-of-seven series against Philadelphia. Saito, who missed more than two months with an elbow injury, had a blown save and a loss in two of his first three outings and was hit hard in his only appearance of the NLDS against Chicago. When called in to finish up Game 2, with the Dodgers holding a nine-run lead, Saito surrendered a pair of doubles sandwiched around a single to the only three batters he faced, which led to manager Joe Torre's decision to leave him off the roster for the next round.
October 8, 2008 The L.A. Daily News reports that Takashi Saito may not be on the NLCS roster. After throwing a side session on Wednesday, he decided to scrap throwing from the windup. Saito said the decision rests with others, but he seemed to offer a cryptic hint that he won't be on the roster when he said this, with Kenji Nimura translating: "I'm never going to say I'm (off) the roster, because that isn't for me to decide. It's up to Joe (Torre) and the coaching staff, and they might want me to give it some time and work on my mechanics so I can be ready for the World Series."
Our View:Saito led the Dodgers with 18 saves this season. If he were left off of the roster, Jonathan Broxton will likely be the closer. Broxton successfully filled the role earlier in the season when Saito went on the DL.
October 7, 2008 The Dodgers will use Takashi Saito as their closer in the NLCS if the match-ups favor him, according to the L.A. Times.
Our View:Saito did not get an out in his lone appearance in the NLDS, and he just came back from elbow problems. In all likelihood, Broxton will be the guy in the ninth inning for L.A.
October 1, 2008 Manager Joe Torre said Takashi Saito could close if there is a save situation in Game 1 against Chicago, according to the LA Times.
Our View:Saito missed two months because of a sprained ligament in his elbow, but picked up a save on Saturday, which was his first since July 9. As for Jon Broxton, he noted that he would not mind moving back to the setup role.
