Dave Roberts put together another season that stacked up with the best of his run in Los Angeles. He recorded his sixth 100-win season as Dodgers skipper and reached 1,000 wins faster than anyone else, a milestone that says plenty about the kind of consistency he has brought to the job.
Even in a year with constant turnover, Roberts kept the club moving. The Dodgers were dealing with an ever-changing rotation and bullpen, plus so many injuries that the roster seemed to shift almost every series.
Through it all, he stayed even-keeled, rarely drifting too far in either direction, and he generally put players in the right spots. There wasn’t much to second-guess in his bullpen management or his pinch-hit decisions.
One of the biggest headaches came with Edwin Diaz in August. Diaz’s struggles pushed fans to the edge, and the media pressed Roberts about whether the closer would keep the job after a string of blown saves and rough outings.
Roberts said he didn’t have another option and that taking Diaz out of that leverage role wasn’t tenable, so he kept running him out there for save chances. The move didn’t pay off at first.
Diaz continued to struggle, then landed on the injured list. When he came back in a lower-leverage role, he began to regain his confidence.
At the same time, Edgardo Henriquez and Tanner Scott handled closing duties and looked far steadier than Diaz had been.
Roberts’ faith in veterans is one of his trademarks, and it showed again with Teoscar Hernandez. Hernandez went through a rough stretch, striking out a lot, not producing at the plate and slipping on defense.
With plenty of outfield depth in the farm system, there was pressure on him, and some in the fanbase wanted him platooned or replaced by a younger option. Hernandez admitted his play wasn’t good enough and gave Roberts the option to use someone else.
Roberts stayed with him, and Hernandez answered by carrying the offense over the final month and a half as he found his rhythm again.
The biggest postseason-related question marks sit with Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman. Roberts could have managed both differently, even if this is a nitpick and there are multiple layers involved.
Ohtani was struggling visibly for a while and looked like a player who could have used a breather sooner than he got one. Freeman, another longtime Roberts player who hates taking days off, also finished the year in a slump and was dealing with a knee concern that developed around that time.
The front office, training staff and players are all part of those decisions, but as the manager, Roberts may need to step in a little more.
Then there’s Roki Sasaki, one of the clearest wins of the season. It is easy to forget now how rough his spring was.
Sasaki was a mess in Spring Training, losing his command repeatedly and grinding through what should have been a tune-up period. Plenty of people wanted him in the minors or moved to the bullpen.
Roberts and the Dodgers stayed patient, and that gamble paid off. Sasaki developed into a regular part of the rotation, and now he’ll shift to the bullpen for the postseason, where he has the chance to be even better than last year with all that confidence behind him.
Based on how the spring looked, plenty of managers would have bailed. Roberts didn’t, and that patience became one of his best calls of the season.
In Other News...
Dodgers Face A Miguel Rojas Postseason Wrinkle They Didn't Expect
Miguel Rojas is juggling more than the usual October pressure as the Dodgers get ready for the National League Division Series. The veteran infielder is scheduled to take his U.S. citizenship test on Oct. 2 in Miami, a timing quirk that could pull him away from the club at the exact moment the postseason begins. Rojas is hoping to make it back in time for Game 1, but the Dodgers are once again being asked to plan around a player whose value goes beyond the box score.
There is also a bigger layer hanging over the situation, one that makes this more than just a travel inconvenience. Rojas has said he would only keep playing if the Dodgers offer him a contract, and his current deal runs out after the World Series, leaving his future unsettled even as the club tries to line up for October. For a team that has leaned on experience and versatility all season, it is a reminder that the roster questions do not stop when the bracket does. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Finally Know When Their NLDS Opener Will Begin
The Dodgers finally have a start time for their NLDS opener, and it comes with the usual October combination of anticipation and uncertainty. Major League Baseball set Game 1 of Los Angeles Division Series for Saturday at 1 p.m. PT at Dodger Stadium, giving the club a clear target as it waits to learn whether its opponent will be the Braves or the Phillies.
The broader playoff picture also tightened up Wednesday, when the Padres beat the Cubs 4-1 to finish a two-game sweep in the wild card series and move on to face the Brewers. For the Dodgers, the next step still depends on the result of the Atlanta-Philadelphia game, and while the first pitch is locked in, the remaining schedule for the series has yet to be determined. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers NLDS Opener Comes With A Tough Twist Fans Will Feel
The Dodgers now know their NLDS opener will arrive Saturday at 1 p.m. PT, and the matchup will come against either the Braves or the Phillies once the deciding game is settled Thursday. San Diegos sweep through the Wild Card round cleared the path for Los Angeles, but the first step of this next series carries an immediate test before a pitch is even thrown.
Forecasts are calling for temperatures near 100 degrees for the opener, a brutal backdrop that could shape how the game is played. Heat this extreme can wear on hitters and lengthen the challenge for both clubs, making the start of the series feel less like a normal October afternoon and more like a survival test. [Read more 🡒]