Dodgers Interview: Dave Roberts after Game 5– “We’ve got to wipe the slate clean and win a game”
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers walked off the field Wednesday night behind in the World Series and out of sync at the plate. Trey Yesavage overpowered them, Blake Snell battled but unraveled in the seventh, and the Blue Jays took a 3–2 series lead. Afterward, Dave Roberts kept his voice even and returned to the same two themes that have followed this matchup all week: clean baseball and competitive at-bats.
“We gave up bases,” Roberts said. “It changes who comes up, and it affects the game going forward.” He pointed to the moments that flipped innings. “Things get magnified in games like this, especially when you’re not swinging the bats. Blake pitched a heck of a ballgame, but giving up bases and not converting outs when you have a chance came back to bite us.”
The bullpen question came quickly. “It’s hard, because you can only push a starter so much,” Roberts said. “I thought Blake emptied the tank. With the base open and Vlad up, I felt Henriquez was the guy to get him out, and you also have a chance to get Bichette out. I pushed Blake as much as I’ve pushed him all year, and in the three games we lost it spiraled on us with guys on base.” He did not soften the assessment. “Guys have got to be better. Everyone’s got to do their job. Right now we’re at elimination, and we’ve got to wipe the slate clean and find a way to win Game 6, then pick up the pieces and see where we’re at.”
The offensive drought framed the rest of the session. “It doesn’t feel great,” Roberts said when asked about two quiet nights. “You clearly see those guys finding ways to get hits and move the baseball forward, and we’re not doing a good job of it. I thought Yesavage was good mixing his fastball, slider, and split, but you still have to use the whole field and take what they give you.” He added a note about approach. “If they’re not going to allow for slug, you’ve got to redirect and club down, take competitive at-bats. We’ve seen Gausman a lot. Our guys have seen him, so we’ve got to come in fresh. We’ve been in elimination games, a core group of these guys, and we’ve got to find a way to win a game.”
As for individual conversations, Roberts kept it simple. “The hitting guys talk to them,” he said. “I talk at times, not about mechanics, more about freeing them up to compete. Whatever it takes to take a little of the anxiety out. Everyone wants to perform. They’re prepared.”
He still believes the room will answer. “There’s a fight in there, there’s a compete,” Roberts said. “I know there’s more in there. We’ve won two games in a row before, but it comes down to one game. I expect Yamamoto to throw well, and we still have to take good at-bats, play catch, convert outs. If we play a clean game, I feel good about our chances.”
Asked about the early home runs off Snell, Roberts said the plan shifted on the fly. “Clearly early they were aggressive to the fastball,” he said. “Schneider and Vladdy, then he got a strikeout on breaking balls and settled in. I honestly thought he threw the ball well. Early on they were on the heater, so you have to adjust if that’s the case.”
The lineup will be a discussion for the flight. “That’s a good question,” Roberts said when asked about Toronto’s games ahead. “I haven’t had time to think through it. It’s whatever I feel is best to take down Gausman. I’m not sure if it’s Mookie in the two, Mookie in the three, Freddie in the three. At the end of the day, regardless of who we run out there, we still have to take good at-bats, all of us. That’s what I’m betting on.”
What stung most about Game 5 was the sloppiness. “Not playing a clean game,” Roberts said. “A hallmark for our ballclub is we don’t give away many outs and we don’t give many bases. Tonight we gave up probably three or four. It changes who comes up and adds an extra hitter or two the starter has to face. That part, and our ability to find some outfield grass. There was a lot of swing and miss tonight, and we can be better.”
Mookie Betts drew a direct question. “He’s fine physically,” Roberts said. “He wants to perform and get hits. He’s played great defense, and that throw was an outlier play. He’s going to be in there in Game 6.” On whether Betts is pressing, Roberts did not dodge. “I think he’s pressing. Hopefully the off day helps him get away from it and focus on one game. It’s not the first time he’s struggled, and it’s not the first time he’s faced elimination. It’s not just Mookie. Everyone has to do their part.”
Roberts ended by tipping his cap to the 22-year-old on the other side. “A lot of poise,” he said of Yesavage. “You can see he’s an athlete, fields his position, holds runners, good baseball IQ. There’s no panic. Game 1 and Game 5 on the road, and the way he performed, pretty impressive.”
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