Dodgers Interview: Dave Roberts on 5–2 Loss to Mets: “We Let Them Off the Hook”

QUEENS, NY — After the Dodgers’ 5–2 loss to the New York Mets on Saturday at Citi Field, manager Dave Roberts didn’t sound overly frustrated—but he was clear-eyed about the missed opportunities, the impact of double plays, and the state of his pitching staff.

“Well, at the outset, I was pretty optimistic getting a 2–0 lead,” Roberts said. “And, you know, I thought there were moments—like that fifth inning—I thought Tony [Gonsolin] was really good. And then there was—I forgot what inning it was—where he sort of lost command. He had two outs and then the back-to-back walks.”

Gonsolin gave up four runs in five innings, with a costly stretch of two-out walks in the fourth setting the table for Juan Soto’s two-run double.

“Outside of that, I thought he was fine,” Roberts said. “There was obviously the big hit from Soto with two outs, and you know, just couldn’t kind of limit damage right there.”

The Dodgers took an early lead, but couldn’t keep the pressure on Mets starter David Peterson, who used soft contact to induce three double plays.

“It does [take the wind out of the sails],” Roberts said of the double plays. “And I think that, you know, at times you can kind of stomach a double play if the ball’s hit hard, but tonight he got some soft contact double plays and we sort of let him off the hook, you know, and really couldn’t threaten too much.”

The Mets entered the game with a struggling lineup, but Soto found ways to contribute, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs.

“Yeah, I mean he’s still Juan Soto,” Roberts said. “He’s still, you know, an elite hitter. I don’t think he’s swinging great right now and found a way to get a couple knocks tonight. But you can see him bearing down a little bit more when guys are on base.”

Roberts also pointed to a lack of execution against Peterson’s pitch mix as a key factor in the Dodgers’ inability to score after the second inning.

“With the lefties, obviously the sinker sped us up, put us on the ground to then open up the sweeper, the slider that he has,” Roberts explained. “And we didn’t get many good swings. Our lefties, and then the righties—I think it was just the sinker, changeup, slider combo that we just really couldn’t barrel.”

Gonsolin was pulled after five innings and 91 pitches. Roberts explained that there wasn’t much debate about whether to send him back out for the sixth.

“You know, I didn’t feel that throwing Bandi [Anthony Banda] tonight in that lane was going to be of much cost. I think he’ll be available tomorrow,” Roberts said. “Where [Gonsolin] was at with the pitch count, we really didn’t have anyone to sort of get him out of that inning if it got to [Francisco] Lindor or [Starling] Marte. So, I felt that just to make it a clean break and give Anthony a clean inning… then obviously Bobby [Miller] taking the last couple innings.”

With the bullpen already stretched thin, Roberts said his game management had to account for the bigger picture.

“It’s tough,” he admitted. “But I think the tone of tonight—it was easier in the sense of there wasn’t much offensive energy tonight as far as how we were swinging, the at-bats we were taking. So to try to chase and use leverage guys in a down game, it just didn’t make any sense for me.”

One silver lining was the return of Bobby Miller, who flew into New York and arrived at the clubhouse just an hour before first pitch. He delivered two scoreless innings in relief.

“I thought Bobby did a nice job. I don’t think he’s ever come out of the pen,” Roberts said. “The fastball was good, he got some quick outs, and we needed two innings.”

Looking ahead, Roberts confirmed that rookie Landon Knack will start Sunday’s series finale and that Shohei Ohtani remains on track to potentially return to the mound after the All-Star break.

“I just think that you’re talking about end of May, he’s doing his first simulated game for two innings,” Roberts said. “And, you know, in theory you gotta build a starter up to five, six innings… so I just don’t see it being before [the break].”

The Dodgers will try to avoid the series loss on Sunday, hoping for a spark from the offense and a strong outing from Knack to get back on track.

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