Dodgers Interview: Doc Heads into Game 3 with a Clear Picture of Where his Team is
LOS ANGELES — Dave Roberts had his usual pregame scrum on Thursday before He likes where Tyler Glasnow is, he likes the way his club is defending, and he appreciates Shohei Ohtani tweaking his routine with urgency. He likes a lot of things, but knows that the job is far from over.
On Glasnow, Roberts said the key is mindset. “What stood out most is he’s in compete mode,” Roberts said of the Philadelphia start and what he hopes to see again. “Trying to be perfect, worrying about things out of your control… he’s stayed away from that and focused on making pitches, staying in the moment, being in compete mode. When you’re like that, you’re going to get the best of Tyler.” He added that Glasnow has “gotten considerably better” and the performance has reflected it.
Defense, as always in October, sits near the top of the card. “Very important,” Roberts said. “In the postseason, everything is more magnified. You get 27 outs. When you don’t give up extra outs, extra bases, you give yourself the best chance to win.” He called Milwaukee “an opportunistic team” and credited his club for doing “a really nice job” so far. Moments like these, he said, reveal who they are: “This is our identity. We pride ourselves on not beating ourselves, minding the little things… the little things turn out to be big things.”
Ohtani taking on-field BP drew a smile. “He looked great,” Roberts said. “Sho doesn’t take BP on the field virtually ever… in the cage your focus is more narrowed… but to change things up to get on the field to see the flight of the baseball is also important.” The staff even cued his walk-up song. “There was some fun, some laughs, and all the while him getting his work in.” Asked if urgency played a role, Roberts didn’t hesitate: “Absolutely. The postseason is like a street fight… there’s urgency. If this was the regular season, he probably wouldn’t be out on the field. With the postseason, he needed to make an adjustment… that adjustment was getting on the field.”
As for repeatedly seeing Aaron Ashby and the Brewers’ bullpen, Roberts said the aim is to keep the pressure on. “We’ve put them in a position where they have to really play with urgency,” he said. “For us, it’s important to continue to apply pressure and put the onus on them… getting another look at Ashby is important, and whoever they go to next, be ready for him.” Could last year’s bullpen maze help him anticipate moves? “I wouldn’t say it prepares me more,” he said. “It just goes to us continuing to make that decision difficult for him. We’ve got to pitch well, convert outs, and take good at-bats.”
Roberts also zoomed out on the rotation’s bumpy path and the midseason injuries. “Your goal is to win the World Series,” he said. With Snell, Glasnow, Clayton, and others missing time, the Dodgers focused on a “ramp up process… not rushed,” while giving chances to younger arms. “It gave opportunities to guys like Sheehan, Robleski and others… getting the younger players their innings and having our other guys save bullets and get ready for the postseason. I don’t think you could have lined it up any better.”
He took a moment to praise the gloves, too. “The only person on this planet that believed Mookie Betts would be in this conversation was Mookie Betts,” Roberts said of Betts being a Gold Glove finalist at shortstop. “Last year the confidence wasn’t there… to now being a finalist, being so trustworthy… it’s pretty amazing.” He added, “Miggy is a finalist and I think Miggy Rojas undoubtedly should get this Gold Glove award… sure-handed, the spectacular play.”
And the leash for starters? Earn it and you keep it. “I think I’ve shown that,” Roberts said when asked about letting a starter push into the sixth or seventh. “It still depends on each individual game… how the pitcher’s throwing, efficiency, how the hitters are taking at-bats versus that pitcher. I’m in read and react mode, but if they earn it, I’ll run them out there deeper.”
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