Dodgers Interview: Doc on Bullpen Makeup, Shohei’s Historic Start
PHILADELPHIA — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sounded calm and appreciative before Game 1 in Philadelphia. He talked about Shohei Ohtani’s first postseason start as a pitcher, how the roster fits this matchup, and why some roles will stay fluid.
He started with Shohei. “As he takes the mound, I’m going to take a moment to appreciate him doing something really unprecedented,” Roberts said. “He has done a tremendous deal for our ballclub on a micro level with the talent, the two-way player, but much more broad for baseball. He’s a player people have to see. He has been a huge benefit to our game.”
Asked about Ohtani’s nerves and possible velocity spike, Roberts leaned on routine. “His whole life has prepared him for big moments,” he said. “He never lets the emotions or the moment get too big. He is always under control. He has a very precise routine. I expect him to perform well in the box and on the mound and control those emotions. Having him get through the sixth inning in Arizona, as far as usage, I feel good where he is at.”
Catching remains a day-to-day call. “Will Smith is close,” Roberts said. “We just have not had the chance to do the buildup, the five innings, the six, the seven, let alone nine. He has not caught in four weeks. I’m trying to find a jumping-off point that plays the middle. There’s a chance he can come into tonight’s game and get his feet wet. He’s very close. I just don’t know when.”
The roster choices around the staff reflected the opponent. “With Henriquez it was a little easier because of how they construct their lineup,” Roberts said. “It’s heavy left. We have Glasnow in the pen for this game. We have other right-handers. It’s a lot of left-handed lanes. With Wrobleski it was really difficult because he has performed so well. I can’t really justify it, to be honest. We wanted Clayton. Clayton has earned the opportunity to be on this roster. I’m going to use him accordingly. And with Banda, his skill set is to really take down left-handed hitters. That was the thought.”
Max Muncy will be used like a chess piece. “Tonight he’s a silver bullet,” Roberts said. “I can deploy him whenever I want in a leverage spot. We knew what we were coming into and he was adamant that whatever it takes to help this team win, he is in. There could be a big spot at any point that changes the game. He will be ready when called upon. I can’t speak to when he is going to start or if he is going to start, because Miggy Rojas has been great against left-handed pitching and I see him getting a start as well.”
Tommy Edman will push through his ankle issue. “It’s holding up,” Roberts said. “Not getting any worse, not getting much better. Having him start and take a few at-bats each night against the starter is a benefit to us. I’ll keep an eye on him as the game progresses if we need to get him off his feet to get him ready for the next one.”
The series will be left-handed heavy from Philadelphia. “The challenge is they are talented,” Roberts said. “That is the main challenge. The good thing is the guys who play get the same look. The downside is not being able to run Max out there as much as I would like. In the postseason I’m trying to go with the best nine to start and then each guy might have an opportunity to help us win that night.”
He said the recent head-to-head taught lessons to his lefty relievers. “We learned a lot,” Roberts said. “You have to make pitches. You have to sequence the right way. They are good and they are a momentum team when they get momentum, certainly in this ballpark. You have to make pitches. They are aggressive early. It goes both ways because we have some good hitters too.”
There was respect for the Phillies’ personality. “Inside their clubhouse you can see it pretty clear that Schwarber’s toughness is something they feed off,” Roberts said. “Harper on the broader city, wrapping his arms around it and vice versa. They pitch really well. Those two guys are sort of the heartbeat of that club.”
The Dodgers will carry 12 pitchers in the five-game set. “We’re going with the 12 because of the off days in between,” Roberts said. “We have to carry three catchers because of where Will is at. With Tommy’s uncertainty and Max coming back recently, having the extra infielder Hong is huge. I can use him to run off the bench and potentially take an at-bat off the bench. There are a lot of lefties in that lineup. It is good to have him and I feel he is going to help us at some point.”
Starters in relief are not off the table. “What I have learned is you have to rip the band-aid off,” Roberts said. “There are always uncertainties, but you make a decision and live with it. I’m going with the best talent that is available that night if it makes sense. Roki was a starter his whole life and he has come out of the pen and pitched fine. We did it years ago. Other teams have done it. We got beat in 18 because A.C. ran a bunch of starters at us. It can happen. There’s no guarantee. You have to have conviction and bet on the guys you run out there.”
When Will Smith is fully cleared, Roberts plans to lean on him. “Once he’s healthy again it’s easy because of the off days in the postseason,” Roberts said. “The balance is the regular season, getting him to the finish line. We had a lot of conversation with Will to figure out what’s best for him. We had Dalton Rushing cut his teeth this year, which was very helpful. Once we get Will back and feeling good, we’re going to let him run.”
Then he circled back to the moment. “I’m going to take a moment to appreciate Shohei taking the mound,” Roberts said. “He has done so much for our team and for baseball. I expect him to perform and control the emotions. We feel good about where he is.”
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