Dodgers Interview: Doc on Snell’s Dominance, Fateful Mound Visit
LOS ANGELES — Dave Roberts didn’t so much manage Wednesday night as he calibrated it. With two on and two out in the seventh and Blake Snell sitting on a masterpiece, the Dodgers’ manager walked to the mound as Dodger Stadium held its breath—then turned on his heel and left his starter to finish the inning himself. Afterward, Roberts explained the calculus behind that rare non-move. “I wanted to see what he (Blake Snell) had left he had in the tank. And so I just felt convicted to get out there and and make a quick little visit and kind of hear him. And he was adamant that he wanted that last hitter and I trusted him and you know, he finished him off the right way and just a huge boost for us. Just a great performance from pitch one and we needed this one tonight and he delivered.”
Snell rewarded that trust by punching out his 12th batter to finish seven shutout innings in a 5–0 Dodgers win that salvaged the series against the Phillies. The scene was part of a night that felt like a demo reel for October—starter dominating, battery in lockstep, defense crisp, situational offense relentless. For Roberts, the seventh was about more than one out; it was proof of concept. “It’s huge and and obviously it’s not something that Blake needs to prove to anyone because he’s got hardware. But it it it’s still good for our guys, for him with a new ball club to pitch playoff type baseball against a potential playoff opponent and to put forth that performance and then, you get to the one yard line to get through the seventh inning and, you know, dig deep to to make some pitches to uh get out of that inning. And so that’s always a good thing and something to build off of.”
If Roberts sounded conflicted in the moment, that’s because he was. “In in that situation, I was actually 50/50. There’s there’s obviously 99% of the 99.9 I’m I’m going to make I’ve got my decision made. But in that moment, I was kind of up in the air,” he admitted, laughing when told that a reliever had half-sprung from the pen. “No, doesn’t change it. I I think for me, I was just locked in on Blake and and kind of wanted to feel and hear what he had to say.”
Part of what Roberts wanted to hear—and see—was a starter taking the reins in more ways than one. Snell spent the night not only overpowering hitters but also steering traffic. “It’s great. And I do like that in some senses where he does his homework. He puts puts it out there as far as kind of uh calling his own pitches, not always putting it on the catcher. But there were times that he let Ben call it, call pitches, but he does his work and a lot of times, you know, he he calls his own game,” Roberts said. The pitch mix kept the Phillies guessing. “The the slider verse left was really good. The curve ball was really good, the change up verse right really good. And he used enough fast balls to keep those guys honest. The ability to strike breaking balls, to shorten them, the threat of velocity, all that stuff.”
Efficiency came with the authority. “I don’t even know if he walked a guy up until that last inning. So I also think that it’s one of those things that he understands his role on this ball club and he’s got to go deeper. And so I think when you put a person a starter in a position where they know they have to go deeper, you’ve got to just naturally be more efficient and end at bats and and uh he did that,” Roberts said. That last piece is strategic. October demands length from front-line arms, and the Dodgers are building toward that. “Yeah, I mean he’s one of the guys that, you know, we have to push and uh he’s got the track record for it, the DNA and the talent to do it. And so so it it’s important and I think that, you know, for us to win 13 games in October, you know, we’re going to need, you know, certain guys to to be pushed and go deeper.”
That philosophy hasn’t been limited to Snell. Roberts bristled at the idea the club is coddling pitch counts in September. “We’re trying to win every game. And I think you guys have seen and I don’t want to revisit this, but the one guy I’ve been we’ve been very mindful of is show as far as strict, but everyone else I think if you look at the second half, we’ve pushed guys and we’re in a penitent race. It’s not about their health. we need to win games and you know I got to look at who’s the best option and you know we’ve pushed Yama we’ve pushed Glass we’ve pushed uh you know Kersh even at times right and obviously Blake so this is the postseason for us so we’re we’re we’re going,” he said. The stress, he believes, will translate. “There’s not a whole lot of miles as far as this year. So, I think it’s of benefit to kind of get when you’re a little fatigued, a little tired, seeing the lineup the third time through and how do I navigate that because in the postseason that’s what they’re going to need to do.”
Wednesday also showcased the quiet center of the battery. Roberts lit up when asked about Ben Rortvedt’s impact. “Ben did a fantastic job. They they were just again in lock step,” he said, before going bigger on the catcher’s all-around contributions. “Over the moon with the way he’s played. He’s certainly a glove first guy, but how he’s transitioned assimilated with our guys and built trust with the with the pitchers is remarkable uh in such a short time. And what he’s done behind the plate uh is no it’s no uh it’s not lost on anyone. It’s not a coincidence. uh the way he catches it. The calling of the game and then the at bat quality, you know, he just every at bat is a good at bat, you know, and and he’s gotten some big hits for us, some big walks, he can lay down a bunt if we need it. So, you know, for a guy to kind of fill in for Will, an all-star catcher, he has been more than a pleasant surprise. He’s been hugely additive.”
As for the matchup with the Phillies, Roberts was bullish even after dropping the series. “Very well. Uh, I think the start the starters pitch their tails off this series. And you know, I I thought we played a great series. We had a few bad innings, but in totality, I thought we played really good baseball. I thought the offense was fantastic. I thought the defense was great. And and we just had, you know, a few bad innings that cost us a series. But, you know, I like our chances if we play like this against anyone.”
And he didn’t shy from the stakes of the finale. “We needed to win this game. You get two great performances and we we don’t win as far as starting pitching. So, getting another great performance, we needed to win this game. And our offense just the way they’re playing is it’s really really fun to watch. the situational hitting, the hitting behind runners, the two strike at bats. For me it’s a dream. It’s I’m really impressed and proud of the way these guys are playing baseball.”
One last note from the manager’s chair: when the MVP chatter inevitably came up, Roberts didn’t hedge in his support of Shohei Ohtani over the Phils’ Kyle Schwarber. “With what he’s done with the bat now what he’s done on the mound it’s just it’s it’s a landslide it’s a no-brainer… it’s the right option… he’s MVP of the National League it’s pretty easy I’ll give you my ballot.” On a night he trusted his ace and got paid off, Roberts sounded just as certain about his two-way superstar—and about a team rounding into the kind of shape that makes October feel a whole lot more comfortable.
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