SEATTLE — The Dodgers treated Friday night like a tune-up for October—and Dave Roberts sounded pleased with the rehearsal. A planned bullpen game became a stress test the club passed, 3–2, while the manager used his postgame to explain a few of the choices that point straight at the Wild Card series.
Emmet Sheehan’s new lane: short bursts out of the pen
Roberts confirmed the team shortened Emmet Sheehan by design now that the division is clinched and the focus has shifted to constructing the best possible postseason staff. “Since we clinched, we can look forward to the postseason and line up the pitching,” Roberts said. “Assessing Emmet and how we could make him viable for the Wild Card series, the best way was to shorten him up. He’ll come out of the pen and be ready to go on Tuesday for whatever is asked of him.”
Sheehan’s cap at roughly 25 pitches was part of that transition. The broader plan is clear: convert his power stuff into leverage outs next week rather than stretching him for length now.
A bullpen confidence builder
As for the game itself, Roberts saw exactly what he wanted from a parade of relievers. “The bullpen did a fantastic job and we scored just enough,” he said. He singled out several arms: “Roki was fantastic. Treinen was better—outside of the walk on the timeout thing—and made some good pitches. Tanner threw the ball well; unfortunately there was the hit batsman with the heater in. There were good things out of the pen, and hopefully these guys can build off these last couple outings.”
The mound meeting that mattered—and what it means for Tanner Scott
A pivotal moment came during Tanner Scott’s tightrope of a ninth, when Miguel Rojas and Kiké Hernández circled the mound. Roberts embraced the leadership on display. “It’s everything. There’s a lot of noise outside, but the most important thing is when you look at your teammates and coaches and you feel they have confidence in you. I don’t know what was said, but it’s good to hear they were reaffirming their confidence in him—and he made pitches when he needed to.”
Can an escape like that change Scott’s October role? “It is [something to build trust on],” Roberts said. “It hasn’t been the year we envisioned, but he has the opportunity to make it all go away by showing his best in the postseason. I don’t know how it’s going to look right now, but he needed that one—and we needed it as well.”
Pressed on usage, Roberts was specific about one limit: “It wouldn’t be a multi-inning [role]. I don’t know if it’s right-versus-left; anytime we put any guy in there, regardless of the score, it’s leverage—especially in a potential three-game series. I just don’t know the role.”
Roki Sasaki: same electricity, more command—and some edge
Roberts’ biggest smile came when he talked about Roki Sasaki’s bounce-back outing. “I don’t think the stuff was compromised at all. I actually liked him giving up the hit to Randy Arozarena and seeing how he responded—he responded admirably. Unfazed by the moment, which I’ve always expected.”
On a marquee matchup he wanted to see, Roberts added: “I liked it. I wanted to see that matchup, and Roki made pitches. It speaks to how good his stuff is. He’s got enough velocity to keep hitters honest and the split is pretty special, as you saw by the swings.”
Roberts connected this version of Sasaki to the ace-level command he showed overseas. “We wouldn’t have had that same outcome in April. He’s got the command he had back in Japan. The fastball is playing up, the split is presented as a strike and then drops off a table. He’s a different ballplayer now—a lot of confidence, and his body and stuff are in a much better place.”
The plan from here: “He won’t go again [before Tuesday],” Roberts said, with a wry nod toward pending roster calls. “We’ll see. We’ve got some good, tough decisions to make.”
Indeed. Keep an eye on Dodgersbeat, and we’ll let you know as soon as we hear something definitive. It’s got to happen within the next 72 hours or so.
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