Dodgers Interview: Doc Praises Sheehan, Needs to See More from Treinen

LOS ANGELES — Dave Roberts didn’t waste time identifying the biggest positive from a frustrating loss: Emmet Sheehan looks October-ready. Before the game, the manager forecast that the young right-hander could be a force down the stretch; after seven scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts, he doubled down.

“They’re valuable,” Roberts said of outings like this for Sheehan as the Dodgers tune for the postseason. “He’s certainly gained a lot of confidence. The pitch-making, the quality of stuff… it’s been just a great story this year.” Roberts then laid out the plan: “He’s going to go on Friday in Seattle on regular rest, and then be ready for the Wild Card series. He’s been fantastic.”

The night’s turn, of course, came in the eighth, when Blake Treinen absorbed a blown save on an infield single, a clean knock, a ground-rule double, and a bases-loaded walk. Roberts didn’t duck the reality or the importance of getting his highest-leverage right-hander back to his best.

“I think he just wasn’t getting misses,” Roberts said. “I don’t know if he was being too fine… he had count leverage and couldn’t put [Willy Adames] away. We need him, and it was a perfect opportunity to throw a zero. We just couldn’t get it done.” Still, the manager emphasized a reset is coming: “It’s baseball, but hopefully after this off day he’ll be able to reset and get ready to finish strong.”

Asked if he believes in a “switch” flipping for certain players in October—especially pitchers with a postseason track record—Roberts nodded toward Treinen’s history. “I think so,” he said. “As you’re working through things mechanically, you’re looking at the stat line, but once you get to the postseason nothing else matters except competing and doing your job. I do think that Blake is a little caught up in the mechanic part of it.” He added that past October performance can trigger the right mindset: “Sometimes there is something that kind of triggers in your mind—the familiarity, the competition—and you get on a run and get hot. That’s what we’re expecting from Blake.”

The follow-up was blunt: is it unsettling to enter October counting on a reliever you haven’t consistently seen in peak form? Roberts didn’t flinch. “Certainly. I’d like to see more consistent performance,” he conceded. “But at the end of the day, there’s going to be certain guys that I feel we’re going to go to in leverage and certain guys we’re not. My trust in him is unwavering, and I still feel very confident when I call to the bullpen and Blake comes in the game.”

At the same time, Roberts made clear that current form matters when he dials up the phone in a tie game. “The way he’s thrown the ball matters,” he said. “I’ve got to trust what I’m seeing and not solely a track record. We all need to see a couple good outings and, most importantly, I want to see confidence. To be quite honest, right now he’s not as confident—he’s not as confident in himself as I am in him. The main thing is we’ve got to get that confidence back.”

Roberts also broadened the October picture with some role talk, starting with Sheehan’s flexibility if the bracket demands it. When asked whether he sees Emmet in leverage spots out of the pen, he was unequivocal. “Yes, absolutely,” Roberts said. “It’s not something that he’s done [a lot], and I’m not concerned about it. If you look at things, he’s probably going to be in the pen. He’s on short rest, so there are thoughts of why I did what I did today—because he’s going on short rest—and potentially having him ready for the postseason is part of the calculus.”

There were additional personnel updates, too. Roberts said the club received a good report on Roki Sasaki, who has been throwing relief innings with OKC. “Roki was really good. The stuff was good,” he said. “He’ll fly to Arizona to meet us there… he won’t be available to pitch till Wednesday, but he’s done what he needs to do to get an opportunity.” As for a second arm (Roberts referenced Brock Stewart joining the team as well), the manager confirmed, “He’ll be there as well on Tuesday… we have some decisions to make, but he’ll be there in Arizona.”

Then came a name every Dodger fan has circled somewhat optimistically: Brusdar Graterol. Roberts said the right-hander “threw a pen today,” and the staff “put eyes on him and it was good—stuff was good.” The near-term timeline remains cautious. “He’s not going to be in a regular-season game—I’m pretty certain of that,” Roberts said. “So you’re looking down the road. But just to have him be viable is important, because if there’s anyone you can bet on that hasn’t really taken the reps in a season and will post and be good, it’s Brusdar.”

On the broader “October switch” idea, Roberts drew a line between mythology and mindset. “I do believe certain players like it, embrace it, aren’t afraid of it,” he said. “There’s a heightened focus. I don’t know if it’s a switch—it might be—but some guys, when they do that, they get better, and some guys… they don’t.”

Taken together, this was classic Roberts after a late-September loss: praise the process that worked (Sheehan), protect the veteran who got nicked (Treinen), and keep one eye on the chessboard (roles, rest, Arizona reinforcements). The message for the room sounded as much like a checklist as a pep talk: bank the confidence starts, get the first-pitch leverage back in the bullpen, clear the mechanical clutter, and carry a short memory into the series that matter.

The standings say time is short. Roberts’ tone suggested the blueprint remains the same: identify the hot hands, restore a couple of trusted ones, and make sure the pieces fit the game state when the brackets lock. “We’re still trying to win games,” he said of the coming week’s auditions and usage. “We’ve got some decisions to make.” With Sheehan lined up for Friday, Graterol trending the right direction, and Treinen tasked with rediscovering his October conviction, the Dodgers have their late-season marching orders—and just enough runway to execute them.

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