Dodgers Interview: Roberts and Dodgers Weigh NLCS Options
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers spent Saturday in a kind of calm sprint. The workout at Dodger Stadium was set to mimic a possible NLCS start time, and the big board would carry the other game everyone cared about. Depending on the result, the Dodgers either keep home field against the Cubs or start the series in Milwaukee. The opponent is still to be determined. The plan is to be ready either way.
Dave Roberts called uncertainty manageable. He said the staff is “definitely looking at how it goes, preparing for either scenario, opponent, travel, stay here,” and added that he “wouldn’t say difficult.” He liked that the club “gets a couple days to reset, prepare,” and said they’re “doing our due diligence and sort of having one-off team meetings until locking in after this game tonight.”
Asked about whether the team would gather to watch together, Roberts pointed to rhythm over ritual. “I think it’s more of yesterday giving the guys the day off,” he said. He called the last round “a very intense series,” and explained that Saturday was about “getting back to work, trying to mirror a potential game time for Monday whether it’s local or in Milwaukee.” During the workout, he said, “we’ll have that game on the big board.”
Health came up quickly, specifically Kiké Hernández. Roberts said “Kiké is in a much better spot,” and emphasized that “the couple days is beneficial,” adding, “I don’t think he’s going to be impacted going forward.” The conversation then shifted to the size and shape of an NLCS roster. Roberts noted that in “a seven-game series versus a five-game series, pitching becomes more paramount.” He didn’t lock anything in, but he was clear about the direction: “I don’t know exactly how the roster is going to look, but I think a seven-game series and then you layer on a potential opponent, it’s going to look a little bit different. You’re thinking maybe an extra pitcher and one less position player.”
Shohei Ohtani’s quiet series was on everyone’s mind, and Roberts didn’t duck it. “I think a lot of it is driven by left-handed pitching,” he said. He felt the matchups were tougher than they looked on paper, but added, “we’re hoping he can do a little self-reflecting on that series and how aggressive he was outside of the strike zone, passive in the zone, and just the at-bat quality needs to get better.” He split responsibility between opponent and approach. “It started out more as unfavorable matchups,” he said of the early games, but “from the first pitch on in that division series, chasing in off kind of set the tone.”
The ask now is simple and specific. “Recalibrate,” Roberts said of what he needs from Shohei, using the same word that fit last October. “We’re counting on a recalibration, getting back into the strike zone, understanding when he faces left-handed pitching, what they’re going to try to do, crowd him in off and then spin him away. He’s just got to be better at managing the hitting zone. I’m counting on it, and we’re all counting on that.”
On the rotation, Roberts kept things open. “We don’t have a Game 1 starter yet,” he said. “There are a few different ways we can go.” He planned to “get the guys together and circle up today” with news likely “tomorrow.” As for logistics if the series opens in Milwaukee, he kept it straightforward: “We’re going to fly out tomorrow morning.”
Depth matters in a seven-gamer, so the questions turned to how many starters and whether a bullpen day might sneak in if things get long. Roberts sounded firm on structure. “I think four is all we need,” he said. He added that how they “line the starters up is important,” and that they’d “do the best we can to get four starters and not take on a bullpen game.”
Clayton Kershaw’s role remains flexible, which fits the group’s posture. “Clayton, just like all of our guys, is willing to do whatever it takes to contribute and whatever role that might be,” Roberts said. He acknowledged they were “down a man for a game” last series, but didn’t tie Kershaw to any single lane in the next round. The theme was the same: help, wherever needed.
Offense versus run prevention was another thread. Roberts praised how the club advanced without trying to hit four-run homers. “This past series speaks to the pitching and the defense, the run prevention,” he said. He didn’t sugarcoat the other half. “We weren’t great offensively, and you have to give credit to the Phillies’ pitching staff,” he said, before laying out the balance he wants next: “We’re going to need to do better offensively. Hopefully we expect our pitching to continue what they’ve been doing, and the offense to get untracked and take a little pressure off the pitching staff.”
Bench pieces could tip a game or two. Roberts said Haesong “brings a lot of value,” citing “versatility from shortstop to second base to potentially the outfield,” plus “the left-handed bat” and “the speed, which we utilized.” He stopped short of a guarantee but kept him firmly in the mix: “He’s certainly going to be in the conversation.” He also talked through Justin Dean’s niche. “His center-field defense is a premium,” Roberts said, and there “might be times he’s asked to run and potentially steal a base.” The message to Dean has been consistent: “In for whatever was asked or needed of him.”
Motivation won’t be hard to locate no matter who walks into the other dugout. Roberts didn’t plan to play the revenge card, but he didn’t pretend the regular-season results didn’t happen. “It’s pretty apparent the Brewers kicked our tails, and the Cubs had their way with us once we came back from Tokyo,” he said. He preferred the learning angle: “Regardless of opponent, we’ve got to win this next series. But I do think that learning from what those guys did against us to beat us behooves us. I’m mindful of how we can flip that script.”
If it is Milwaukee, there’s a familiar face in the other dugout. Roberts called Brewers manager Pat Murphy “a great friend,” and said they “go way back.” He was “really impressed with what he’s done with that ball club” and described them as “a gritty team” that “plays hard” and “plays to win.” Respect, not awe.
One more detail slipped in about two-way workload and plate approach. Asked about Ohtani swinging early on days he pitches, Roberts said, “I think it’s true.” He believes Shohei is “trying to conserve energy and not really getting into at-bats” on those days and admitted “it hasn’t been good when he’s pitched.” The staff will “think through this and come up with a get-better game plan.”
So that’s the state of things. The Dodgers practiced to the clock, watched the bracket sort itself out, and kept their options open without losing the plot. As Roberts put it at the top, they’re “preparing for either scenario,” using the time to reset, and ready to lock in when the whistle blows. Tomorrow brings the travel decision. Monday brings the next swing.
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