LOS ANGELES — Dave Roberts didn’t bother dressing up what everyone saw in the first inning. Tyler Glasnow’s outing “was just kind of out of sync,” the manager told us after the Dodgers’ win on Saturday. “That first inning, he didn’t have any command.” The difference between a long night and a satisfying win, Roberts argued, was what happened next. “It was really important for him to regroup,” he said. “It says a lot about his growth as a ballplayer to find a way to get through five innings, save our bullpen, and give us a chance to win. He could have easily punted on the outing, but he dug deep and kept competing.”
That theme—bend but don’t break—ran through Roberts’ entire postgame. The Dodgers were down 4–0 before most fans finished their first hot dog, and the building had zero momentum. Roberts pointed to the collective response as proof the club is playing the right kind of September baseball. “When you get behind 4–0 and you don’t have any momentum, for us to not quit on the game, keep fighting, and scratch our way back into it is a good example of how we want to play,” he said. “We had a lot of guys in the pen who were down today, so being able to go to Will Klein in the eighth was big, and ‘Robo’ going back-to-back out of the pen coming off an up-down yesterday was huge. In total, a very good ballgame.”
Roberts saw postseason-level urgency on defense, too. “Our guys are playing playoff-caliber baseball and you can see the intensity—each pitch, each play,” he said. “Mookie selling out near the dugout and making a big play was emblematic.” He also tipped his cap to the battery work and the bats that kept stacking pressure. “I thought Muntz caught the ball really well tonight,” Roberts said, before adding, “and the at-bats were there. I think Conforto is really showing a lot of life right now. Overall, it was a gritty effort, and it’s showing who our guys are at this important time.”
Asked specifically about Michael Conforto—who homered and finished with three hits—Roberts connected the recent surge to sharper mechanics and a clearer mindset. “His swing looks a lot better. There’s a lot more confidence,” he said. “He’s using his hands more, hitting the ball on a line more. Every at-bat has been a lot more competitive. We’re going to need him versus right-handers, and it adds a lot of length when you’ve got him and Andy down in that six-seven-eight area. They’re a threat in that part of the order.” As for the tough conversations that preceded this hot stretch, Roberts said the outfielder embraced them. “He’s taken every conversation great,” Roberts said. “He knows whatever I say is in the best interest of him and our ballclub. He’s been very receptive, worked his tail off, and it’s good to see he’s getting some results.”
Circling back to Glasnow, Roberts highlighted the way a chaotic start turned into a stabilizing middle. “Even that second inning, that was a big double play to get out of it and get his pitch count right,” he said. “I think he threw over 40 pitches in the first inning and then something in the 50s over the next four, which is pretty remarkable.” The lesson wasn’t just mechanical. “You’re not always going to have your best mechanics and you still have to find a way to get outs,” Roberts said. “That’s what he’s understanding—how to navigate that.”
The bullpen plan was equal parts necessity and audition. With several relievers unavailable, the Dodgers used Klein to carve the eighth and asked rookie lefty Justin Wrobleski to handle a back-to-back after a strenuous night prior. “He wanted the opportunity to pitch,” Roberts said of Wrobleski. “It’s a good exercise, a trial to see how the stuff plays. Justin doesn’t run from any challenge, and he got two big outs for us.”
Roberts also praised Tommy Edman’s presence at the bottom of the order, a switch-hitting engine behind the middle of the lineup. “He can work an at-bat and get a big hit,” Roberts said. “His at-bat quality is a lot better than the raw results. He’s hitting the ball hard and taking good at-bats. Obviously, today to hit a homer was big for him. Ever since he’s come back, he’s been huge for us.”
With one week left in the regular season and the division lead firming, Roberts made it clear the rotation will stay on schedule. “We’re going to do the same thing,” he said. “We haven’t won the division yet. Emmet’s going tomorrow, Shohei is going Tuesday, and then it’s Yamamoto and Snell. We’re not moving things around—we’re still trying to win this division.”
That dovetailed into a broader note on Shohei Ohtani’s torrid September at the plate. “He’s having really good at-bats,” Roberts said. “I love when Shohei uses the whole field. He’s strong enough to hit the ball out anywhere, and he’s dangerous when he’s going to center and left-center and taking his walks.” On the home run chase, where Ohtani is neck-and-neck with Kyle Schwarber, Roberts didn’t flinch. “The home run title would be great, but it’s a byproduct of taking good at-bats and playing to win. If they don’t pitch to him, he’ll take his walks. If they make a mistake, he’ll make them pay.”
In one game you could see Roberts’ October thesis: starters who problem-solve, defenders who sell out, a bullpen that thrives on uncomfortable assignments, and a lineup long enough to keep the heat on. “Very helpful and really good to see,” he said of Glasnow’s turnaround, the team’s response, and the win that pushed the Dodgers one step closer to a division crown.
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