Dodgers Interview: Roberts Pleased With May’s Performance
"The best he's thrown the baseball all year."
In a series that could’ve unraveled the Dodgers’ momentum, Dustin May, Teoscar Hernández, and a cast of composed bullpen arms brought the team together for a gritty 3-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. With the win, the Dodgers took the series and head into an off-day and two tough road sets with confidence—and, as manager Dave Roberts emphasized afterward, with momentum.
“This was the best he’s thrown the baseball all year,” Roberts said of May, who outdueled former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes with six innings of one-run ball. Pitching on full rest but after a string of uneven outings, May showcased a repeatable delivery, efficient pitch economy, and conviction in the strike zone. “He was pounding the strike zone. His stuff played late in the hitting zone. There was swing-and-miss, some soft contact—it just felt like he was in control all night.”
Against Burnes, that composure was essential. The right-hander kept the Dodgers quiet through five, wielding his signature cutter and expanding the zone with breaking balls. But in the sixth, the tide finally turned.
Mookie Betts poked a grounder through the six-hole for a base hit. An infield single followed. Then came Teoscar.
After a pair of chases earlier in the at-bat, Teoscar Hernández locked in—and when Burnes finally hung a breaking ball, he didn’t miss. The three-run home run soared into the left-field pavilion and turned a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead the Dodgers would not relinquish.
“He had the right approach,” Roberts said. “He didn’t let bad swings bleed into the next one. He stayed within himself, got a mistake, and did exactly what we needed.”
That resilience is becoming a defining trait of Hernández. Since joining the team last season, he has delivered in big spots repeatedly, and Roberts wasn’t shy in putting him in elite company. “He relishes those spots. He’s not afraid to fail. He’s in that elite class when it comes to driving in runs.”
From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over, with a mix of experience and fresh faces getting the job done. Tanner Scott, despite throwing the night before, insisted he was available—and delivered a clean frame. Lou Trivino, still early in his Dodger tenure, came in for a high-leverage assignment and filled up the strike zone, retiring the heart of the D-backs’ order.
“He didn’t run from the moment,” Roberts said. “And right now, we’ve got real opportunities in our bullpen for guys to earn high-leverage roles. Lou stepped up tonight.”
Tanner Scott closed the door with authority, sealing a critical win that comes on the heels of the Dodgers’ dramatic extra-inning comeback just the night before.
“It’s huge,” Roberts said, when asked about the momentum this mini two-game streak builds. “27 hours ago, we were looking at dropping the first two of this series. Now we’ve won it. To get that before heading on the road to face the Mets and Phillies—both of whom are playing excellent baseball—is big for us.”
Beyond the stars of the night, Roberts also highlighted May’s ability to pitch deep—six innings in a tight game—noting how much it meant to preserve a bullpen that’s been stretched lately. “He managed his emotions. He gave himself a chance to get through that sixth by being efficient. That allowed us to reset the bullpen heading into the road trip.”
Looking ahead, Clayton Kershaw is scheduled to return to the mound Friday in New York. If the Dodgers can continue building on the rhythm they’ve found, Roberts believes this could be the turning point.
“We’ve said it—we’re too talented, too experienced. And when we get quality starts like we’ve had the last two nights, it gives us a chance to let the offense take shape. We can build something off that.”
With Teoscar heating up, Dustin May flashing ace-level form, and a bullpen bracing for a tough test ahead, the Dodgers are heading out with purpose.
“It starts with starting pitching,” Roberts said. And for the last two nights, that box has been checked.
Next stop: New York.
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