Dodgers Interview: Roberts praises Ohtani’s progress, Muncy’s big day
LOS ANGELES — After a rollercoaster 13–7 win over the Nationals on Sunday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts touched on a little bit of everything—from Shohei Ohtani’s continued progression as a pitcher to Max Muncy’s red-hot bat and the team’s resilience during a long homestand.
Starting with Ohtani, who threw a scoreless first inning in his second pitching appearance of the season, Roberts said he saw noticeable improvement. “I thought he was considerably better today as far as the stuff, the life of the fastball, the command of his pitches,” Roberts said. “Much better.”
Ohtani’s usage continues to be cautious and calculated, with the team holding him to a single inning per outing for now. “It’s just more of trying to get the foundation of building blocks,” Roberts explained. “He’s understanding kind of where he’s at, where we’re at. And appreciating the fact that as time goes on, we’ll get to a certain point. But there’s no sense in rushing it right now.”
The only question for Ohtani’s next outing is whether the Dodgers will attempt an “up-down” scenario—meaning two innings with a break in between. For now, Roberts confirmed that “once a week” remains the working schedule, though not on a fixed day.
On the offensive side, Roberts had high praise for Max Muncy, who launched a game-changing grand slam in the sixth after an odd delay caused by the Nationals’ reliever requesting mound maintenance. Muncy later added a three-run homer in the seventh to cap off a seven-RBI day.
“He’s just consistently had good at-bats,” Roberts said. “He’s hit balls to right-center field, to left-center field—which he really hasn’t done with that kind of consistency since 2021. He’s in a good spot.”
Roberts was asked whether there was any temptation to pinch-hit for Muncy with the left-handed pitcher coming in. “No thought to pinch him,” Roberts said. “I thought he took a decent at-bat against [Ferrer] the other night, saw a lot of pitches. I was going to bet on Max.”
Muncy’s resurgence comes after a slow start to the season and a brief period adjusting to prescription glasses at the plate. “We never wavered in our confidence,” Roberts said. “He’s proven us all right. The swing is shorter, the at-bats are better, and it’s been a huge lift for the top of our lineup.”
The Dodgers entered the sixth inning trailing 3-0, but the game flipped quickly. The no-hitter that Nationals starter Michael Soroka carried into the fifth had been broken up by a Hyeseong Kim double in the previous inning, but it was the sixth where things came unglued for the Nats starter. Dalton Rushing led off with a double after a walk, hit-by-pitch, and a hit-by-pitch, Soroka was out of the game. Then came Nats reliever Jose A. Ferrer, who stopped the at-bat three pitches in to request some groundswork on the mound. After the delay, Muncy made Washington pay, drilling a grand slam that opened the floodgates.
“That at-bat really turned things around,” Roberts said. “We go from nothing on the board to a four-run lead in the blink of an eye. It was a tale of two games: the first five innings and the last four.”
Shohei Ohtani also chipped in at the plate, reaching base multiple times and adding a triple and a home run. Roberts was encouraged by the adjustments Ohtani made mid-game. “Taking the walk, getting a ball up for the triple, then the homer—that was the kind of approach you want to see,” he said. “When he’s going to the big part of the field, he’s really, really good.”
As for the homestand overall, Roberts was pleased with the results, if not always the smoothness of the performances. “We had a 10-game homestand and we won seven of ten. That’s a big bonus, especially since not everyone was at their best the whole time. But that’s how good this team is.”
Roberts also tipped his cap to Kiké Hernández, who volunteered to pitch the ninth inning in relief to preserve arms in a lopsided game. “He’s a smart baseball player. If you’ve got a chance to save some bullets from [Alex] Vesia, why not try?”
Now, the Dodgers head to Colorado to begin a six-game road trip. If Sunday’s offensive outburst is any sign, they may be heating up at just the right time.
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