Dodgers Interview: Roberts Stresses Roster Flexibility Ahead of Game 2
PHILADELPHIA — The Dodgers grabbed Game One from the Phillies, and on Sunday, Dave Roberts sounded equal parts steady and flexible. He liked the extra off day. He liked how his club attacked. And he liked that his options only grew for Game Two.
“It’s beneficial,” Roberts said of the schedule. “Getting Blake on his regular rest helps. The guys we used out of the pen are back online outside of [Tyler] Glasnow. We kind of reset, and I feel good with Snell going tomorrow and having whoever we want to deploy behind him.”
Asked if the break changes how he might use Roki Sasaki, Roberts pointed to work already done. “We did that intentionally toward the end of the season. We got him a two out of three. We’ve checked that box,” he said. “If needed, we could use him tomorrow night as well.”
Is Sasaki the closer now? Roberts smiled at keeping doors open. “I don’t want to be pigeonholed into the ninth,” he said. “With the way this lineup is constructed, the eighth could present itself where he’s the best option. I consider him one of our top, highest-leverage relievers for sure.”
Will Smith’s status remains a day-to-day judgment call. “He’s here getting treatment and will go through the workout,” Roberts said. “I’ll talk to him and the trainers and watch him work. Even making the decision for tomorrow may not happen until late morning. There’s value in Ben starting and Will coming in to catch four to five innings as he eases back in. But if he says he feels great, it might be hard not to pencil him in.”
Philadelphia tested Sasaki’s poise on a big stage. Roberts liked what he saw. “We saw him in leverage as a reliever, then on the road, then give up a double in Seattle and respond,” he said. “To be thrust into a save situation on the road, give up a double, and keep attacking the zone to get a grounder and a pop up was very valuable. It wasn’t surprising, but it makes us all feel better when you see how he responds.”
How did the Dodgers mute the top of the Phillies’ order? “Sho [Shohei Ohtani] did a fantastic job of moving the ball around,” Roberts said. “You’ve got to change locations and use front to back. His curveball was as good as I’ve seen. You have to make them honor the fastball. They hunt locations and velocities, and you have to keep them guessing. You just can’t be predictable. We did a fantastic job of not being predictable, and Tyler did the same thing.”
Clayton Kershaw’s role is open-ended. “Early, late, up, down,” Roberts said. “Those scenarios of a starter getting knocked out early or extra innings certainly play, but I trust him and there are other opportunities he might have to pitch. There are also spots where I feel more comfortable with other guys. It’s not a slight on Clayton. There are various roles I could use him.”
Roberts doubled down on the attack plan for this lineup matchup. “Our two teams are very similar,” he said. “When pitchers nibble and get behind, offenses like ours and theirs feast. You’ve got to go at these guys and attack in the strike zone. First-pitch strike, whether it’s a breaking ball or a fastball, is beneficial.”
As for Tyler Glasnow after his multi-inning relief cameo, the plan is clear. “He’s still online for Game Four,” Roberts said. “Coming out of the pen the rest of this series is not on my radar, but you never know how things play out. Having him lined up for Game Four is where we’re at.”
Shohei Ohtani struck out four times in Game One, and Roberts chalked it up to tough pitching and the two-way workload of the night. “Sánchez was really good with the sinker and the changeup,” he said. “Sho was chasing out of the zone and taking strikes. It was just a bad combination and a bad night. I expect him to be better in Game Two.” He added that “on days Sho pitches, a large amount of the focus is on the pitching,” and admitted that “weathering that three-run inning and staying in on the pitching side probably had some bleed-through on the bat.”
The tone never wavered. “We reset,” Roberts said. “We attack. And we keep options open.”
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