Dodgers Team News

Dodgers: Dave Roberts Plans to Approach Game 3 As a Must-Win

It’s the series that the baseball world wanted, and it’s lived up to the hype so far. The Dodgers and Giants have traded blows during the first two games of the Division Series, but there is plenty of reason to believe that LA can take care of business at home.

Although they stole home field advantage away from San Francisco, manager Dave Roberts isn’t taking anything for granted. He knows how good this Giants team is, and he’s ready to treat game 3 as a must-win. When asked about the team’s plans for a Game 4 starter, Roberts didn’t want to look that far into the future.



We don’t know. I think right now, where our head is at is [to] deploy anyone and everyone to win [Monday] night.

The Dodgers had a similar mindset going into game 2 in San Francisco, and the team played with a focus and intensity that helped them even the series. Coming away with at least one win is huge for LA, as they will have Max Scherzer on the mound in what will be a decisive game 3.

The winner of Monday night’s matchup will be just one game away from the National League Championship Series, making it an important one for both sides. The Dodgers have been through this before, however, and they understand that it’s just as important as any other game. When asked if this game held any additional significance to it, Dave Roberts wouldn’t bite.

“They’re all important, you know last night was a swing game [also]. So to get ahead and get an advantage in a series, it’s important. Like I said, I’m gonna manage this game using every resource we have to win it.”

Related: Albert Pujols Gets the Start in Game 3

It’s a shame that one of baseball’s top two teams will be going home by the end of this week, but those are the cards these teams were dealt. This matchup has been as advertised through two games, and there’s no reason to believe that it won’t continue as the series heads to Los Angeles.

With any luck, the Dodgers have made their last trip to San Francisco for the year and will take care of business here at home.

NEXT: Trea Turner Most Impressed By LA Fans After the Trade

Daniel Palma

Daniel is an avid sports fan who loves his hometown teams. If he's not watching baseball, you can find him playing or coaching. No matter what, he'll always root for the Boys in Blue!

27 Comments

  1. Must win? You think. It’s a best of 3 with home field; They should be playing for ending it here.

      1. Kirk, you do realize you are criticizing the winningest manager in baseball history by percentage right? I will defend Roberts until his record indicates I should not.

        1. I guess the difference between your winning and mine are a little different. Drrrr’s Post season winning and National League All star games are what I’m looking at. The games that count. The Dodgers are the highest spending team in the majors almost every season, and buying the best players would serve ANY manager. What matters is how well those managers are when it Counts the Most, on the biggest stage and so far DRRRRR is around 500 in that catagory. He’s 1-2 in the World Series and 0-3 in the All Star games which he has been given the games elite players in both…..Avg manager at best IMO….You put Bob Melvin in the same scenario Drrrrr was awarded and we would have seen 2 more championships. But he is our manager and I have to find ways not to break my TV screen when he flubbs, and also give him credit when he makes the right decisions like last year when he sat Kenley after Kenley Blew game 4, and stuck with urias and finally Won the championship… But we all had watched him Flubb time and time again with Baez and Kenley etc…

          1. Hopefully Buhler mans up and goes with 3 days rest for game 4 cause if Roberts goes with Gonsolin we’ll have to go back to frisco and we don’t want that. Buhler can shut them down for 45 Urias another 3 Bullpen closes giants out.

          2. Kirk, you want to argue DR’s WS record ok. But I won’t fault him for losing to the “cheatstros”. He happened to run into a 108 w Red Sox team led by our own Mookie Betts. He was without Seager, in his place the loser Machado!

            And even criticizing a manager for a meaningless exhibition game? I’m seriously disappointed in that comment.

          3. Df4life, of course your disappointed in the All star game record of Drrr’s, it doesn’t favor your argument. Lasorda by the way has a better record in big games than Drrrr’s. Even though Drrr’s regular season record is better, Lasorda won the All Star games he managed, he was 2-2 in W’s and also won the Gold medal for our country as a manager. Maybe if Drrrr wins the WS’s this year i’ll start showing some appreciation for him, but as we sit now he’s not even the Dodger’s best all time manager let a lone the “All time’ as you suggest.

          4. Please provide evidence of the Dodgers “buying” the best players this season. I’ll wait. In fact, I’ll give you a head start.

            SMITH: Homegrown
            BARNES: Trade
            MUNCY: Minor league deal
            T. TURNER: Trade (for home grown players)
            SEAGER: Homegrown
            J. TURNER: Minor league Deal
            BETTS: Trade (for home grown players)
            BELLINGER: Homegrown
            TAYLOR: Trade for minor leaguer
            POLLOCK: FA
            BEATY: Homegrown
            PUJOLS: League minimum (thanks, Angels)
            LUX: Homegrown
            SOUZA: Minor league deal
            RALEY: Homegrown/Trade to get back
            URIAS: Homegrown
            BUEHLER: Homegrown
            KERSHAW: Homegrown
            SCHERZER: Trade (for home grown players)
            GONSOLIN: Homegrown
            JANSEN: Homegrown
            TREINEN: FA
            KELLY: FA
            VESIA: Trade
            KNEBEL: Trade
            BICKFORD: Waiver claim
            GRATEROL: Trade
            PRICE: Trade (for home grown players)
            MAY: Homegrown
            BAUER: The one expensive FA who ended up pitching half a season

          5. Kirk,

            Totally agree with your posts on Roberts. Lasorda, Alston, never had this type of roster. Had they, one can only imagine how they would have navigated their in-game decisions. It is the in-game decisions that knock Roberts down to an average manager. I noticed you mentioned Melvin as ‘manager’. I’d love to see Mike Scioscia as the next LA manager. If the Dodgers don’t come away with a WS ring this year, I’d find it odd that Roberts keeps his job. I love Roberts as a person, in my opinion, he is just not a good ‘in-game’ decision maker, and there have been countless articles written to that fact.

          6. Yeah Doug Drrrrr’s a good man and he deserves credit for keeping the team united but I agree, and Scocia would be a great choice. I think Melvin could get every ounce of talent out of any player like he does EVERY year with the A’s. It’s unbelievable how competitive the A’s are every year with a 35 million dollar pay roll. If he get’s the Dodgers bank and his judgement of talent, it would be incredible to see what he could do. I watch the A’s a lot and he knows when to get a pitcher, plays hit and run ,bunts plays fundamental baseball. He is in the games and pushes the team to the end. He’d be that mix of small ball that the team would thrive with…..

        2. I’m not concerned about the pitching with Scherzer and the BP, but whether the offense shows up or not. In this case it’s the offensive approach that will decide this series. If they don’t lay an egg, Dodgers can end the Giant’s sesson at the end of Tuesday’s game.

  2. By the numbers, the lineup looks optimal. Barnes numbers here a compatible giving Smith a blow for game 4. The ball is in Mad Max’s hand…Go Dodgers!

    1. Barnes is better defensively; but Smith is not exactly a slouch behind the plate. He is on the plus side for WAR defensively. His bat is a force, though. We need him there unless we get a big lead. Then we can think about setting him down.

      1. Wayne, we all know Smith is an absolute beast with the stick. But there is no way in heck he anything more than a below average defender! He has had several monster moments at the plate…none behind it!

      2. Smith’s defensive stats are almost identical to Barnes and his offensive numbers are ridiculously better. Smith and Posey tied for the highest WAR among catchers in the NL and Posey had a higher OPS+. What does that tell you? Playing Smith – especially with Muncy out of the lineup – is a no brainer. You don’t sit arguably the best catcher in baseball for a backup hitting .215.

        1. Bum4ever, could you post a link to the defensive metrics? I’ve seen every damn game all year and it just doesn’t seem possible to me. It doesn’t pass the eye-ball test for me.

          On another note, Joctober Pederson rockin his pearls went deep again for all the Bravo’s runs today. That makes 10 postseason HR’s for the kid. He is 8th all time in postseason slugging! Ruth 1st, Gehrig 2, Pujols 6th. Pretty damn impressive for a career .230 hitter! Some dudes just get it done in October. Joc and my fav Kike were 2 huge FO blunders!!

          You just don’t let PROVEN POSTSEASON players get away. There just ain’t that many of them!!!

          1. I understand the eyeball test and you’re correct about pass balls but total stats tell a different story. As an IT guy for 40 years and baseball fan (always Dodgers) for 50, I’m a stats junkie. I analyze a lot of numbers – many with spreadsheets – and use this link: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/smithwi05.shtml as a source for most of the data on Smith.

          2. But again both Joc and alike wanted sure starting jobs and knew the Dodgers couldn’t or perhaps would not guarantee that. Platooning and coming off the bench did not appeal to them so that’s why they went elsewhere. Do I wish we had them for this year’s post season? Of course but it’s too late now.

        2. Bum4ever, don’t know what stats you’re looking at. Smith is 5th highest in mlb in passed balls and #1 in steals allowed by a wide margin! That’s a good defensive catcher? Not in my book! But I love his bat!

          1. Dodgerfan4life…..

            Are you sure you are not Dave Roberts, using an AKA????

            I say that with love! lol

        3. But then again Bum, Taylor wins the Wild card game with a big hit which had to be incredible for his confidence and coming out of his funk, and he sits for game one against the Vagiants. No brainer’s aren’t in Drrr’s make up…..

          1. Doug, good one! You made me laugh. But I bet I know more about the team than most here.

          2. I found not starting CT3 in game one rather strange myself. But what really hurts is seeing the Dodgers get shut out in 2 of these first 3 games. I said before as the offense goes, so go the Dodgers chances of winning. It’s hard to accept that Tuesday’s game could be the very last game for the Dodgers this year but wss.

  3. That ship has sailed. If we loose tonight, Roberts will be fired and we will have to focus on next year. Who knows what will happen next year.

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