Dodgers: Padres ‘Outplayed Us,” Says Dave Roberts, but There’s More to it Than That
The Dodgers lost 3 of 4 to the Padres this past weekend and did so in spectacularly frustrating fashion. In Sunday’s heartbreaker loss, Dodger hitters left a total of 42 (!!!!!) runners on base while blowing a 6 run lead over the Friars. That level of ineptitude takes if from tip your cap to them to maybe we need to be looking inward at what this LA ballclub is made of.
Look, we all want to put the Padres series behind us, but it exposed some big issues and weaknesses for the Dodgers.
“They outplayed us,” Dave Roberts said after the loss. “All the games were close but yeah, seven games, they outplayed us. That’s baseball. We’ve got to regroup and get ready for the Reds.”
Certainly, in the early goings, San Diego has looked like the better team. But I personally do not agree with the idea that their success against LA is exclusively because they’ve outplayed them.
For the Dodgers, the starting pitching has been there, but the bullpen has left much to be desired. Dodger batters are, for the most part, fine at getting on base, but have been snake-bit-to-downright-bad at driving home runners. The bench has been awful filling in for injured regulars like Cody Bellinger and Gavin Lux.
And, now saddled once again with National League rules and no universal DH, Dave Roberts is back showing his inability to pull the right strings at the right times. The biggest example from Sunday being that Doc burned his bench early and was forced to bat Clayton Kershaw with the bases loaded and one out in the 10th inning.
Unsurprisingly, Dave liked Clayton in that spot right there.
Kershaw — who, reminder, didn’t face a single pitcher last season thanks to the DH — also unsurprisingly struck out.
The Padres outplayed the Dodgers, sure. But Jayce Tingler way outmanaged Dave Roberts. On Sunday and over the series in LA.
NEXT: Roberts Thinks His Pitchers Need to Hold Baserunners Better
All very true about this team and Roberts. But the MLBPA should haver NEVER agreed to play this year without the DH in the NL. It would not have been so bad what with having at least some sort of expanded PS. But I also knew it was only a matter of time that because of no DH, that Roberts would use up his pathetic bench to begin with early. Bottom line correct on both counts. Dodgers were out played and Roberts was out managed. The vulnerabilities of this team have been exposed for all other teams to see and thus exploit.
Both teams are playing with same limitations. Lack of DH isn’t the problem.
In the Dodgers case it is. Because of having no DH, Roberts inability to manage the BP and other in game decisions are being exploited. The problem is in part the team has 1 less hitter in the lineup and a big example of Roberts mis managing was seen in Sunday’s game when he had to use Kershaw to PH with bases full, because the bench was used up early and this isn’t the first time that has happened. Betts has only about 4 RBI’s as a result of the pitcher batting before him an the bottom part of lineup being very inept.
Maybe Betts shouldn’t be leading off, If he is not getting the RBI’s he should be getting.
The big money guys are paid to get those RBI’s and they don’t usually bat first, 3 or 4 is where they used to bat.
Betts is smaller than acuna or tatis, and his production window is also smaller, the Dodgers way over paid for him and he is is going to bite them in the rear end in the future.
And the fact Betts is not producing, even he is leaving a lot people on base.
It is not the lack of DH, as you stated, it is the problem of Roberts managing and Friedman believing he is better than he really is.
They could have gotten a very reliever and and very good every day RH bat for what paid for Bauer, and maybe more. Not saying Bauer is bad but he only contributes something every five days.
For players getting over 30 or 40 million a year we have every right to expect more.
Remind us of how many WS winning teams you’ve managed…
One thing is for sure. The pitchers need to hold runners on! Man! Take a half step away and at least TWO of those base stealers would have been thrown out over the weekend. And there may have been a couple fewer attempts. Not rocket science. And — hmmm — this is a puzzle. Luke Raley is not very fast. BUT HE BEAT OUT A BUNT!!! Not rocket science here, either. He went against the shift. Some of our other lefties should be doing that..We should be doing that frequently. Easy Peasy .Just get it past the pitcher’s path and you got it! When the shortstop has to run 60 feet to pick up the ball; he ain’t gonna throw you out. Need some small ball right now!
Unfortunately, the Dodger’s ego will not allow them to bunt the ball. It’s either a HR, SO or grounder into the shift.
I definitely agree with you, Ed!!!! The whole left side is open every time a left handed hitter is up but nobody hits to the ball that way, no hints, nothing!!!
They have such a ridiculous EGO!!! Isn’t Roberts supposed to be the BOSS? The MANAGER? Where is Tom Lasorda’s guts? They don’t have them!!!
RISP!!!!!!!!!!! Yep, Friedman’s computers say “Home run”, when it should say “choke up and put the ball into play”.
I usually defend Roberts, but there are some points that are manager related. 1. He definitely screwed up by pinch hitting for Neuse with Rios, a debatable move at raw value, but terrible move when it used up the last guy on the bench. Most likely that move cost them the game. 2. The running game is killing them, both their own propensity for running into outs on the bases, and how teams are stealing bases off them at will. Maybe a pitch out here and there might give them some pause, whatever, they have to figure out something because it is killing them. 3. Switch Seager and Muncy in the batting order. Muncy is the most patient hitter in baseball, Seager the most impatient hitter in baseball. Dodgers leaving men on base in absurd bunches. Better to get the walk first, then the double, then the other way around. Muncy walking at a ridiculous rate is great, but by definition, the clean up hitter is there to clean up, not set up.
Another way Roberts got outmanaged was how he kept using the shift even though the Padres hitters kept beating it by going opposite field.
MLB should stay away from making rules re how a team can position it’s players, that’s stupid! Let hitters hit oppo and the situation will fix itself.
No Dave; the Padres didn’t outplay the Dodgers. YOU OUTSMARTED YOURSELF ONCE AGAIN! Coaching lost this series.
Good thing Mookie led the Dodgers to a World Series win last year, because as long as Roberts is here, they won’t win another one.
Right a 22-year wrong; bring back Scioscia!
Yeah, bring back a REAL MANAGER, SCIOSCIA!!! He is the closest manager to Tom Lasorda’s way of managing!!! He will teach these Dodgers how to play the game and play it with guts!!!!
Dodgers better gird up. Padres are REAL, and they mean business. That 60 game world series championship don’t mean crap to the Padres, Wake the f*** up Dodgers, your being hunted down.
You’re*
Are u sure it doesn’t mean anything because they sure looked like they were trying to win it last year and seemed pretty upset when they got swept
When will anyone.. just admit Roberts is a loser.. and has accounted for many losses.. and still is… get rid of this losser.. ever goffy from disneyland could do a much better job.. can this loser!!
Is “goffy from Disneyland” Jared Goff?! LOL
DR WAS OUTMANGED AND DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO LEARN FROM GOOD MANGERS
UNLESS DR IS GONE NO WIN. HE MISSES MANY CHANCES TO BUNT. FURE HIS AS—- FRUDMAN
Being outmanged is not such a terrible thing. I hear mange is pretty hard to get rid of, but then you would probably know better.
The one decision (aside from many others) that really gave that game up was the decision to pitch to Hosmer. He is one of the best contact hitter in the league…and there was a base open! I just don’t know what he’s thinking.
I never liked the DH and never will. In the American League it’s created a larger distance between the haves and the have nots. It’s screwed up statistics and given the AL teams a huge advantage – the equalizer would be for the NL teams to get an extra roster spot.
As far as Roberts, he’s never been a good game general. I also continually see players come out of the bullpen and are not ready to go in and throw strikes. Maybe we need a rule that if a bullpen pitcher walks the first batter he faces we trade him immediately.
The third area is the base running has been terrible. Dino may be a great guy but he’s terrible at managing the runners.
You would have no BP in no time.
Agree with many of the comments…
But please explain how the Dodgers left 42 men on base…
A team can only leave 3 men on base each inning…game was 11 innings…3×11=33 would be max if left bases loaded every inning.
Or do you mean something else…like runners left in scoring position via all batters…..
Yes, it was the running total left by each batter. I attempted to make that clearer, but I get the first instinct to think the more traditional way.
Jayce tingler was also forced to pinch hit Ryan weathers because he used his bench. How was this a better managerial move?
Where did you get the number of 42 men left on base in one game?! Think about it. It is entirely impossible to leave 42 on base in a 10-inning game. That would be an average of FOUR an inning.
They left 18 on base. That is still a terrible number. But please use your head.
Dodgers hitters left that many runners on. As in total by each batter. It’s not the traditional LOB you’re used to, but it is accurate.
Mookie left 6, Seager 3, Taylor 4, Kershaw 3, Raley 7, Peters 5, Barnes 7, May 3, Rios 3.
Use your head and go check mlb dot com if you want to confirm the way that website has it listed in the boxscore.
Have to agree with the comments below. If you’re forced to bat Kershaw why not have him bunt. Why bat Rios instead of Neuse and how many games are you going to blow before you insist on pitchers holding runners.
Anyone else in favor of optioning Rios and bringing up Ruiz at least until we get Zach and Cody back?
Oh, pardon me. My mistake