Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts knows that his team has left more to be desired than what they have shown since July.
LA’s record of 25-27 since July 1 isn’t quite reminiscent of being the defending champions of the baseball world, especially given the fact that the San Diego Padres are 31-22 in that same span. With a divisional lead that was as big as nine games (and as recent as July 3), Roberts spoke on the mindset his team must have for this final month of regular season play.
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“I hate going backward and talking about last year, but when you’re playing a long season, you’re defending champions, people are coming after you, which we know and understand,” Roberts said before Sunday’s win. “It’s just hard to keep that dialed in focus every single night. That’s just reality. That’s human nature.
“It’s not from lack of preparation or effort. It’s just kind of the human part of it. But there has to be a point where that has to be sharpened. And that’s where I feel the time is now.”
The sharpness has seemingly come and gone at will during the month of August, opening things up with a shaky 5-7 record before sweeping the Padres at home. The sweep was followed by splitting a series with the bottom-feeding Colorado Rockies, and losing a pair of games to the Friars.
The response was a four-game winning streak, taking the final game in San Diego and sweeping the Cincinnati Reds, but ended the month losing two games against the 70-loss Arizona Diamondbacks, needing a pinch-hit walk-off home run by Will Smith to avoid blowing a 4-1 lead and getting swept on Sunday.
Injuries have certainly played a major role in the inconsistencies surrounding the defending champions, but the Dodgers have shown far too many times how dominant they can be without being at full strength. With many key players looking to make a return before the postseason, there will be less and less excuses for the Dodgers during the most important stretch of 2025.
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Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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3 Responses
“Clear message”? Where? This is as clear as mud with tired cliches and a word salad amounting to nothing. This team and this lineup was 50-31 with 3 opening day starter pitchers out for most of the first half. As they’ve slowly been getting healthier, they are playing worse, not better. 28-28 since then, and hovering sub .500 for most of this time. Roberts seems to have lost the players as they aren’t listening and not responding. But, hey, keep saying the same things. Pathetic. Get it going guys!
Dodgers have alot of good players but it seems like they are really not playing as a team to many bad decisions are being made I think my little league teams at times look better than they do they need to get there heads together and figure out if they just want to give up or start playing like they know they can
Dodger fan since 1980. I think Dave Roberts is just to much of a nice guy. Needs to separate his feelings as a friend. Instead open a can of woop ass. Everyone is swinging for the fence.. Stop trying to be the hero and play some small ball. Let’s Go Dodgers!