Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Not Paying Attention to the Noise Surrounding His Name
You have to give this to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts: He still takes Bill Plaschke’s calls, for some reason.
In Plaschke’s latest column, he actually places the blame for L.A.’s NLDS loss to the Padres in the correct place: on the players who failed to execute. Of course, he still throws barbs at Roberts and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.
Roberts had a lousy seventh inning in the deciding Game 4 and still needs more dugout help. Friedman failed to acquire a starting pitcher during a summer trade deadline debacle and needs to rethink his clubhouse culture.
Funny, I don’t remember Roberts allowing a single baserunner in that seventh inning, nor do I remember the starting pitching Plaschke is so upset about being even remotely the issue in this series. But why let the facts get in the way of a petulant narrative, right?
But Plaschke does eventually get to the fact that the Dodgers’ offense just didn’t show up in the series, and while he paints it more as a moral failing than a logical human being would do — “indifferent bats,” “didn’t show the necessary fire,” Mookie Betts is paid well and he “needs to start acting like it” — he at least understands that this series was lost on the field, not in the dugout or the front office.
Still, people are clamoring for Roberts to be fired, which isn’t going to happen, and Plaschke asked Doc about all that noise.
“Honestly, I really have not paid attention to it,” Roberts said in a phone interview Tuesday. “What I do know, there was a lot of work and preparation and thought that went into giving the players the best chance for success.”
That’s all a manager or front office can really do. Some might think the Dodgers didn’t show enough fire or passion, but fire and passion don’t get hits. A businesslike two-run double from Freeman got the Dodgers on the board on Saturday, and a few more of those over the last three games of the series would have created a much different result, passion or not. Would Will Smith’s sacrifice fly have been a three-run double if he were more animated? Doesn’t seem likely.
Roberts did his job, and the players tried their best to do theirs. They got outplayed, and while there are plenty of lessons to learn from that, it’s not a moral failure on the part of the players or a managing failure on the part of the manager. It’s two good teams and one winner.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, live streams, and more!
Leave Anderson in. Use Kershaw better (previous playoffs). Manage each game, not your lineup card. He needs to go.
He definitely needs to GO! Regarding the lineup card, Freeman should have been Cleanup!!
Game 4 was lost thanks to Roberto removing Tyler Anderson from the game. I hope they fired his ass
Dave Roberts pulled out Tyler Anderson too soon t something he does way too often. He needs to give his starting pitchers more leeway. A wasted year of talent.
Yes he did! This is one of his standing formulas!! A true waste of talent that goes unrewarded!! How many past players should have walked away with a WS Ring?? He couldn’t even pull it together for Vin’s last year. Post season is not the place for this guy!!!
Roberts should have benched Belli and CT3 and played Outman and Vargas. They were almost automatic outs.
Excellent fair analysis above that there are two good teams and one won, while one lost.
The Dodgers ran out of energy in September. Some players are getting older. Some have injuries. Bellinger has to leave the team before Spring as he has made a conscious decision not to play with hungry small ball passion at the plate.
The Padres turned it up in postseason after not always playing with full intensity during the 162. I would have kept Kimbrel on the postseason roster because of his experience. He may have stepped up without feeling intimidated. The Dodgers are built to crush a 162 game season, but not necessarily are structured to crank it to the sky in short playoff bursts.
There needs to be a petition created to fire Fraudberts.
Roberts is great at being oblivious to his surroundings and ignoring blaring problems just more Dave being Dave. The longer Fraudman continues to try the same thing and expect a different result the better our opponents become and the longer it will be until we have a championship! I hope Magic Johnson and other members of the organization step in and turn this thing around!
RS, the Ownership really does need to step to at least review the Situation! The manager is being outmanaged by opposing managers. One person is wielding too much power running the team. Accountable to himself!! Changes will definitely be made. It will not matter if the manager is still the Same!!
Are the players the main reason the Dodgers didn’t win? Absolutely. But the move that Roberts made in the seventh game to remove Tyler Anderson is a big reason the Dodgers did not win as Roberts went to the bull pen early and one of his pitchers didn’t have it together. The problem is easy to figure out the more times you go to the bull pen the more opportunities you have to have one of your pitchers not pitching up to expectations. The fact that Roberts isn’t paying attention to the noise around him is based on his belief that he can’t do any wrong, it’s his ego!
Donald, The players are one of the reasons this playoff series wasn’t won! A single fielding misplay was catastrophic!! Still the team could have rebound! Agree with you that the Anderson removal was a Huge reason the game was not Won! Your point is Solid regarding too much dependency on the Bullpen!! Your Final Fact is dead On. Roberts’ head has swelled up so much, he Guaranteed a world series championship!! Now he’s back in L.A. . . . . Oh San Diego watching the Padrers??!! Even the loyalty is Lacking!!!
The Dodgers have a pretty impressive record with Dave Roberts as manager, including 111 wins this past year. Sure we are disappointed at the end result, but what a wonderful year. Dave has nothing to be ashamed about.
Rah rah! Thanks Sherry!
Should have kept Outman when he first came up and played him in the outfield and Vargas more at third. Demoted both Taylor and Bellinger to triple a, until they started hitting better. when a pitcher is pitching well leave him in as long as possible. Bullpen games do not work out very often. Whatever happened to the time when pitchers pitched 7,8&9 innings a game? 300 and more innings a year. Is pitching pitchers fewer innings hurting or helping them? What is the real reason there are so many arm and back and shoulder problems??? To many players are rested when they don’t want or need to!
I mean to says everything just by the title of the article Fraudberts WONT be removed. The owners of this successful franchise don’t care what the fans think or say. Unless we STOP buying tickets & not going to the ball park.
Horrible write up. 2 Great teams 1 winner? Padres were 22 games behind the Dodgers. Bases Loaded and he benches Belinger for Barnes a .212 hitter. Bellinger has a game saving catch and is rewarded by beaing benched for the back up catcher in a must hit situation..Belinger was mafe for that moment! All of the 4 teams remaining their starters are going 7. Toberts once again gies 5 for every starter no matter what except Gonsolin that went 1 1/3. DUSTIN MAY… Never made an appearance at all. Wasted roster spots for Gallo and Vasquez. Thst could have been a fresh arm.. Yes waaaay too many left on bases especially in scoring position. That is on the hitters but the vibe momentum and game mind set is on Roberts.
I’m sure he will never “MAN UP” nor grow a pair. Must be nice to say whatever the hell you want and still paid well and have a job, as long as its defending the players and give a participation award every time they strike out.
To not hold Roberts responsible, at least in part, is turning a blind eye. The Dodgers success over the past seven seasons has happened despite Roberts, not because of him. He has demonstrated, quite clearly, he can’t effectively manage a pitching staff or bullpen and that becomes painfully obvious in the postseason. No, the Dodgers are not going to fire Roberts. They will continue to be dominant in the west; no matter what the Giants or Padres do. Unfortunately, though, they aren’t winning it all with Roberts had the helm and the current coaching staff in place.
The criticism of Roberts’ bullpen decisions in the 7th is warranted as that inning clearly got away from him. The decision to pull Anderson after 5 set up the 7th inning implosion but isn’t the cause of it.. Roberts has to own that inning which coat them the game although certainly not the series. Running Kahnle out there on a back to back to begin the 7th could only be done if he was willing to bring in Phillips immediately if things didn’t go as planned.. once Kahnle blew up the ONLY move is to bring in Phillips to preserve the lead.. the decision to bring in Almonte then Vessia is indefensible with Phillips available to pitch.. using Phillips down 5-3 to pitch the 8th instead speaks to Plasche’s point.. Roberts is too often given a pass for his head scratching bullpen decisions especially in the postseason.. he is also given too much of the blame as well.. this series was lost primarily because of the offensive ineptitude which put the onus even more on Roberts to manage the pen well.. and like many series in the Postseason he failed to do that.. again. Its understandable people are upset with him.. how could they not be?
Love Dave Roberts but he’s no manager!
He should have lost that job years ago!!!
His decisions and coaching is not at MLB level
I’ve played coached and watched baseball for 55 yrs. I’ve never seen an organization coddle a coach like this! maybe that’s the problem?
Someone needs to take control over this organization!