Dodgers live with high expectations, Dave Roberts says — ‘That’s part of it’
LOS ANGELES — Apparently, the sky is not falling.
A payroll of nearly $400 million and the best start (8-0) ever by a defending World Series champion was followed up by a 2-4 road trip and, two days later, the worst home shutout loss in franchise history. It’s a combination that produced boos from the home crowd during the Chicago Cubs’ five-run sixth inning Saturday night and questions Sunday for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts about team meetings and ways to course-correct.
All of this with an 11-5 record.
“No. I’m the only one. I’m 1 of 1 right now,” Roberts said when asked if any other manager would get those same questions while sitting with an 11-5 record. “That’s part of it. But we have a good team. We have a great fan base who care, who are knowledgeable and want to win – just like we do.”
As for the grumbling during Saturday’s 16-0 loss, Roberts said the fans were justified in being displeased.
“Hey, they should’ve got on us. We got our butts kicked,” he said. “They had every right to get on us last night.”
High expectations are nothing new to the Dodgers, Roberts acknowledged.
“I do think that we feel certain expectations,” he said Sunday. “Perfection is certainly hard to – we’ve already passed that, right? – by losing some baseball games. I don’t know. I don’t think we pay too much mind to that. We’ve still got a good ballclub. Nothing’s changed on that front.”
COMIC RELIEF
During his two innings as a pitcher in Saturday’s blowout defeat, Miguel Rojas imitated the deliveries and mannerisms of some Dodgers’ pitchers – Roki Sasaki, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Landon Knack and Clayton Kershaw.
His teammates got an obvious kick out of Rojas’ impersonations and could be seen laughing in the dugout despite the lopsided score. Some fans didn’t appreciate the comedy in the midst of the worst home shutout loss in franchise history and expressed themselves on the post-game radio show.
Roberts gave Rojas’ antics a modest endorsement after the game.
“I guess a little bit of levity in a game like that is certainly helpful,” Roberts said. “It just shows he watches the game.”
FREE DAY
After coming off the Injured List and playing back-to-back games Friday and Saturday, Freddie Freeman was not in the Dodgers’ lineup for Sunday’s game. It was a “planned off day,” Roberts said. Freeman was going to get either Sunday or Monday off.
“I wasn’t going to play him six in a row (fresh off the IL),” Roberts said.
Freeman has played just five of the Dodgers’ first 17 games, missing time with a re-aggravated rib injury and a re-injured ankle that underwent surgery last fall. He is just 4 for 18 (.222), including 1 for 6 with three strikeouts since coming off the IL.
“It’s been difficult,” Roberts said. “Freddie is wired very routine(-oriented), kind of linear in the way he thinks. Being hurt, the start-stop, the IL – certainly not ideal for him, or for anyone. But he’ll get there.
“It’s not perfect, his ankle. It’s sort of a new normal, in my opinion. I just feel he’s going to have to calibrate the new normal for his ankle. But with that – he’ll figure it out. He’s going to throw out a lot of hits.”
UP NEXT
Rockies (RHP Antonio Senzatela, 0-2, 5.14 ERA) at Dodgers (RHP Dustin May, 0-1, 0.82 ERA), Sunday 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM