WEBVTT - Dave Roberts (9-4-26) 

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<v Speaker 1>And now, an exclusive interview with David Basset for Dodger Talk.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, it is that time of the week. We

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<v Speaker 1>get to check in with Dave Roberts, the manager's meeting

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<v Speaker 1>presented by Downey Hyundai. Dave, thanks a lot for the

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<v Speaker 1>time and certainly good to talk to you after a

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<v Speaker 1>much-needed win last night.

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<v Speaker 2>Last night was good. You know, Tao's been grinding, as

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<v Speaker 2>we all know, and the last couple, that series actually

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<v Speaker 2>swung the bat really well and he came with that

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<v Speaker 2>big hit that we needed. So hopefully, you know, that'll

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<v Speaker 2>free some guys up and, you know, we can build

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<v Speaker 2>on the momentum from last night.

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<v Speaker 1>Teo seems to be one of those guys that if

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<v Speaker 1>you get him thinking too much about the mechanics, the

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<v Speaker 1>strike zone, it doesn't seem like it works as much

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<v Speaker 1>as him playing with joy. And it feels like the

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<v Speaker 1>last week he's played with a lot of joy.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it's funny. I was with a guy today at

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<v Speaker 2>lunch and we were talking about Teo's hit and joy

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<v Speaker 2>is the word that came up. He's an energy giver.

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<v Speaker 2>He's a great teammate. The sunflower seeds. As he scuffles,

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<v Speaker 2>that joy sort of gets sucked out of him. To

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<v Speaker 2>your point of just kind of see ball, hit ball,

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<v Speaker 2>go out there and compete, things have fallen and lined

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<v Speaker 2>up for him. When he's producing and performing, that joy

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<v Speaker 2>you felt in the clubhouse or in the dugout last night.

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<v Speaker 1>We haven't talked about this before either, but Is it

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<v Speaker 1>fair to say you don't get this all-star version of

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<v Speaker 1>Andy Pajes without Teoscar Hernandez being there with him the

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<v Speaker 1>last couple of years?

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<v Speaker 2>Without a doubt. Without a doubt. You know, in baseball,

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<v Speaker 2>we have teammates. In life and in business, they have mentors.

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<v Speaker 2>With Teo and Andy, it's a familial, like a family situation.

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<v Speaker 2>It's a big brother to little brother situation. And, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>they go to lunch together. They ride the bus together.

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<v Speaker 2>They talk together at each other's lockers. And I do

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<v Speaker 2>think that Andy having Teo around to kind of show

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<v Speaker 2>him the ropes, love on him, support him, challenge him

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<v Speaker 2>at times has certainly, you know, led to Andy being

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<v Speaker 2>a first-time All-Star.

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<v Speaker 1>Speaking of Andy Pahez, your hitting coach, Aaron Bates, told

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<v Speaker 1>me the other day that Andy's going around telling you

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<v Speaker 1>guys that he's pain-free and he may be swinging a

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<v Speaker 1>bat soon. I guess that's encouraging.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, that is encouraging. All bones still take four weeks,

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<v Speaker 2>six weeks to heal or whatever. But I was giving

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<v Speaker 2>him some grief yesterday about getting his spikes on, swinging

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<v Speaker 2>a bat, getting in there. And he said, only one

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<v Speaker 2>more week. But the trainer gave me the matumbo and said,

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<v Speaker 2>that is not true. So it is going to be

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<v Speaker 2>sooner than I think people expect. Maybe not as soon

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<v Speaker 2>as Andy expects, but you can see, I mean, not

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<v Speaker 2>having his bat in there, it affects our club.

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<v Speaker 1>That's the voice of the manager, Dave Roberts, presented by

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<v Speaker 1>Downey Hyundai, our weekly manager's meeting. And today, for the

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<v Speaker 1>second straight game, you don't have Shohei Otani in the

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<v Speaker 1>starting lineup. Where is this headed? I know you might

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<v Speaker 1>be getting tired of answering Otani questions, but he's a

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<v Speaker 1>big piece of your lineup, and where is this going?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I absolutely get the questions. I think right now,

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<v Speaker 2>I think the easy answer is it's day to day. Um,

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<v Speaker 2>I do know that once we hit the three days

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<v Speaker 2>of inactivity, there are days that you can't get back

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<v Speaker 2>as far as backdating. Um, so we'll have to make

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<v Speaker 2>a decision on that fourth day, but right now, yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>yesterday down today down. And, um, again, I haven't seen

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<v Speaker 2>him today, so, uh, we'll see how tomorrow goes, but, uh, Yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>it's more of a read and react thing. But, yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, I hope to avoid the I.O., but if

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<v Speaker 2>that's what's best for Shohei, that's what we're going to do.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and Tommy Edmonds certainly has done a nice job

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<v Speaker 1>filling in wherever you need him. When it comes to Otani,

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<v Speaker 1>I know you have the best relationship with him, but

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<v Speaker 1>even at that level, how honest do you think you

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<v Speaker 1>can get the feedback from him about how his right

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<v Speaker 1>side is feeling?

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<v Speaker 2>Um, yeah, you know, I, I think that, and I

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<v Speaker 2>think that you mentioned it the other day in the

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<v Speaker 2>scrum about my dealings with Clayton and great players that,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, even when they're not a hundred percent, uh,

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<v Speaker 2>they want to be the guy they want to go

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<v Speaker 2>out there. And then sometimes they might not disclose how

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<v Speaker 2>hurt they are. Uh, show he's certainly in that bucket. Um,

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<v Speaker 2>I can tell, you know, when he gets more irritable

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<v Speaker 2>for show, Hey, then he's not feeling well. Um, I

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<v Speaker 2>do have a good relationship with him. Um, Yeah, and

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<v Speaker 2>I do think that we've kind of taken his thoughts

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<v Speaker 2>and opinions and kind of mixed with the training staff

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<v Speaker 2>and medical and coaches as well. But, you know, this

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<v Speaker 2>is a time right now we just have no margin

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<v Speaker 2>as we sit here in September to potentially compromise the postseason. So, again,

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<v Speaker 2>whatever we can do in the short term to get

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<v Speaker 2>him ready for October is what we're going to do.

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<v Speaker 1>And another player that looks at you as a father

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<v Speaker 1>figure is the guy starting tonight, Blake Snell, Snellzilla, on

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<v Speaker 1>a Friday. I mean, it seems like you're the one guy,

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<v Speaker 1>and he seems to be, he reminds me of Shaquille

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<v Speaker 1>O'Neal in the respect where he has so much respect

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<v Speaker 1>for authority. And that's kind of a military background type

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<v Speaker 1>of thing. I know his dad was not in the military,

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<v Speaker 1>but it reminds me of that. Is that the relationship

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<v Speaker 1>you feel? I mean, he really does respect your authority.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, it's good to hear, and I think that is true.

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<v Speaker 2>I think what Blake, like most players, want to hear

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<v Speaker 2>is honesty, and I think that we've had some tough

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<v Speaker 2>conversations as far as in the last couple years about

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<v Speaker 2>what he expects from himself, what I expect, what the

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<v Speaker 2>team expects, and challenge him. I think he likes to

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<v Speaker 2>be challenged, but knowing all the while that we're here,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm here to support him. Um, so I think that we,

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<v Speaker 2>we are as close as you can get. And, um,

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<v Speaker 2>like I said, when he first came back, he's on

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<v Speaker 2>a mission and, um, I've had him for two years,

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<v Speaker 2>but this look that he's got right now, uh, is

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<v Speaker 2>as good as I've seen.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you love when you challenge a player that he

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<v Speaker 1>responds and reminds you that he answered that challenge?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I do. I do. Because I think, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>when you're trying to win 11 games in October, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>all players are going to say they want to be challenged.

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<v Speaker 2>They want to be, uh, you know, spoken to and honestly, right?

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<v Speaker 2>But the ones that say that and you challenge them

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<v Speaker 2>and they don't respond back with performance, then you know

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<v Speaker 2>what you got. And so fortunately for me, we got

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of players that answer the bell when they

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<v Speaker 2>are challenged.

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<v Speaker 1>Before I go, obvious question, Freddie Freeman, not in the

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<v Speaker 1>starting lineup, just one of those, hey, Freddie, you got

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<v Speaker 1>to sit down for a day.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, so I'm giving him a day. If you talk

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<v Speaker 2>to Freddie, he's saying he's getting benched. You know, We

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<v Speaker 2>lean on Freddie so much, and long road trip, off day,

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<v Speaker 2>and then I just saw last night he was gassed.

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<v Speaker 2>So before his tank is completely empty, I just thought

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<v Speaker 2>it would be smart to give him tonight off.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, that's why he's the manager. That's why he's won

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<v Speaker 1>three World Series with the Dodgers. Thanks a lot for

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<v Speaker 1>the time. It's always great to catch up with you,

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<v Speaker 1>and we'll do it again maybe in South Beach next week.

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<v Speaker 2>I'll see you in South Beach, Dave. You're the best.