WEBVTT - Dave Roberts (5-18-26) 

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

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<v Speaker 1>It's the Dodgers and Padres. That's enough said right there,

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<v Speaker 1>and we're with three time World Series winning manager Dave

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<v Speaker 1>Roberts in the office. Dave, thanks a lot for the time,

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<v Speaker 1>and this is going to be exciting.

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<v Speaker 2>It's gonna be fun. You know, these guys obviously a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of talent over there, and geography lends yourself to

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<v Speaker 2>a rivalry. Certainly their play, our play lends yourself to

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<v Speaker 2>a rivalry in the last handful of years. So it's

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<v Speaker 2>gonna be a fun, hopefully not too eventful series, but

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<v Speaker 2>it's gonna be good baseball.

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<v Speaker 1>You were asked yesterday whether or not the Padres being

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<v Speaker 1>as good as they've been has helped push you guys

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<v Speaker 1>during the regular season. Do you feel like every great

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<v Speaker 1>team needs that. The Yankees had the Red Sox over

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<v Speaker 1>the course of their time. Do you feel like the

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<v Speaker 1>Padres are that for the Dodgers.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, I think if you look at recent history, yes,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, you know, you're talking about rivalries and what fans,

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<v Speaker 2>what media look towards, and yeah, I do think that

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<v Speaker 2>good teams make you better, and so you know, not

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<v Speaker 2>even close to comparing it to the Lakers Celtics. But

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<v Speaker 2>when you have a team that is a rival, a nemesis,

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<v Speaker 2>whatever you want to kind of say, it does bring

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<v Speaker 2>out the best in you.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you get excited for these type of series?

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<v Speaker 2>I do. I do, but you know, I also try

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<v Speaker 2>to manage my emotions a little bit more going into it.

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<v Speaker 2>It always hasn't played out on the field, but I

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<v Speaker 2>think that I know that the intensity is going to

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<v Speaker 2>be there organically, so I try not to get too

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<v Speaker 2>hyped up.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, Dave Roberts has survey what seven padres managers over

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<v Speaker 1>the course of your time managing the Dodgers.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it's crazy, you know, but they still got their

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<v Speaker 2>core of you know, their position players. But there's been

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<v Speaker 2>some turnover over there and now new ownership. But it's

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<v Speaker 2>a fun place to come play a ball game, certainly

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<v Speaker 2>if you're the Dodgers, and you know, they do everything

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<v Speaker 2>they can to kind of keep our fans from attending

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<v Speaker 2>down here because it is and has been pet Coo

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<v Speaker 2>South or Dodger Stadium South, but we still get represented

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<v Speaker 2>pretty well down here.

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<v Speaker 1>What's it like for Dave Roberts in your neighborhood I

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<v Speaker 1>know whenever the Padres are that one time the Padres

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<v Speaker 1>beat the Dodgers in the postseason, you would get stop

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<v Speaker 1>walking your dog? Do you do you get left alone

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<v Speaker 1>these days?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it's dissipated recently, which is great for me. It's

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<v Speaker 2>it's tough living down here in the offseason, and I

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<v Speaker 2>take my fair share of riving, but it's quieted down,

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<v Speaker 2>which is a good thing for me.

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<v Speaker 1>Five game winning streak. You guys have scored forty runs

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<v Speaker 1>during that those five wins. What stood out to you

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<v Speaker 1>the most about your offense during this swinning streak?

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<v Speaker 2>I think at bad quality and I know I say

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<v Speaker 2>that a lot and just kind of really it's it

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<v Speaker 2>really is, you know, the idea of really swinging to strikes,

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<v Speaker 2>moving the ball forward when you get that opportunity ending

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<v Speaker 2>the at bat taking balls. You know, there's a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of counts, pitches in counts that you know, it goes

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<v Speaker 2>from a three to one count if you take a

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<v Speaker 2>ball at ball versus swing at it and it's two

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<v Speaker 2>to two count, and people remember the final you know,

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<v Speaker 2>pitch of the at bat, but there's a lot of

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<v Speaker 2>pitches in between that matter just as much. And so

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<v Speaker 2>I think for me an Angel series, I thought that

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<v Speaker 2>we valued every pitch within the at bat more and

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<v Speaker 2>the walks will result and just again earning counts. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>you don't get to three to one, three to zero.

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<v Speaker 2>You earn those counts and then make the pitch have

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<v Speaker 2>to come to you. So that's for me, that mindset

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<v Speaker 2>was better this last series.

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<v Speaker 1>When you say that where you have to earn counts,

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<v Speaker 1>what do you mean by that?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, I think that you do that by not being

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<v Speaker 2>stubborn in your zone. You know, when it's a one

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<v Speaker 2>oh pitch that's just off a breaking ball and you

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<v Speaker 2>take it, you've earned that one oh count instead of

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<v Speaker 2>swinging at it hyper aggressively to then being an o

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<v Speaker 2>one count. You know, when it's a one to one

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<v Speaker 2>pitch and it's a slider down in a way and

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<v Speaker 2>you take it, you've earned that two to one count,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, And you saw even in the Angels series

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<v Speaker 2>there were some two oh sliders that they threw us

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<v Speaker 2>and we got into two to one counts by swinging.

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<v Speaker 2>But if we would have taken that slider off, we'd

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<v Speaker 2>have earned a three to zero count. So I think

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<v Speaker 2>that for me, I liked the idea of earning something,

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<v Speaker 2>and if you put it in that mindset within your

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<v Speaker 2>at bat, I think it's more motivating.

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<v Speaker 1>Does that create some accountability amongst the players themselves?

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<v Speaker 2>I think so. And I also think that what it

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<v Speaker 2>does is that it puts it into context for the

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<v Speaker 2>player that you know, good counts don't just happen. You've

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<v Speaker 2>got to put in your work or as I've just said,

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<v Speaker 2>you've got to earn those counts.

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<v Speaker 1>You were a leadoff hitter, a very much different style

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<v Speaker 1>of a leadoff hitter than sho Heyo Tani. But how

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<v Speaker 1>much does he make your offense go?

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<v Speaker 2>He really makes it go. You can this last series

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<v Speaker 2>what he did because when he's touching it, when he's

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<v Speaker 2>moving it forward, he's slugging. You know, he hasn't home

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<v Speaker 2>it in a while, but he did back home. But

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<v Speaker 2>the doubles or the inside the park homer, I'm sorry, yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>he had the inside the park homer, But the doubles

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<v Speaker 2>and the walks and then the stolen bases, and you know,

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<v Speaker 2>guys just feed off of his energy. And if you

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<v Speaker 2>look back at that last series against Angels, again, he

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<v Speaker 2>did a good job of earning good counts.

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<v Speaker 1>How much have you toyed with the idea in your

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<v Speaker 1>own office, just jotting down lineups about Mookie, Bets and Otani.

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<v Speaker 1>Any consideration for Mookie going back in the leadofs Spot

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<v Speaker 1>whenever you decide that show Hey needs a blow.

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<v Speaker 2>I've thought about it. I think that you know what

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<v Speaker 2>happens there is you start kind of understand you have

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<v Speaker 2>to start to appreciate how it also looks after that.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, if Mooki being a right hand hitter, then

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<v Speaker 2>show Hayes the number two, then you got to figure

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<v Speaker 2>out who's the three hitter, And do you want to

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<v Speaker 2>go back to back lefties with Freddie? And then do

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<v Speaker 2>I want to push Kyle Tucker into the five or

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<v Speaker 2>the six? And don't want to have months he hits seventh.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't. And so there's a lot of factors that

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<v Speaker 2>come into Oh, Mookie just hit second and everything's the same.

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<v Speaker 2>It's just there's more that goes into it.

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<v Speaker 1>How much do you think about those type of things?

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<v Speaker 2>I think about him a lot, you know, I do

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<v Speaker 2>think about you know, corresponding moves, alternatives and you know,

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<v Speaker 2>guys and not trying to be reactionary on certain guys performance,

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<v Speaker 2>and you know, we weren't scoring runs. So then now

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<v Speaker 2>it's not because show Hay's hitting in the one, Mookie's

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<v Speaker 2>not hitting inning in the two. That's not the reason

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<v Speaker 2>and until it is the reason. So for me, I

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<v Speaker 2>like more of a sample.

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<v Speaker 1>Size before I let you go Yamamoto on the mound

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<v Speaker 1>for you tonight. He's acknowledged the fact that he's got

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<v Speaker 1>to be better in the first inning of games and

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<v Speaker 1>to limit home runs. How do you feel like he's

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<v Speaker 1>going to adjust to eliminate those issues.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, you know, he made a point last start to

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<v Speaker 2>be better than the first inning, which he was. I

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<v Speaker 2>think what got him last start the eight nine hitters

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<v Speaker 2>hitting three homers.

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<v Speaker 1>So you know you really remember that right away?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I do. Those those don't feel good. He's our

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<v Speaker 2>staffes and so he's always going to try to search

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<v Speaker 2>to be better. So yeah, the first thing is important.

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<v Speaker 2>But typically for starting pitchers, that first inning to kind

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<v Speaker 2>of get their bearings on the game is typically the toughest.

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<v Speaker 2>As you see a Major League scoreboard every night, it's

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<v Speaker 2>usually one nothing or team scores in the first in.

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<v Speaker 2>Because of that reason, I think for me, it's the

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<v Speaker 2>last four haven't been Yoshinobu s, but I expect a

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<v Speaker 2>good one tonight.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, Dave, thanks a lot for the time. We're

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<v Speaker 1>all excited for this series, but more excited about the

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<v Speaker 1>way the Dodgers are starting to look like themselves again.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks a lot for the time and always great to

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<v Speaker 1>catch up with you.

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<v Speaker 2>Appreciate you, Dave. Talk to you next week.