WEBVTT - Dave Roberts (6-3-26) 

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

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<v Speaker 1>It's time for our Managers Meeting, brought to you by

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<v Speaker 1>Downey Hyundai. We're in the manager's office with Dave Roberts

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<v Speaker 1>on Otani Day. Dave, thanks a lot for the time

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<v Speaker 1>and great to be in the desert with you.

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<v Speaker 2>Great to be with you, Dave.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, as we're sitting here in my office getting

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<v Speaker 3>ready for this game, it was nice to get a

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<v Speaker 3>win last night. How we got the win, so now

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<v Speaker 3>we have a chance to go up to one of

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<v Speaker 3>the series. And as you said, it is O tawny day.

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<v Speaker 3>He's going to be pitching and hitting today, so it

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<v Speaker 3>should be a good one.

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<v Speaker 1>Does it feel different on the days that he's doing

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<v Speaker 1>this two way thing, because I don't know, there seems

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<v Speaker 1>to be a little heightened level around the clubhouse, around

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<v Speaker 1>the stadium whenever he's doing this.

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<v Speaker 3>There is I think that you know, with certain pitchers

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<v Speaker 3>on their start day. I think there's that extra kind

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<v Speaker 3>of buzz in the air in the locker room, and

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<v Speaker 3>you have that with show hey and even just watching them,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, walk past my office or earlier. There's a

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<v Speaker 3>different kind of focus on days that he's pitching and

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<v Speaker 3>you know that heightened sense of intensity.

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<v Speaker 1>Joey Vado said recently that we may be witnessing the

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<v Speaker 1>single greatest seasoned by any player in baseball history. Is

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<v Speaker 1>it hard to even wrap your head around that when

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<v Speaker 1>you're in it every day?

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<v Speaker 3>It is, But I think that I think the people

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<v Speaker 3>here appreciate, you know, because you see it every day

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<v Speaker 3>in one sense. In another sense that you appreciate all

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<v Speaker 3>that goes into his preparation and the expectations and the mental,

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<v Speaker 3>the physical and all that kind of stuff.

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<v Speaker 2>The emotions. But I agree with Joey.

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<v Speaker 3>I just think that, you know, we get so caught

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<v Speaker 3>up and he should have a twelve hundred ops and

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<v Speaker 3>he's not hitting fifty homers, but not appreciating what he's

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<v Speaker 3>doing on the pitching side, and it's just something that

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<v Speaker 3>we haven't seen ever to this caliber, and I don't

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<v Speaker 3>think we ever will.

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<v Speaker 1>In all of his starts except one, he's touched the

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<v Speaker 1>sixth inning, what more can he do as a pitcher

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<v Speaker 1>to allow himself to have greater results?

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<v Speaker 3>Well, I mean, if you just kind of separate the

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<v Speaker 3>pitching part of it, I think it's just speaks to

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<v Speaker 3>the command I think that the pitch efficiency his last

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<v Speaker 3>few haven't been great per his standards, and so if

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<v Speaker 3>he can do that, then it's the six seven innings,

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<v Speaker 3>eight innings, things like that. But I think the last

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<v Speaker 3>few starts he's been fighting himself his delivery and then

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<v Speaker 3>you know, just hasn't had that command.

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<v Speaker 1>I remember both you and Showhay said after his start

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<v Speaker 1>in San Diego, he was fighting himself, but there was

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<v Speaker 1>something a little bit more, maybe the body wasn't responding.

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<v Speaker 1>Is that what you were alluding to. I don't want

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<v Speaker 1>to put words in your mouth.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, that's a little bit of it.

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<v Speaker 3>And I think that's kind of a Joe Evado's point

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<v Speaker 3>in the sense of you're an everyday hitter and you're

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<v Speaker 3>swinging the bat, you run the bases, and you're obviously

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<v Speaker 3>been productive really a lot recently, and so then now

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<v Speaker 3>you've got to turn into the picture and your body's

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<v Speaker 3>got to be because as a picture, all you do

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<v Speaker 3>all week is kind of get your body in tune

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<v Speaker 3>with being a picture. So it's it's two different movements

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<v Speaker 3>for the picture of the hitter, and so it is

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<v Speaker 3>a little bit tougher to kind of, you know, get

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<v Speaker 3>it is easier to get out of whack, and so

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<v Speaker 3>those are things that he's been fighting. But even when

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<v Speaker 3>he is fighting himself, he still go good enough to go,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, five innings scoreless.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe you can answer this question, why do we see

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<v Speaker 1>more emotion from Otani on the mound than you usually

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<v Speaker 1>see from Otani as the hitter.

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<v Speaker 3>I think, just to put it, I think in simple terms,

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<v Speaker 3>I think because as a picture, you are the protagonist,

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<v Speaker 3>you're the instigator, you're the you know, you're the aggressor,

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<v Speaker 3>and so I think with that you can control your

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<v Speaker 3>pitch making. And I think with the hitting, you're on

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<v Speaker 3>the defensive and you got to react, and so you're

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<v Speaker 3>really reacting to what the picture does. And when he

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<v Speaker 3>makes a good picture, it's really not a whole lot

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<v Speaker 3>you can do. So I think for me, because he's

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<v Speaker 3>in control of the pitching, he has higher expectations for himself.

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<v Speaker 1>Does he have an edge as a hitter and as

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<v Speaker 1>a pitcher because he does both as far as the

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<v Speaker 1>chest match of what a pitcher may be trying to

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<v Speaker 1>do to him and what he's trying to do to

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<v Speaker 1>a certain hitter.

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<v Speaker 3>I wouldn't say edge. He certainly has it with the pitching.

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<v Speaker 3>I do think that in the last couple of weeks

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<v Speaker 3>he's had a different look of intensity at the plate.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, in the postseason, certainly when he got hit,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, in that Padre series, there was an edge

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<v Speaker 3>to it. But I do like, you know, that that focus,

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<v Speaker 3>that extra intensity that I've seen from him recently.

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<v Speaker 1>In the box, does he have an advantage?

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<v Speaker 3>He does when when he when he's got that look,

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<v Speaker 3>he's got that advantage. And I think also when Mooki

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<v Speaker 3>has that same look, he has an advantage. That We're

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<v Speaker 3>trying to find that look again with Mooki and hopefully,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, the coming days, we'll get that look back.

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<v Speaker 1>Dave Roberts is our our guest the Manager's Meeting, presented

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<v Speaker 1>by Downey Hyundai. Dave, you seem to predetermine when Otani

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<v Speaker 1>will hit and pitch and maybe even the day after.

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<v Speaker 1>Have you decided about tomorrow.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, he's not going to hit tomorrow, so tomorrow will

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<v Speaker 3>be a r in our recovery day. But he'll be

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<v Speaker 3>ready to come off the bench if we need it.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't know.

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<v Speaker 3>As a manager, I find it sometimes beneficial to get

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<v Speaker 3>ahead of it, to let you know. In this case,

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<v Speaker 3>let show hey empty the take on the pitching the

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<v Speaker 3>hitting side, to know that tomorrow he's going to be

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<v Speaker 3>down and so not kind of play to any type

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<v Speaker 3>of results. And I think sometimes as a player, as

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<v Speaker 3>a former player, it was freeing to know kind of

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<v Speaker 3>what's to come in the coming days. And I think

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<v Speaker 3>that that's a good thing.

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<v Speaker 1>Does it also help you no matter what takes place.

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<v Speaker 1>He could hit for the cycle tonight and you know,

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<v Speaker 1>go eight innings, but helps you not to be tempted

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<v Speaker 1>to say, Okay, tomorrow you're.

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<v Speaker 2>Going to hit Yeah.

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<v Speaker 3>And you know, the thing is that that game is

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<v Speaker 3>a dangerous game to play because then it doesn't speak

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<v Speaker 3>to process, and there's also a little bait and switch

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<v Speaker 3>from the player. And you could also argue that he

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<v Speaker 3>hit for the cycle because he was freed up knowing

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<v Speaker 3>he can empty the tank. So those are things that

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<v Speaker 3>for me, I have a clear kind of idea and

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<v Speaker 3>what I do, and you've got to be willing to,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, stay with that process and that decision making consistently.

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<v Speaker 1>Speaking of the process, you had a process as a player.

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<v Speaker 1>You hear your players talk about loving the process. As

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<v Speaker 1>a manager, now do you still love the process? How

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<v Speaker 1>much do you love the process of being the manager

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<v Speaker 1>of the back to back world champion Dodgers and being

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<v Speaker 1>a huge part of the process to help them win.

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<v Speaker 2>I do. I love it. Don't take it for granted.

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<v Speaker 3>I think in that vein, you know, just making sure

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<v Speaker 3>that I, for example, keep Will Smith rested to kind

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<v Speaker 3>of involve Dalton rushing, which we've done. We talked about

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<v Speaker 3>that earlier, you know, in the spring, you know, assimilating

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<v Speaker 3>you know, Alex Freeland or hay Song, Kim Moore and

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<v Speaker 3>using migey Ro as a mentor and giving him spot starts,

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<v Speaker 3>which we've done. And you know, one of these next

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<v Speaker 3>couple of days, I'm gonna give Andy a day off,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, four days on the turf, and I want

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<v Speaker 3>him to play.

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<v Speaker 2>He wants to play.

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<v Speaker 3>But I think that getting Alex call in there, which

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<v Speaker 3>we've done, keeping him relevant to allow him. So those

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<v Speaker 3>are things that you know, we do. And there's gonna

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<v Speaker 3>be some pitchers tonight in the bullpen that are going

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<v Speaker 3>to be down today. Could they pitch, Absolutely, But I

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<v Speaker 3>think that it gives other guys an opportunity. So that's

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<v Speaker 3>part of the process that I think that we're really

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<v Speaker 3>good about.

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<v Speaker 1>Dave Roberts is the best at it, no doubt. Without him,

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<v Speaker 1>the Dodgers would not have the type of success that

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<v Speaker 1>they have enjoyed since he took over highest winning percentage

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<v Speaker 1>in modern baseball history, three World Championships, and the ball

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<v Speaker 1>just keeps going another day for Dave Roberts and his process.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks a lot for the time and the insight, and

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<v Speaker 1>we look forward to a big o' tawny day.

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<v Speaker 2>Appreciate you, Dave. Here we go