An angry Dave is a scary Dave, and the Dodgers saw some fire from their manager this past week.
After an abysmal stretch by the offense to start the month of June, Dave let it be known that he wanted to see more of a team-first approach at the plate from his players.
“People get caught up in their own individual paths", said Dave Roberts. "But the whole focusing on just winning a game and doing whatever it takes to win that day, we have to get back to that mindset.”
These comments came after a 4-6 stretch to open the month, and it showed a rare frustration from the otherwise calm-mannered manager. There were many differing opinions on Dave's comments, and Roberts himself has even recently walked back some of his criticisms.
But when asked about his thoughts on the matter, team President Andrew Friedman shared his support for the long-time manager.
“I like what he said in that he rarely is critical,” Friedman said of the comments. “So I think when he is, it carries more weight.”
Friedman certainly has a point. Dave is not one to lose his cool without reason. If he lashes out or has something negative to say, it's usually justified. Even with the struggles, however, Friedman decided to focus on the upsides of the season thus far.
“It is also encouraging that we are leading the league in runs scored even with a lot of guys underperforming the back of their baseball cards.”
At the end of the day, the Dodgers have too much talent to struggle for long. Injuries and the loss of some key players have played a role in their slump, but there is some light at the end of that tunnel.
While Walker Buehler will be down for one to two months, Kershaw is back, Heaney isn't far behind, and Dustin May is making a bid for a midseason debut in the near future.
Hang tight, Dodgers fans. Better days lie ahead.
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