Dave Roberts Sends Blunt Message to Dodgers Amid Struggles

The Dodgers are still heavily favored to win the World Series, but Roberts isn't buying the notion that they're going to waltz through the postseason to a third-straight title.

“That part of the, ‘We’re gonna be OK and we’re good,’ that’s not good enough,” Roberts said. “Clearly it’s not, given how we’ve played over the last month. We put ourselves in this position. A lot of talent. But I think across the board, we need to play with more urgency. And our guys know that.”

The Dodgers put that urgency on display on Monday night against a Royals team that is lightyears out of the playoff picture, with some of their stars leading the charge.

Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman started the Dodgers' scoring after falling into an early 3-0 hole. Max Muncy drove in three runs with a double in the sixth inning to give the Dodgers a lead and Freeman had the game-winning RBI after the Dodgers allowed the Royals to come back.

It wasn't a pretty win against a team that the Dodgers should be expected to beat, but it was a welcome sight for fans who have been lamenting LA's recent struggles.

Expect the Dodgers to continue playing with the sense of urgency that made Monday's win feel more like a postseason matchup than a mid-August bout.

“We’re past letting [guys' play out of it,” Roberts said. “We’re in a playoff race. Trying to win the division, number one. Number two, capture one of the first two playoff spots. This is go time. I’m going to manage accordingly, like I said. We’ve seen enough of a sample of guys and what they’ve done this year.

"Everyone understands it’s about winning. It’s not about feelings."

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