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Padres' Xander Bogaerts Praises Dodgers and Dave Roberts for One Major Reason

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jon Conahan | Last updated Jun 13, 2025 4:05 PM ET

The Los Angeles Dodgers were embarrassed on Tuesday night against the San Diego Padres. However, it's still not enough to look into.

The Dodgers had a bad game, something any team in Major League Baseball will say throughout the year. They lost 11-1, dropping one game in that three-game set. Ultimately, the Dodgers still won the series against their rival on the road, meaning they did what they had to do.

But according to Xander Bogaerts of the Padres, there was a reason behind that.

The Dodgers pitched Enrique Hernandez for 2.1 innings in the blowout loss, allowing their bullpen to be ready to go on Wednesday. As a result, the Dodgers threw eight arms in their win on Wednesday, giving themselves a chance to win with an off day on Thursday.

“They got the matchups they wanted,” Bogaerts said. “That’s why they took yesterday’s loss. It might look bad, but it paid off.”

The Dodgers arguably have the best offense in Major League Baseball.

They've dealt with some injuries, but when the entire lineup is clicking, it's tough to say that any team in the league is better than them offensively.

Reliever Kirby Yates understands that, but he also said that Dave Roberts knows what it's like to be in a position to win.

The Dodgers didn't have a chance in that one, and instead of chasing a regular season win, he was focused on the next one.

“With our offense, we don’t ever feel like we’re out of it,” [Yates said. “But there’s certain times where it’s like, ‘Let’s put ourselves in the best position to win tomorrow,’ and I think Doc’s really good at that.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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