Let me get this straight. The guy leads this team to back to back World Series appearances and 106 wins this year. He puts a future Hall of Famer pitcher in who allows 2 home runs (still doesn't give the Nationals the lead but it does hurt). It's still tied and the heart of the order comes up in the 8th. They score nothing. And you idiots blame HIM? That's why the rest of the country think Angelinos are idiot sports fans. Even Al Michaels who lives in LA and covered sports all his life said it was a fact - the people on the West Coast don't get it. How do you lose two NFL teams for 20 years? The PLAYERS let you down. Your mighty Muncy, Turner, and Bellinger CHOKED in the 8th. Your amazing Kershaw CHOKED. Enjoy the offseason!
Arnold Frank - 5 years ago
Same thing I said all season Roberts made bad pitching decisions with a very mediocre pitching staff starters and pen.
I felt the game was lost first with Clayton and for sure with Kelly. I would not fire Dave the team must get quality
pitching which we have not had.
Stevan Rosenlind - 5 years ago
The playoff decision making was really bad and whoever made the decision to pitch Kershaw and leave Kelly in too long really should be fired -- just not sure who made these decisions. But the real blame for this loss goes to the Dodger hitters (especially Bellinger, Seager and Pollock) who failed time and time again in clutch situations. Compare their performance to Rendon, Soto and Kendrick...lol. Time for management to make some tough decisions.
Dave Roberts is a great guy and seems to be a good communicator too. He might be too nice. I fully expect that he will be let go in the next day or two and replaced by Joe Maddon who has a very strong relationship with Andrew Friedman. I hate to see anybody be fired ever, but know that Roberts is going to take a lot of heat for this one and they can't begin a new season with the same manager leading the way.
Dave will probably end up in San Diego so that will be a good spot for him, and them too. .
HUGO JUAREZ - 5 years ago
Look, Dave Roberts has been a good manager during the regular season for the most part. The Dodgers's regular season record over the past 3 yrs speaks for itself. Unfortunately, just like Kershaw, he justs chokes making crucial pitching changes during the playoffs. He managed the last 4 innings of last night's game like it was game 5 of 7, not like game 5 of 5. You have to know your player's strengths & weaknesses at this point. He forgot or ignored this and it cost him, dearly. Dodgers need to move on from Roberts, maybe bring in Maddon, Scoscia, Baker, etc.
A Rod Paolini - 5 years ago
"I feel the Dodger won 106 games despite Roberts." You can't be serious!
"Dodger fans deserve better than this." Why do Angelenos feel they are entitled?
Bob Beers - 5 years ago
Roberts is too tied to analytics. Kershaw has given up homeruns all season.
Dodgers should look at available managerial options - anyone like Girardi or Scoscia?
Maeda should have started the 8th inning.
Seager had a bad series and should have been replaced in Game 5 - 0 for the series with runners in scoring position (RISP)
Dodgers reverted to last year's form of too many strikeout and not putting ball in play.
Todd Dean - 5 years ago
Not sure how anyone wants Friedman gone. The guy should not only stay they should double his salary. You don’t win 5 Divison titles everyday and his team consistently puts the Dodgers in a position to win. Dave Roberts is great with the guys and managing their egos and split playing time. He’s terrible in field maneuvers, particularly pitching. All year long he burned through pitchers replacing them a batter at a time. But with the season on the line, how in the world do you leave a guy in the game who loads the bases without getting a single out? You don’t. You can’t. Not to mention Kershaw has an ERA over 5 in the first inning he works this year. He’s had a penchant for giving up home runs the last two years. Thats not a good formula for a relief pitcher. Kolerek shuts down lefties. It’s Kolorek for one guy, then Maeda to open the next inning.
Hank Carleton - 5 years ago
Absolutely. He had a sporadic good hitting team that got him to 106 wins during the season. The long ball really did it for him. However, a lot of his decisions during the season and the playoffs left a lot to be desired. Why Kershaw with his horrible post season record.? His choice of relief pitchers was horrible except for Maeda. He had a great outing, so why pull him? So, by pulling him you had a rested, ready to go Kenley Janson. He is your closer for goodness sake. Joe Kelly had been mostly unreliable all year long. Also, Seager should have been benched. He looked horrible at the plate. All in all, Roberts is NOT a good field manager. He does NOT use good logic in his lineups or his changes during a game. In other words, he is NOT a good manager. Sorry!
John Reimers - 5 years ago
Both Roberts & Friedman. Preseason Acquisitions were a complete bust. And he let go the player who beat them!
Ray Williams - 5 years ago
After being a staunch Dodger fan for well over six decades (yes, all the way back to their Brooklyn days), I hate to say it, but this was the end! While Roberts most assuredly is part of the problem, the fact is, IMHO, their front office, from top to bottom is the main culprit for many of the reasons already stated here. If I were forced to split the blame, I'd say they were 70% , Roberts, 30%. There are more then a few who may not like naming names; however, I will...Magic Johnson. The man may know basketball like the back of his hand; however, this is NOT basketball! Although he is far from the only player seemingly unable to perform well during past-season play, there's no way in hell Kershaw should have been on the mound when he was..end of story.
Allen Kenderes - 5 years ago
Roberts needs to be replaced. The sooner the better. His poor decisions and cockiness have alienated Dodger fans all season. I feel the Dodger won 106 games despite Roberts. He always seems afraid to make a move that needs to be made. The front office also needs to be blamed. The acquisitions of Pollock and Kelly were poor decisions. According to USA Today, the Nationals outspent the Dodgers in payroll $204,449 to $170,903. The Dodgers were outspent by 5 other teams in addition to the Nats. Dodger management seems to be more interested in selling tickets than spending the extra money to bolster the roster. If Roberts returns as the manager, you have lost a life long Dodger fan of 40 years.
Tom Snow - 5 years ago
I honestly never for one minute thought Roberts should be replaced before last night. He didn’t, in my opinion, use his pitchers well against the Astros or Red Sox being too quick with the hook but I throughly he’d learn from those. He clearly has not. He must think he still had Kershaw circa 2015 because the rest of us all know Clayton is giving up homers and has a bad 1st inning ERA. After the 1st homer he became a shell shocked spectator. The Astros were a great team. The Red Sox got amazing pitching and Cora out-managed us. This? This was a series of boneheaded mistakes. Three strikes you’re out.
Jim Wood - 5 years ago
As I understand it, Dave Roberts is a special kind of puppet for the front office for the majority of field decisions, lineups, etc. I can't imagine a different high quality manager stepping into that situation hoping to make his own decisions, ain't gonna happen. Might as well stay the course.
Mike Orland - 5 years ago
A very sad and frustrating day. The Dodgers just can't beat a good pitching. I have a photo of me with Walter O'Malley from 1958. It is signed by the 1958 team. It brings back great memories of the Dodgers. This series just ruined all of that. Well, on to the Rams now.
Michael Holtslander - 5 years ago
At this point, after 7 consecutive postseason failures, Dodgers need new leadership. Friedman and Roberts have had their chances and how is it possible for this to continue.
Dodgers fans deserve better than this. Los Angeles deserves better than this. There are some great choices out there for a new, proven manager to pick up the pieces and get the job done.
To continue on this current path would just be stupid.
Derrick - 5 years ago
I had always supported Roberts in the past. He made choices that were within reason. But this year? Sorry!
I get leaving Kersh another inning. But why he didn't remove Kersh after giving up the first HR to was beyond me.
I do think we need a change to get over the hump. Problem is, who can do better?
Peter Rich - 5 years ago
Roberts's decision to bring in Kerhsaw to face Eaton made sense. Leaving him to invite a homer by Rendon did not. If Maeda pitches instead and is left in, the Dodgers win. But due to the score being tied after Kershaw, they then had to remove Maeda for a pinch hitter. Disastrous.
But all that pales next to his decision to try to get a second inning out of the erratic (at best) Joe Kelly. Roberts almost never does that with his relievers, other than Maeda. He had Kolarek and Jansen warmed up in the bullpen. Inexplicable.
All that being said, we likely wouldn't be in a state of depressed shock today if Will Smith's drive in the 8th had gone just a few feet further into the heavy night air...
Jeffrey Kwitny - 5 years ago
I've had enough of yelling at my TV all season, for Dave Roberts' bizarre decisions. I may be an amateur, and I may not use analytics when looking at situations, but it always seems obvious to me how to use the bullpen. What the hell was Kershaw doing in there?! Year after year of his disastrous postseason pitching. And Kenta just sitting there. Lord, relieve us of this poor coaching; take out Roberts in the 6th and hand the ball to a veteran of the World Series.
William Deemer - 5 years ago
Roberts is a great man who had a horrible series. The disastrous Rich Hill start, his insistence on continuing to send Taylor and AJ Pollock to the plate again and again, mismanaging pitchers are terrible examples of his ability to situational manage. Why was Hill on our post season roster when he can ONLY throw 60 pitches? Why did he continue to leave pitchers in games when they were in danger? Hill, Kelly, Bueller, Kershaw, Kelly? His stubbornness regarding AJ and Taylor despite their complete inability to even put the ball in play?
He looked as if he was trying to reward players for good seasons not win a series. At times he looked lost. The best team I’ve seen in 3 decades collapsed as a result. He must take a hard look at himself.
Phil DiGiacomo - 5 years ago
Dave Roberts knows nothing about human nature. Intentionally walking Soto to load the bases to get to Howie Kendrick? Howie, the seasoned veteran used that at bat to atone for his multiple errors in the series. He has always been a clutch player. Roberts is a bush league manager. The remarkable offensive power of the Dodgers this season was not enough to hide his inept attempts at managing the bullpen. The one thing Dodger fans have to look forward to n 2020 will be Walker Beuhler pitching the first game.
Scott Coe - 5 years ago
Roberts is the perfect manager.
For the San Diego Padres.
Bill Warnken - 5 years ago
Kershaw way too emotional after Eaton K, so NEVER bring him back for 8th (great point that Kshaw is HR-prone early in outings. He was drained after one hitter. So, as a friend and I agreed, it was simple: Maeda (perfect in the series) for Rendon, Kalorek for Soto - he owned him, and then Kelly for an out or Jansen for a 4-out save. That's just what Roberts would have done in regular season (with Kershaw not in mix, of course). Last year the egregious pulling of Hill, up 4-1 with a one-hitter in WS Game 4. What pitching fiasco from Dave R. can we expect next? Talent there, manager cannot handle pitching late game in post-season. Two Joes with rings out there - Maddon and Girardi. Get one. And someone tell Seager a ball spinning out of hand and low halfway to the plate will NEVER be a strike. Stop swinging at it. Oh, and guy here who said Seager error led to a run - it DID NOT - and it was Keke's fault. Get your facts straight.
J E Garrett - 5 years ago
The Dodgers really need someone like Maddon, who knows how to handle pitchers. Roberts is even worse than Mattingly, which I didn’t think was possible. The Dodger players are heroes. Their erratic manager keeps putting them in a position to fail.
James Barker - 5 years ago
I don't blame Kelly, Roberts put him in a game setting where he was doomed to failure. His previous 1.1 innings against the Nats yielded 6 earned runs. What was Roberts thinking.
Kershaw is a great regular season starter but a AAA pitcher in the playoffs. He now has a 5-6 ERA in the first 3 innings he pitches. Not the hallmark of a reliever so again what was Roberts thinking. Keep Maeda in was a possible first thought perhaps or use Jansen. This was a win or go home situation, something fans should not be screaming at the tv like I was.
Finally, Roberts has done this before--mismanaging his pitching staff shielded by record team homers.
Send him gently into the night and hire Maddon or ...
I never liked the NLDS to begin with. It rewards teams for finishing second. I wonder how many great teams of the past would have been knocked off by a mediocre team in a short inter-divisional series with flash and dash. There is no way the Nationals are better than the Dodgers. But that's a small painful consolation prize right now. Kernshaw has proven he's Mr. May not Mr. October. You look at how many times the Dodgers have choked in post season and other...incredible. 1951 and 1962 were dreadful. The Phillies knocked them out in 1950 and in 1946 they chocked to the Cardinals. And I will not even begin to touch on their modern collapses. Even in 1981 when they won it all only because the Reds were robbed the chance of a title from the idiotic split season format instituted by Bowie Kuhn...the Dodgers have teased and stabbed their fans hearts with collapses. By the way the Best LA Dodger team of all-time was the 1962-63 Dodgers.
Jose Salazar - 5 years ago
Over the past two years I have seen some bad decisions made by Dave Roberts. By putting in Kershaw was like “what’s he thinking?” He has continued to make bad decisions.
On another point, all of the batters need to lay-off the balls out of the strike zone... there were too many strikeouts on bad pitches.
Manuel Silva - 5 years ago
Fast
John Doherty - 5 years ago
Roberts is clueless when handling pitchers. After Kelly gave up the first baserunner, D R just QUIT. Why was KELLY out there in the first place/? He should have pulled Kelly faster than Clayton. The DODGERS will NEVER WIN A W S as long as ROBERTS is MGR. All the lineup changes,lack of hitting(Bellinger and some others were horrible,), seager was also bad,& he made a horrible error leading to the 1st run. Why didn't RUSSELL MARTIN pitch the 10th? RYU? HILL? I could go on and on, but there is no enoughspace.
AUSMUS? SCOCIA(SP)? Roberts is done.
Don Liebman - 5 years ago
All the fans and writers lambasting the Dodgers should go straight to "idiot hell" to live out their days in sports idiocy. Dave Roberts has been a great manager during his time in LA. Some of his decisions have been second guessed and that could be acceptable criticism. However, the job is guess work and we don't know if he guessed wrong or not because we do not know what would have happened with another choice being brought in. Roberts has guided this ship in an outstanding manner for several years. His Kershaw decision backfired , but looked good after three pitches , I don't believe that CK is snake bit by the post season.
The playoffs and ensuing World Series represent a VERY small body of work and all pitchers and players have moments of disaster and times when they play way above their norm. Walter Johnson , Bob Gibson and Sandy Koufax all had scary times. I recall when I was a teenager ( God, that is a long time ago) the Brooklyn Dodgers brought up a young lefty phenom who could not throw strikes and I seem yo recall he was sent down for his extremely poor performances.
He later returned to become the greatest pitcher (arguably) of all time . Poor Clayton has had the misfortune of his bad times show up at the wrong time . This season he had obviously lost some "stuff ." Try explaining STUFF to your wife or grandchild. He had a great year by self reinvention that had to be quite difficult. Joe Kelly is a mystery. He went from a World Series MVP candidate to a Dodger bust. Who can explain? Some are clamoring for Jansen to have been brought in, but those boneheads were the same lamebrains wanting him shipped anywhere far away. Humans are not programmable machines that do exactly as we ask. They are like our children , some of whom we are extremely proud and others may disappoint. Clayton has given us all he has. To those who condemn the decisions made by Roberts, what perfect machine would you have brought in? The bullpen was not stocked with any other Hall Of Fame candidates. I hope to see Roberts in the dugout for years to come.
Don Liebman
Palm Desert
Rob Wiley - 5 years ago
Almost have to fire him after this fiasco. At some point, if it hasn’t already happened, he will lose the players. He took a big step in that direction last night. That said, whoever follows him will need (a) better pitchers for the pen and (b) more leeway in applying the analytics. Sometimes you have to go with the hot hand.
Carlos - 5 years ago
Please keep Roberts! ???????? -Giants Fan
Ken Keller - 5 years ago
Dave Roberts is an idiot. Yes, fire him. Hire someone who has won a World Series as a manager.
John Redden - 5 years ago
By all accounts, Dave Roberts is a nice guy but should not be allowed to continue to as manager. I believe that he should be asked to retire and seek other opportunities. Should he not get the hint, fire him. Bringing Kershaw into the game, knowing that he has been giving up the long ball and runs early in his outings, was down right stupid. You have even commented on this in your super newsletter. So why would he be inserted in as a relief pitcher in such a critical time. Guess even Roberts knows how weak his Bull Pen is. Speaking of Kershaw, the Dodgers should let him go and perhaps he will do some good for another team. The same for many of the "real" Bull Pen pitchers. Finally, if the Dodger's management does not understand the importance of the Bull Pen after another post-season failure, they are simply brain dead.
Dave Washabau - 5 years ago
Wow, I've always felt badly for my friends who were Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills fans, with their many big losses in the Super Bowl. Now, it's my turn as a Dodgers fan. Trying to be as objective as possible, there are only a couple of conclusions to be drawn. Either management (GM) hasn't given Dave Roberts the right buttons to push or Roberts hasn't been pushing the right buttons...and I suspect it has been a combination of both. Since most of the players are under contract and would be difficult to get rid of, the only remaining option is to clean house from the GM on down to the manager and all of his coaches. Their approach hasn't worked and it's time to give someone else a chance. Joe Maddon, anybody???
LUIS HERNANDEZ - 5 years ago
HE IS NO THE RIGTH GAY TO LEAD THE DODGERS
Bob Gorges - 5 years ago
One last point the way Madeastruck out the side , I would not have pinched hit for him, I would have left in .he is not your typical relief pitcher he could have pitched 4-5 more innings , sometimes you go with your gut , the way he struck out those three Nat players my gut told me to leave him in untill the top of my lineup could give me a chance to win , don’t blame the manager Dodgers knew there bull pen was suspicious. Jelly has been a bust & Jansen is in the same boat as Kershaw in that there best days are behind them
Mark Gracyk - 5 years ago
Roberts has no feel for his pitchers. He certainly hasn't improved over the years. Same results year after year. Fire him today!
Mark Gracyk - 5 years ago
Roberts has no feel for his pitchers. He certainly hasn't improved over the years. Same results year after year. Fire him today!
Paul Cammer - 5 years ago
As soon as Kershaw headed out to the mound, I said "Oh, no!" He's an excellent pitcher who simply can't pitch well in the post-season. Probably emotions. I think if Roberts had brought in Maeda, they'd have won. But Roberts is so tied to analytics, he has no intuition. A 10-year-old could do what he does. He will never have the intuition and vision that Walter Alston and Tommy Lasorda had. He has great players, but he doesn't inspire them at the right times. He leaves that to themselves. Finally, I think Justin Turner was right: David Freese should have been in every game.
Dave Roberts cannot make the Dodgers any better as Manager. Roberts can make the Dodgers a lot worse. If he is retained as Manager in 2020, he will do exactly that.
bob yates - 5 years ago
Series was a team loss, not directly, solely attributable to Roberts or Kershaw. Game 4 rolls around and all you've got is Rich Hill? Whose fault is that? Also, last night Kershaw should've pitched to ONE BATTER, as relievers often do; Maeda gets the 8th, Kelly or Jansen the 9th, voila, but no. All those arms out there and Kershaw comes back out for the 8th? Hey, at least LAD have been eliminated by 3 different teams in 3 straight years. Variety is the spice of life, right?
'
Bob Gorges - 5 years ago
You talked about the dodger bullpen most of the year , Kershaw isn’t the dominant pitcher he once was. The Dodgers showed there weakness in the bullpen, no real set up man & no confidence in Janson.
Michael Gorecki - 5 years ago
Roberts has shown he is clueless.He makes terrible decisions ist crucial times.But,he’s the perfect puppet for the Dodgers brass and they’ll never fire him.
Let me get this straight. The guy leads this team to back to back World Series appearances and 106 wins this year. He puts a future Hall of Famer pitcher in who allows 2 home runs (still doesn't give the Nationals the lead but it does hurt). It's still tied and the heart of the order comes up in the 8th. They score nothing. And you idiots blame HIM? That's why the rest of the country think Angelinos are idiot sports fans. Even Al Michaels who lives in LA and covered sports all his life said it was a fact - the people on the West Coast don't get it. How do you lose two NFL teams for 20 years? The PLAYERS let you down. Your mighty Muncy, Turner, and Bellinger CHOKED in the 8th. Your amazing Kershaw CHOKED. Enjoy the offseason!
Same thing I said all season Roberts made bad pitching decisions with a very mediocre pitching staff starters and pen.
I felt the game was lost first with Clayton and for sure with Kelly. I would not fire Dave the team must get quality
pitching which we have not had.
The playoff decision making was really bad and whoever made the decision to pitch Kershaw and leave Kelly in too long really should be fired -- just not sure who made these decisions. But the real blame for this loss goes to the Dodger hitters (especially Bellinger, Seager and Pollock) who failed time and time again in clutch situations. Compare their performance to Rendon, Soto and Kendrick...lol. Time for management to make some tough decisions.
Dave Roberts is a great guy and seems to be a good communicator too. He might be too nice. I fully expect that he will be let go in the next day or two and replaced by Joe Maddon who has a very strong relationship with Andrew Friedman. I hate to see anybody be fired ever, but know that Roberts is going to take a lot of heat for this one and they can't begin a new season with the same manager leading the way.
Dave will probably end up in San Diego so that will be a good spot for him, and them too. .
Look, Dave Roberts has been a good manager during the regular season for the most part. The Dodgers's regular season record over the past 3 yrs speaks for itself. Unfortunately, just like Kershaw, he justs chokes making crucial pitching changes during the playoffs. He managed the last 4 innings of last night's game like it was game 5 of 7, not like game 5 of 5. You have to know your player's strengths & weaknesses at this point. He forgot or ignored this and it cost him, dearly. Dodgers need to move on from Roberts, maybe bring in Maddon, Scoscia, Baker, etc.
"I feel the Dodger won 106 games despite Roberts." You can't be serious!
"Dodger fans deserve better than this." Why do Angelenos feel they are entitled?
Roberts is too tied to analytics. Kershaw has given up homeruns all season.
Dodgers should look at available managerial options - anyone like Girardi or Scoscia?
Maeda should have started the 8th inning.
Seager had a bad series and should have been replaced in Game 5 - 0 for the series with runners in scoring position (RISP)
Dodgers reverted to last year's form of too many strikeout and not putting ball in play.
Not sure how anyone wants Friedman gone. The guy should not only stay they should double his salary. You don’t win 5 Divison titles everyday and his team consistently puts the Dodgers in a position to win. Dave Roberts is great with the guys and managing their egos and split playing time. He’s terrible in field maneuvers, particularly pitching. All year long he burned through pitchers replacing them a batter at a time. But with the season on the line, how in the world do you leave a guy in the game who loads the bases without getting a single out? You don’t. You can’t. Not to mention Kershaw has an ERA over 5 in the first inning he works this year. He’s had a penchant for giving up home runs the last two years. Thats not a good formula for a relief pitcher. Kolerek shuts down lefties. It’s Kolorek for one guy, then Maeda to open the next inning.
Absolutely. He had a sporadic good hitting team that got him to 106 wins during the season. The long ball really did it for him. However, a lot of his decisions during the season and the playoffs left a lot to be desired. Why Kershaw with his horrible post season record.? His choice of relief pitchers was horrible except for Maeda. He had a great outing, so why pull him? So, by pulling him you had a rested, ready to go Kenley Janson. He is your closer for goodness sake. Joe Kelly had been mostly unreliable all year long. Also, Seager should have been benched. He looked horrible at the plate. All in all, Roberts is NOT a good field manager. He does NOT use good logic in his lineups or his changes during a game. In other words, he is NOT a good manager. Sorry!
Both Roberts & Friedman. Preseason Acquisitions were a complete bust. And he let go the player who beat them!
After being a staunch Dodger fan for well over six decades (yes, all the way back to their Brooklyn days), I hate to say it, but this was the end! While Roberts most assuredly is part of the problem, the fact is, IMHO, their front office, from top to bottom is the main culprit for many of the reasons already stated here. If I were forced to split the blame, I'd say they were 70% , Roberts, 30%. There are more then a few who may not like naming names; however, I will...Magic Johnson. The man may know basketball like the back of his hand; however, this is NOT basketball! Although he is far from the only player seemingly unable to perform well during past-season play, there's no way in hell Kershaw should have been on the mound when he was..end of story.
Roberts needs to be replaced. The sooner the better. His poor decisions and cockiness have alienated Dodger fans all season. I feel the Dodger won 106 games despite Roberts. He always seems afraid to make a move that needs to be made. The front office also needs to be blamed. The acquisitions of Pollock and Kelly were poor decisions. According to USA Today, the Nationals outspent the Dodgers in payroll $204,449 to $170,903. The Dodgers were outspent by 5 other teams in addition to the Nats. Dodger management seems to be more interested in selling tickets than spending the extra money to bolster the roster. If Roberts returns as the manager, you have lost a life long Dodger fan of 40 years.
I honestly never for one minute thought Roberts should be replaced before last night. He didn’t, in my opinion, use his pitchers well against the Astros or Red Sox being too quick with the hook but I throughly he’d learn from those. He clearly has not. He must think he still had Kershaw circa 2015 because the rest of us all know Clayton is giving up homers and has a bad 1st inning ERA. After the 1st homer he became a shell shocked spectator. The Astros were a great team. The Red Sox got amazing pitching and Cora out-managed us. This? This was a series of boneheaded mistakes. Three strikes you’re out.
As I understand it, Dave Roberts is a special kind of puppet for the front office for the majority of field decisions, lineups, etc. I can't imagine a different high quality manager stepping into that situation hoping to make his own decisions, ain't gonna happen. Might as well stay the course.
A very sad and frustrating day. The Dodgers just can't beat a good pitching. I have a photo of me with Walter O'Malley from 1958. It is signed by the 1958 team. It brings back great memories of the Dodgers. This series just ruined all of that. Well, on to the Rams now.
At this point, after 7 consecutive postseason failures, Dodgers need new leadership. Friedman and Roberts have had their chances and how is it possible for this to continue.
Dodgers fans deserve better than this. Los Angeles deserves better than this. There are some great choices out there for a new, proven manager to pick up the pieces and get the job done.
To continue on this current path would just be stupid.
I had always supported Roberts in the past. He made choices that were within reason. But this year? Sorry!
I get leaving Kersh another inning. But why he didn't remove Kersh after giving up the first HR to was beyond me.
I do think we need a change to get over the hump. Problem is, who can do better?
Roberts's decision to bring in Kerhsaw to face Eaton made sense. Leaving him to invite a homer by Rendon did not. If Maeda pitches instead and is left in, the Dodgers win. But due to the score being tied after Kershaw, they then had to remove Maeda for a pinch hitter. Disastrous.
But all that pales next to his decision to try to get a second inning out of the erratic (at best) Joe Kelly. Roberts almost never does that with his relievers, other than Maeda. He had Kolarek and Jansen warmed up in the bullpen. Inexplicable.
All that being said, we likely wouldn't be in a state of depressed shock today if Will Smith's drive in the 8th had gone just a few feet further into the heavy night air...
I've had enough of yelling at my TV all season, for Dave Roberts' bizarre decisions. I may be an amateur, and I may not use analytics when looking at situations, but it always seems obvious to me how to use the bullpen. What the hell was Kershaw doing in there?! Year after year of his disastrous postseason pitching. And Kenta just sitting there. Lord, relieve us of this poor coaching; take out Roberts in the 6th and hand the ball to a veteran of the World Series.
Roberts is a great man who had a horrible series. The disastrous Rich Hill start, his insistence on continuing to send Taylor and AJ Pollock to the plate again and again, mismanaging pitchers are terrible examples of his ability to situational manage. Why was Hill on our post season roster when he can ONLY throw 60 pitches? Why did he continue to leave pitchers in games when they were in danger? Hill, Kelly, Bueller, Kershaw, Kelly? His stubbornness regarding AJ and Taylor despite their complete inability to even put the ball in play?
He looked as if he was trying to reward players for good seasons not win a series. At times he looked lost. The best team I’ve seen in 3 decades collapsed as a result. He must take a hard look at himself.
Dave Roberts knows nothing about human nature. Intentionally walking Soto to load the bases to get to Howie Kendrick? Howie, the seasoned veteran used that at bat to atone for his multiple errors in the series. He has always been a clutch player. Roberts is a bush league manager. The remarkable offensive power of the Dodgers this season was not enough to hide his inept attempts at managing the bullpen. The one thing Dodger fans have to look forward to n 2020 will be Walker Beuhler pitching the first game.
Roberts is the perfect manager.
For the San Diego Padres.
Kershaw way too emotional after Eaton K, so NEVER bring him back for 8th (great point that Kshaw is HR-prone early in outings. He was drained after one hitter. So, as a friend and I agreed, it was simple: Maeda (perfect in the series) for Rendon, Kalorek for Soto - he owned him, and then Kelly for an out or Jansen for a 4-out save. That's just what Roberts would have done in regular season (with Kershaw not in mix, of course). Last year the egregious pulling of Hill, up 4-1 with a one-hitter in WS Game 4. What pitching fiasco from Dave R. can we expect next? Talent there, manager cannot handle pitching late game in post-season. Two Joes with rings out there - Maddon and Girardi. Get one. And someone tell Seager a ball spinning out of hand and low halfway to the plate will NEVER be a strike. Stop swinging at it. Oh, and guy here who said Seager error led to a run - it DID NOT - and it was Keke's fault. Get your facts straight.
The Dodgers really need someone like Maddon, who knows how to handle pitchers. Roberts is even worse than Mattingly, which I didn’t think was possible. The Dodger players are heroes. Their erratic manager keeps putting them in a position to fail.
I don't blame Kelly, Roberts put him in a game setting where he was doomed to failure. His previous 1.1 innings against the Nats yielded 6 earned runs. What was Roberts thinking.
Kershaw is a great regular season starter but a AAA pitcher in the playoffs. He now has a 5-6 ERA in the first 3 innings he pitches. Not the hallmark of a reliever so again what was Roberts thinking. Keep Maeda in was a possible first thought perhaps or use Jansen. This was a win or go home situation, something fans should not be screaming at the tv like I was.
Finally, Roberts has done this before--mismanaging his pitching staff shielded by record team homers.
Send him gently into the night and hire Maddon or ...
I never liked the NLDS to begin with. It rewards teams for finishing second. I wonder how many great teams of the past would have been knocked off by a mediocre team in a short inter-divisional series with flash and dash. There is no way the Nationals are better than the Dodgers. But that's a small painful consolation prize right now. Kernshaw has proven he's Mr. May not Mr. October. You look at how many times the Dodgers have choked in post season and other...incredible. 1951 and 1962 were dreadful. The Phillies knocked them out in 1950 and in 1946 they chocked to the Cardinals. And I will not even begin to touch on their modern collapses. Even in 1981 when they won it all only because the Reds were robbed the chance of a title from the idiotic split season format instituted by Bowie Kuhn...the Dodgers have teased and stabbed their fans hearts with collapses. By the way the Best LA Dodger team of all-time was the 1962-63 Dodgers.
Over the past two years I have seen some bad decisions made by Dave Roberts. By putting in Kershaw was like “what’s he thinking?” He has continued to make bad decisions.
On another point, all of the batters need to lay-off the balls out of the strike zone... there were too many strikeouts on bad pitches.
Fast
Roberts is clueless when handling pitchers. After Kelly gave up the first baserunner, D R just QUIT. Why was KELLY out there in the first place/? He should have pulled Kelly faster than Clayton. The DODGERS will NEVER WIN A W S as long as ROBERTS is MGR. All the lineup changes,lack of hitting(Bellinger and some others were horrible,), seager was also bad,& he made a horrible error leading to the 1st run. Why didn't RUSSELL MARTIN pitch the 10th? RYU? HILL? I could go on and on, but there is no enoughspace.
AUSMUS? SCOCIA(SP)? Roberts is done.
All the fans and writers lambasting the Dodgers should go straight to "idiot hell" to live out their days in sports idiocy. Dave Roberts has been a great manager during his time in LA. Some of his decisions have been second guessed and that could be acceptable criticism. However, the job is guess work and we don't know if he guessed wrong or not because we do not know what would have happened with another choice being brought in. Roberts has guided this ship in an outstanding manner for several years. His Kershaw decision backfired , but looked good after three pitches , I don't believe that CK is snake bit by the post season.
The playoffs and ensuing World Series represent a VERY small body of work and all pitchers and players have moments of disaster and times when they play way above their norm. Walter Johnson , Bob Gibson and Sandy Koufax all had scary times. I recall when I was a teenager ( God, that is a long time ago) the Brooklyn Dodgers brought up a young lefty phenom who could not throw strikes and I seem yo recall he was sent down for his extremely poor performances.
He later returned to become the greatest pitcher (arguably) of all time . Poor Clayton has had the misfortune of his bad times show up at the wrong time . This season he had obviously lost some "stuff ." Try explaining STUFF to your wife or grandchild. He had a great year by self reinvention that had to be quite difficult. Joe Kelly is a mystery. He went from a World Series MVP candidate to a Dodger bust. Who can explain? Some are clamoring for Jansen to have been brought in, but those boneheads were the same lamebrains wanting him shipped anywhere far away. Humans are not programmable machines that do exactly as we ask. They are like our children , some of whom we are extremely proud and others may disappoint. Clayton has given us all he has. To those who condemn the decisions made by Roberts, what perfect machine would you have brought in? The bullpen was not stocked with any other Hall Of Fame candidates. I hope to see Roberts in the dugout for years to come.
Don Liebman
Palm Desert
Almost have to fire him after this fiasco. At some point, if it hasn’t already happened, he will lose the players. He took a big step in that direction last night. That said, whoever follows him will need (a) better pitchers for the pen and (b) more leeway in applying the analytics. Sometimes you have to go with the hot hand.
Please keep Roberts! ???????? -Giants Fan
Dave Roberts is an idiot. Yes, fire him. Hire someone who has won a World Series as a manager.
By all accounts, Dave Roberts is a nice guy but should not be allowed to continue to as manager. I believe that he should be asked to retire and seek other opportunities. Should he not get the hint, fire him. Bringing Kershaw into the game, knowing that he has been giving up the long ball and runs early in his outings, was down right stupid. You have even commented on this in your super newsletter. So why would he be inserted in as a relief pitcher in such a critical time. Guess even Roberts knows how weak his Bull Pen is. Speaking of Kershaw, the Dodgers should let him go and perhaps he will do some good for another team. The same for many of the "real" Bull Pen pitchers. Finally, if the Dodger's management does not understand the importance of the Bull Pen after another post-season failure, they are simply brain dead.
Wow, I've always felt badly for my friends who were Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills fans, with their many big losses in the Super Bowl. Now, it's my turn as a Dodgers fan. Trying to be as objective as possible, there are only a couple of conclusions to be drawn. Either management (GM) hasn't given Dave Roberts the right buttons to push or Roberts hasn't been pushing the right buttons...and I suspect it has been a combination of both. Since most of the players are under contract and would be difficult to get rid of, the only remaining option is to clean house from the GM on down to the manager and all of his coaches. Their approach hasn't worked and it's time to give someone else a chance. Joe Maddon, anybody???
HE IS NO THE RIGTH GAY TO LEAD THE DODGERS
One last point the way Madeastruck out the side , I would not have pinched hit for him, I would have left in .he is not your typical relief pitcher he could have pitched 4-5 more innings , sometimes you go with your gut , the way he struck out those three Nat players my gut told me to leave him in untill the top of my lineup could give me a chance to win , don’t blame the manager Dodgers knew there bull pen was suspicious. Jelly has been a bust & Jansen is in the same boat as Kershaw in that there best days are behind them
Roberts has no feel for his pitchers. He certainly hasn't improved over the years. Same results year after year. Fire him today!
Roberts has no feel for his pitchers. He certainly hasn't improved over the years. Same results year after year. Fire him today!
As soon as Kershaw headed out to the mound, I said "Oh, no!" He's an excellent pitcher who simply can't pitch well in the post-season. Probably emotions. I think if Roberts had brought in Maeda, they'd have won. But Roberts is so tied to analytics, he has no intuition. A 10-year-old could do what he does. He will never have the intuition and vision that Walter Alston and Tommy Lasorda had. He has great players, but he doesn't inspire them at the right times. He leaves that to themselves. Finally, I think Justin Turner was right: David Freese should have been in every game.
Dave Roberts cannot make the Dodgers any better as Manager. Roberts can make the Dodgers a lot worse. If he is retained as Manager in 2020, he will do exactly that.
Series was a team loss, not directly, solely attributable to Roberts or Kershaw. Game 4 rolls around and all you've got is Rich Hill? Whose fault is that? Also, last night Kershaw should've pitched to ONE BATTER, as relievers often do; Maeda gets the 8th, Kelly or Jansen the 9th, voila, but no. All those arms out there and Kershaw comes back out for the 8th? Hey, at least LAD have been eliminated by 3 different teams in 3 straight years. Variety is the spice of life, right?
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You talked about the dodger bullpen most of the year , Kershaw isn’t the dominant pitcher he once was. The Dodgers showed there weakness in the bullpen, no real set up man & no confidence in Janson.
Roberts has shown he is clueless.He makes terrible decisions ist crucial times.But,he’s the perfect puppet for the Dodgers brass and they’ll never fire him.