LOS ANGELES — There are times when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts feels like he doesn’t know the team he is managing.
“Sometimes, it just doesn’t seem like a recognizable team,” he said, referring to the recent stretch that saw them lose eight of nine games.
The most unrecognizable thing during those stretches is how the Dodgers can stop doing the little things that add up to wins, he said. Bad baserunning and defensive mistakes have been more frequent.
“We’ve given away too many outs as far as not getting the 27 outs given to us in a particular game. We’ve given those away,” he said. “And conversely we’ve given teams extra outs here and there. … For us, that’s what I’m looking forward to us ironing out.”
Those outs have disappeared by hitting into an MLB-high 102 double plays, but poor baserunning has also been a drag on the offense recently.
“For the first four months, we were very good. The on-base (percentage) and the hits resulted in runs,” Roberts said. “But when you’re giving up outs, bases – the hits, the on-base just don’t translate because you’re giving away outs. I think we’ll get that back.
“There’s been some double-play lineouts, getting doubled off. There’s been some getting picked off base. There’s been some stuff on the bases that you’re not aware of where the defenders are at, the fielders are at, the game score.”
Baserunning isn’t the only place the Dodgers have been making poor decisions. Their use of the ABS challenge has been erratic and often unproductive, prompting Roberts to speak with some players (including Andy Pages) about guidelines for when to challenge a call.
“I think it’s more kind of (using the challenges with) guys in scoring position, later innings, 3-2 (counts),” Roberts said. “I think players get emotional because it’s their at-bat. But more importantly it is a team at-bat. Making a call, losing a challenge, certainly affects not only that particular at-bat but it also affects – people are more gun shy for awhile to not lose that last one. So that has an effect as well.
“We’ve just got to keep talking about it and trying to get better.”
At the start of the homestand, Roberts called for a greater sense of urgency from his players – and himself. Now that the Milwaukee Brewers are in town for a four-game series, he expects there to be a heightened focus.
“It’s a big one. Obviously it’s a team that we’re chasing,” he said of the Brewers, who enter the series with a one-game advantage over the Dodgers for the best record in the National League. “But it’s not the end-all, be-all regardless of how this series plays out. But it’s something that we’ve looked forward to.
“I do think because we are chasing these guys I do think the focus will be there.”
The Dodgers took two out of three from the Brewers in Milwaukee earlier this season and could gain a tiebreaker advantage by winning the season series with only a split of the four games this weekend.
BACK TO WORK
When first baseman Freddie Freeman fell into the visitors’ dugout during Wednesday night’s game, crashing hard on the dugout floor, Roberts said “all the scenarios” went through his mind. If one of those involved Freeman being back in the lineup on Thursday, that’s the one that played out.
Freeman texted Roberts on Thursday morning saying he was “a little sore” but would be “good to go.” Freeman will get a planned day off on Friday.
“I just think Freddie is of the mind that he doesn’t give himself an out,” Roberts said. “He’s played through worse. He signed up to play. There’s just no other option. Even for me, convincing him that (Friday) is a good day to take off was not easy. But I think with his brain, he just doesn’t give himself a way out.”
SIGNING UP
The Dodgers added some more experience to their catching depth by signing Chadwick Tromp to a minor-league contract and assigning him to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Chuckie Robinson was given his release.
The 31-year-old Tromp has spent parts of seven seasons in the big leagues with the San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves but appeared in no more than 24 games in any of those seasons. He played in 21 games for the Orioles and Braves this season. He has a career average of .208.
Meanwhile, right-hander Tony Gonsolin has spent most of the past two seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery in August 2023 and a second elbow surgery last August after making seven starts for the Dodgers early in the season. He was designated for assignment and became a free agent following the 2025 season. He signed a contract with the Kansas City Royals on Thursday and was placed on their injured list. The contract includes a club option for 2027.
ROSTER MOVE
Designated for assignment on Monday, right-hander Jonathan Hernandez was re-signed by the Dodgers and added to their bullpen on Thursday. Right-hander Landon Knack was sent back to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
ALSO
Brock Stewart faced hitters in live batting practice Thursday. He is expected to go out on a minor-league rehabilitation assignment now. Stewart is on the injured list with a sore shoulder.
UP NEXT
Brewers (LHP Robert Gasser, 3-4, 4.57 ERA) at Dodgers (RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 11-7, 2.65 ERA), Friday, 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM