It’s not often that the field manager of a franchise with such deep pockets is credited for his resourcefulness. But that term applies to Dave Roberts, who — in his first year as the head man on the Dodgers’ bench — has them in position to win the NL West.
Los Angeles went into this season with a payroll upwards of $227 million — the highest in baseball. But the game’s biggest money pitcher, Clayton Kershaw, went down with a back injury in late June and a setback soon after left the remainder of the season (and seemingly the Dodgers’ postseason chances) in serious doubt.
With Kershaw’s absence casting the rotation (which was already trying to fill the void of the departed Zack Greinke) into a whirlwind, the team has already used 15 different starting pitchers — including five rookies (such as 19-year-old Julio Urias).
Compounding that, Roberts has been forced into constant lineup scrambling while simply trying to get acclimated to his new job. By September 1, Los Angeles had placed 27 players on the disabled list, totaling 1,782 days missed between them. To put it in some perspective, that matches the all-time infirmary record set once by the Boston Red Sox.
Through it all, the Dodgers have thrived. And most amazingly, they’ve improved since Kershaw went down — a 38-24 record, to be exact.
After extending their winning streak to five on Wednesday at the expense of the Arizona Diamondbacks, L.A’s division lead has grown to five.
The primary caretakers of that lead include a pitching staff that’s holding opponents to a batting average of .232 (second in the majors) as well as a heart of the order featuring three who already have tallied at least 20 homers: Justin Turner, Joc Pederson and Corey Seager — who also sports a .318 average.
Just as Seager aims for National League Rookie of the Year, his skipper can also make a claim for some hardware. Certainly Joe Maddon and Dusty Baker are deserving of being the leading candidates for Manager of the Year, but Roberts also deserves strong consideration. Regardless, he’s certainly earned respect from his brethren.
Roberts’ calming influence and the ability of his players to perform amidst misfortune is plenty responsible for the Dodgers making up 13 games in the standings over the past 74 days.
The freefalling San Francisco Giants have also had a tremendous impact. At the All-Star break, they enjoyed the league’s best record at 57-33. But things a serious about face once the second half commenced. With just 17 victories since, the Giants are quickly fading out of the NL West picture (and could be falling out of their current status as a Wild Card team).
While adversity has caused Hall of Fame-bound Bruce Bochy’s Giants to stumble into a summer collapse, the Dodgers are standing tall.
With Kershaw set to return to the mound this weekend in Miami, the Los Angeles Dodgers gaining further momentum — making it seem more likely that Dave Roberts’ first year as manager will last longer than anyone could have expected just a couple months ago.
