The way in which Dave Roberts framed it, Wednesday was a day for composure, not concern.
The Dodgers supervisor wasn’t searching for his gamers to present impassioned speeches, even within the wake of Tuesday’s gut-punch of a loss that ended on a triple play.
He didn’t fireplace up the clubhouse or maintain some impromptu late-season assembly, even with the crew’s division lead melting like ice.
As a substitute, within the second act of this week’s pivotal three-game collection towards the San Diego Padres, all Roberts desired was a clear, full efficiency from his injury-plagued however ever-resilient squad.
“We play 162 games, and there are a lot of heartbreaking games,” Roberts mentioned. “And the thing about baseball players, you have to come back and win the next day.”
With a giant serving to hand from Shohei Ohtani, that’s precisely what the Dodgers did.
Wednesday’s 4-3 win over the San Diego Padres won’t have clinched the Nationwide League West crown. However with 4 video games to go within the common season, and the Dodgers’ division lead again as much as three video games, they’ll get the champagne bottles and plastic wrap prepared.
At yet one more juncture the place their place atop the standings gave the impression to be teetering, the Dodgers as soon as once more discovered a strategy to regular their season.
This time, that they had Ohtani in the beginning to thank.
Within the newest affirmation of his MVP candidacy, the slugger went two for 3 with a double, a stroll, two RBIs and his 56th stolen base of the season — enjoying a key position in every of the crew’s three scoring rallies, together with a go-ahead single within the sixth inning to interrupt a 3-3 tie.
Scuffling first baseman Freddie Freeman additionally confirmed some life on the plate, accumulating two hits. Gavin Lux snapped a four-for-37 skid with an RBI single within the fourth, earlier than including one other single within the eighth.
And whereas beginning pitcher Jack Flaherty grinded by a five-inning, three-run begin in his ultimate tune-up earlier than the postseason, the Dodgers bullpen was lights out the remainder of the way in which, combining for 4 scoreless innings whereas yielding simply three walks and no hits.
The Dodgers will now enter Thursday’s collection finale with an opportunity to do one thing they haven’t executed since 2018: Rejoice a division-clinching win at residence.
However even when they don’t, they are going to enter the marketing campaign’s ultimate weekend up by a minimum of two video games, a seemingly snug cushion as they head to Colorado to face the last-place Rockies of their regular-season finale.
