It’s rare to see Dodgers manager Dave Roberts exude any facial expression other than a beaming smile. He could very well be baseball’s happiest man, and why not? Their ownership and front office, led by CEO Stan Kasten and advised by General Manager Brandon Gomes, have built one of the most elite group of players in baseball history.
The reigning World Series Champs appear even stronger this season than last. Despite currently sitting tied for second in the National League West with a rejuvenated San Francisco Giants squad, Roberts, with his star-studded lineup, did not initially foresee any significant obstacles.
That collective demeanor might be starting to shift in Dodgerland, as they have lost an uncharacteristic 9 of their past 17 games. Most recently, they were swept by the Chicago Cubs, with outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong seemingly owning Dodgers pitchers. The 23-year-old, SoCal-raised Cubs star has risen to the challenge of taking on the World Series champs, hitting four home runs and stealing bases at will.
This current streak of losses might not indicate immediate cause for concern, but it has justifiably altered the usually jovial and optimistic Roberts during postgame sound bites.
“We’ve got some things to clean up.” – Dave Roberts
By “clean up”, we can only speculate that perhaps some element of patience is starting to run out with the manager, who seemed to resonate that trait in abundance up until now, mainly.
“It’s easy to have patience when you have Mookie…and Freeman and Ohtani, that would give (me) immense patience” – Dirty Leather host David Hilts.
Adversity is bound to surface with every MLB club at some point over a 162-game season. Despite their recent struggles, the Dodgers remain on pace to win over 100 games in 2025. The question in the NL West, the most stacked division in baseball, is whether that will be enough even to make the playoffs?
There had to be some element of worry surrounding Tyler Glasnow, who had to exit his start early in the fifth inning against the Rangers on Sunday. Reports indicate, though, that there is nothing seriously wrong with Glasnow’s health at this time.
The fact that he missed the latter half of the season last year and did not take part in the magical playoff run would lead anyone to infer that this is not a good sign at this early stage. It is suggested that it was merely leg cramps, but he will be monitored closely in the lead-up to his next start.
There is also the perplexing issue of rookie phenom pitcher Roki Sasaki’s velocity. While an average of 96 mph on his four-seamer is still very respectable, there have been games where he has topped out at around 92 mph. These are still decent MLB metrics, but nowhere near the 99-100 range that he exhibited in Japan and with his dominant showing in the 2023 World Baseball Classic
The discussion surrounding Glasnow and Sasaki is, at this point, just talk. There are, however, two Dodger players who Dave Roberts might be closer to either moving, reassigning, or demoting.
For these two players, who have at times demonstrated the ability to adhere to Roberts’ system fully, time might be running out. They need to start producing, or their days with the big club might be numbered. Some tough decisions need to be made regarding where these two highly capable but underperforming Dodgers fit.
The Cuban-born outfielder has nothing left to prove in the minors. Through a sizeable MLB sample experience, he doesn’t seem to be having enough quality at-bats to justify a starting position. Dodger fans were excited at the onset of the season, with the idea of having a power bat at the bottom of the lineup.
Pages finds himself amid a three-for-22 slump, and Roberts has now moved utilityman extraordinaire Tommy Edman to Center Field for the foreseeable future. At 24, Pages has hit 17 home runs in roughly 450 career at-bats. He cannot get on base, though, as his .302 career on-base percentage (OBP) will attest; that unfortunately just won’t cut it. Pages may be sent back to Oklahoma City to clear a roster spot for added depth.
An incredible story of resilience, the red-headed giant right-hander from Texas, came back from a near-death experience to earn the fifth spot in the Dodgers’ elite starting rotation. For a time, it seemed that the Dodgers might go with a six-man. They have indicated, though, that the five-man rotation will be the preferred option. With Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound becoming delayed, May might have the spot in the interim, but other Dodger starting pitchers are knocking on the door to return.
May will have to convince Roberts that the rotation spot is his, with no lingering uncertainty. He has been unable to do that so far. The six-foot-six May was rocked for seven runs, though five frames at Wrigley this past weekend. His best outing was a six-inning, seven-strikeout performance against an abysmal Colorado Rockies offence at Chavez Ravine. May’s other outings have been far less impressive. His velocity is slightly down from before he suffered his string of injuries and significant health concerns. Roberts will be left with another tough, but necessary decision if May posts another outing like the one in Chicago.
Dodgers fans are eagerly anticipating the return to the mound of Shohei Ohtani, not to mention Clayton Kershaw and Tony Gonsolin. Dustin May’s story is inspiring, as is that of Andy Pages. In MLB, though, there is no time and place for sentimental feelings. Eventually, players have to perform and produce tangible results. The sample size is small thus far in the 2025 MLB season, but manager Dave Roberts might be at the point where he has seen enough. Some changes are coming very soon for the Dodgers.
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