With the All-Star Game Week, managers have three days of “rest”, but not to forget about baseball, but to reflect on what has been done in the first half of the season and make the corresponding moves for the road to the Fall Games. Managers would prefer to take a break after a grueling 162-game season, but for Dave Roberts he might be grateful for the opportunity to manage the best players in the National League for a couple of days.The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the break on a modest two-game winning streak after defeating the San Francisco Giants on Saturday and Sunday as visitors. This came after a seven-game losing streak, the longest of the season, marked by poor performance on both sides of the court. The wins helped salvage what overall was an impressive first half of the season. With a 58-39 record, the Dodgers own the best record in the National League.
Los Angeles Dodgers look to regain offensive power
The current leaders of the National League West Division are half a game better than the Chicago Cubs in the National League and half a game behind the Detroit Tigers, who have the best record in MLB. However, for a team that was projected to win more than 100 games before the season began, a projected 97-win season counts as a minor disappointment. Roberts made that clear when speaking to reporters Sunday in San Francisco.“I think you can be satisfied with the first half. I don’t think I’m in that situation. I think the balance of wins and losses, and the standings, are excellent. But I think we just have to get a lot better, things we need to be better at”. The Dodgers lead MLB in average runs per game (5.34). However, their average runs allowed (4.63) ranks 23rd, between two much less ambitious teams: the Chicago White Sox (22nd) and the Miami Marlins (24th).
Dodgers pitching in doubt with return of starting pitchers
That has made the Los Angeles Dodgers’ pitching staff difficult to watch on many nights. The occasional bullpen game or spot start was always given with the knowledge that many rotation stalwarts such as Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tony Gonsolin and, for much of the season, Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw and Shohei Ohtani have been unable to pitch due to injury. “It’s not just the pitching,” Roberts said.
“I think it’s everything. Pitching, there’s some baserunning issues, defense at times. It’s been consistent, but pitching and offense we’ve got to get on track. I always expect more from our guys, and they expect the same,” said the Angels manager and concluded with “So it’s probably a little bit… it was an emotional weekend, so that’s probably part of my attitude. So I’m very happy. I’m very happy. I may not be showing it. Good first half. But yeah, we should want to get better.”
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