Dave Roberts addressed the Los Angeles Dodgers' 5-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs during a press conference on August 4, 2026, discussing the team's five-game losing streak and the bullpen's struggles.
Roberts said the relief corps was not sharp in the defeat. "The bullpen just wasn't sharp today and there was a lot of misexecution," he said. He also pointed to a stalled offense, noting the team grounded into two double plays that killed potential rallies despite some quality at-bats. "I think we grounded into two double plays, which certainly stalled the innings," Roberts said.
On the offensive side, Roberts praised Kyle's home run as one of the few bright spots but acknowledged the club otherwise failed to string together hits. "Kyle took some good at-bats. Um, yeah, obviously with the homer, but yeah, we just couldn't collect hits tonight," he noted.
Roberts also addressed his plan for managing his starter's workload going forward, saying he will not push him in every outing. He explained that the decision stemmed from the pitcher's first outing with the Dodgers, which included a stressful sixth inning and extra adrenaline. "I'm going to err on the side of being smart and cautious and knowing that he can still give us more, but I'm not going to push him. Um, but tonight is not the night," Roberts said, referring to the plan for the starter whose workload he manages, Derek.
Turning to the bullpen, Roberts evaluated closer Edwin Diaz's readiness, saying his fastball and slider are not yet at full sharpness. "The fastball just isn't as lively as it's going to be. Um, the slider isn't as sharp as it's going to be," Roberts said. He added that Diaz, who serves as the Dodgers' closer, will need additional appearances to build back up despite his current limitations. "There's got to be some appearances to kind of build that up," Roberts stated, signaling that Diaz will continue to see game action as he works through the rough patch.