Dave Roberts addressed the role Yoshinobu Yamamoto plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers, describing why the right-hander is regarded as the team's stopper starter following a strong outing from Roki Sasaki the night before. According to Roberts, having a pitcher of Yoshinobu Yamamoto's caliber take the mound instills confidence throughout the group, largely because of how prepared he consistently is and how competitively he approaches every start.
Roberts noted that while the club features several capable starters who can serve in that stopper capacity, Yoshinobu Yamamoto has repeatedly proven himself in that role over time. He was careful to add that setting the tone alone is not enough, emphasizing that the team as a whole still needs to execute a complete game by creating pressure on opponents, performing well in situational moments, running the bases effectively, and playing solid defense to complement what Yoshinobu Yamamoto provides on the mound.
Beyond the pitching discussion, Roberts touched on baserunning as an area requiring improvement, acknowledging that the team has given away extra outs on the bases in recent stretches. He explained that with only 27 outs available in a game, mistakes on the bases make things considerably harder for the offense, pointing to double plays and poor decisions in advancing runners as costly factors that have limited scoring chances.
Roberts was also asked about Shohei Ohtani's aggressive baserunning approach given his current physical situation, and he indicated that he would generally prefer a more cautious approach from his players, including Shohei Ohtani, even while acknowledging it as a positive sign that Shohei Ohtani feels capable of being more active on the bases. Roberts stressed that ultimately the decision on how aggressively to run rests with each player, though he does not believe Shohei Ohtani is trying to prove a point, only that he is doing what he believes helps the team win.
Roberts additionally spoke about the bullpen's recent struggles, describing it as a collective issue where individual pitchers are each working through their own challenges rather than anything mechanical. He pointed to rising walk and slugging numbers allowed as the primary concern, while also noting that the offense has not always given the pitching staff much margin for error, adding further pressure on a starting rotation and bullpen trying to find consistency.