Dave Roberts previewed the Los Angeles Dodgers' series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 8, 2026, addressing a starting pitcher's recent struggles alongside injury updates on Tanner Scott and Shohei Ohtani.
Roberts said the pitcher, referred to as Robleski, has allowed four home runs across his last two outings, and the team examined whether pitch tipping was to blame. He said the review turned up nothing conclusive. "I think it was unfounded and um you know some of it is just uh pitch execution," Roberts said. He added that he does not believe fatigue is a factor, noting the pitcher's preparation and stuff have not changed. "Nothing is wavered, nothing has changed. Um the stuff is as good as it's been all year," he said. Looking ahead, Roberts explained the pitcher needs to counter-adjust to how opposing hitters have handled him recently by mixing his pitch selection and staying unpredictable. The Dodgers are set to face Eduardo Rodriguez, who Roberts acknowledged has had a strong season.
Roberts also spoke about the benefit of having back-to-back two-time winners in the Dodgers' rotation, calling it a significant edge both for home confidence and as a tough matchup for opposing lineups. "It feels really good to have those two guys on our side," he said. He noted the last time the Dodgers had a similarly dominant one-two punch was with Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, and mentioned that Yoshinobu Yamamoto has not won one himself but has been in the conversation over the past couple of years. Roberts also described starting pitching as the backbone of the team in both the regular season and postseason, pointing out that the club won differently in 2024.
On the injury front, Roberts confirmed Tanner Scott is unavailable for the game. He said Scott's velocity ticked up in his last outing but noted he only threw a few pitches, and Roberts acknowledged he does not yet have a theory for the recent uptick in readings. "I don't really have a theory yet... I just have a hard time thinking that the fatigue is going to cause that," he said. Asked who would step in for Scott, Roberts said he was unsure. "I'm not sure, Dylan. We'll see when we get there," he stated.
Roberts provided a day-to-day update on Shohei Ohtani, saying Ohtani will play catch when the team gets to Los Angeles, with no timeline yet for his next bullpen session. "As far as it's a day-to-day thing with Shi, so I don't want to get anyone's hopes up too high uh when he's going to throw a bullpen," Roberts said. He referenced that in 2025, Ohtani wanted to pitch through physical issues, which he described as a learning lesson for the team. Roberts also pushed back on the idea that the team's high double-play rate stems from age or a lack of aggressiveness, saying it requires understanding hitter-pitcher matchups rather than simply putting runners in motion.
Roberts recalled a separate moment from a recent game in which he made a replay challenge decision in the 10th inning without checking with his own bench, saying he has only done that a couple of times before given how pivotal the play was. With Scott unavailable and Ohtani's throwing progression still without a bullpen timeline, the Dodgers head into the finale against the Diamondbacks looking to their rotation, led by the pairing Roberts highlighted, to carry the load.