Dave Roberts said on August 12, 2026 that the Los Angeles Dodgers need to clean up mistakes such as base-running outs and ABS challenge management as the team enters a big series against a team they are chasing. "So I think for us that's what I'm looking for, to kind of clean those things up," Roberts said during a press conference.
Roberts said the Dodgers have been giving away too many outs on the bases, describing the cause as roughly split between aggressiveness and a lack of situational awareness. "I would say it's probably 50/50," he noted. He also took responsibility for miscommunication with the umpire crew chief over ABS challenge guidelines after another first-inning challenge was lost, explaining, "I talked to Andy and, you know, 32 was one of those things that I said, let's kind of lock in on certain guidelines... I got to be more clear. So, that was my fault."
Despite the recent struggles, Roberts said the issues are fixable and stem from giving away outs rather than a talent problem. "Well, very correctable," he stated, adding that the team had been very good for the first four months of the season before the recent lapses. Roberts mentioned he managed more aggressively in the last series and said he will continue that approach for the rest of the season given the meaningful series against the team the Dodgers are chasing.
On the lineup, Roberts said Shohei Ohtani will not get an off day during this series but will be reassessed heading into the Colorado series, noting Ohtani has been taking four or five at-bats a night. He explained that Freddie Freeman's refusal to give himself an excuse to sit out makes it difficult to convince him to take a day off, saying, "Freddy is just of the mind that he just doesn't give himself an out." Roberts also gave Mookie Betts a scheduled day off in the midst of a 13-game stretch in a row, saying he had planned it four days in advance rather than deciding at the last minute: "I had this in mind four days ago when I told him." He added that Betts, along with Freeman, Will Smith and Kyle Tucker, remains a presence in the lineup even when Tucker has struggled throughout the season.
Roberts also addressed the health of a player who fell and was sore, saying the player texted him that morning to confirm he was good to go. "He just texted me this morning and said that, um, he's good to go. A little sore, but won't compromise his performance today," Roberts said, adding that the message gave him confidence to use the player.
Roberts also reflected on attending a Walk of Fame-style ceremony honoring Orel Hershiser on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where he spoke alongside others including Joe Clayton and Haime Huten. He called the appearance a show of appreciation for a friend: "Hollywood star Walk of Fame. So, it was just a real honor to kind of, you know, show my appreciation for him and what he's done for me as a friend, too." With Ohtani's status set to be reassessed after the current series and heading into the Colorado series, Roberts said his focus remains on tightening up the team's execution for the stretch ahead.