Dave Roberts said on September 1, 2026, that Will Smith was pain-free after returning to catch nine innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers and would be back in the lineup Thursday.
Roberts noted that Smith had not played for a long time before the return. “It was good to get him, build that workload up, catch nine innings, and then he'll be back in there on Thursday,” Roberts said.
Roberts stated that the Dodgers' offense continued competing despite falling behind by seven runs early. “Our guys didn't quit,” he said, adding that the Dodgers were down 7-0 after the second inning. He attributed much of the hard contact to pitchers falling behind in counts: “When you're behind all night and you got to give in, that's where slug comes into play.”
Roberts explained that Justin's bullpen role is intended to provide shorter outings and potentially increased velocity through September. “That's what who we who we expect him to be for the rest of September,” he said, while noting that Justin's expected bullpen velocity in the 2025 season was 97 to 99 mph. Roberts identified strike-one execution as the main issue behind Justin's recent hard contact, rather than a lack of confidence: “It's not confidence, but it is about, you know, execution.”
Roberts added that Shohei Ohtani's right arm felt good after the hit by pitch and a few days without throwing, saying, “I do think his arm feels pretty good.” Roberts had not received a postgame update on Ohtani's right knee after Ohtani stopped suddenly while running: “I haven't heard much about it afterward.”
Roberts said the Dodgers' plan was to move past the loss, win on September 2, 2026, and try to take the series: “Try to flush this one and win tomorrow night and give ourselves a chance to win the series.”