In many ways, the Los Angeles Dodgers have not enjoyed the season they expected to have after laving spending in free agency with hopes of being MLB’s first repeat champion in 24 years.
The Dodgers weren’t necessarily expected to run away with the National League West in a highly competitive division, but it has once again turned into a two-horse race with the San Diego Padres after the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants tapered off.
However, the Dodgers put themselves in this position due to their inconsistent play throughout the 2025 season. There’s not much they can do about it now but play their best baseball in the final month of the season to maintain a lead in the division and hopefully secure a first-round bye.
Miguel Rojas said there haven’t been any messages delivered or team meetings called for ahead of the final month of the season because everyone knows what needs to be done.
“It’s not necessary. Everybody knows what we need to do,” Rojas said. “We know where we’re at in the standings, we know where we’re at in the season, we know what our goal is.
“I feel the voice of Doc, hitting coaches, our psychologist guys, they’ve been giving us voices of support, and it’s been great. I feel like everybody in the clubhouse, the team, the players, has been doing the same over the last two months.”
As a team, the Dodgers have often failed to play up to their capabilities this season. But the talent on the roster is undeniable, and Rojas believes they’ll be a tough team to beat in the playoffs.
“I know the record is not there for us, but we’re still in first place,” he said. “Not playing the best baseball we can play, we’re still in first place and I think we’re going to be pretty dangerous in the playoffs.”
The Dodgers have arguably the best rotation in baseball with five pitchers who could be at the top of any staff in baseball with Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw.
There are no concerns about the rotation for the first time in years, but the offense and bullpen have been inconsistent at best. Both units have the talent to figure things out, but neither has been able to do so.
Dave Roberts wants consistency from Dodgers
The Dodgers’ loss to the Diamondbacks on Saturday again raised some questions about their focus and attention to detail.
Roberts has been critical of his players on several occasions this season and recently implied that they were relying on eventually flipping a switch. Roberts would prefer the team treat each game equally.
Since July 28, the Dodgers are 7-10 against sub-.500 teams and 11-4 against opponents with a winning record. Roberts said there was no excuse for this discrepancy.
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