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3 times Dave Roberts shot Dodgers in the foot and gifted Padres NLDS

By Thomas Carannante |
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 25: Manager Dave Roberts #30 of the Los Angeles Dodgers speaks to the media during a news conference before the start of the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium on September 25, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 25: Manager Dave Roberts #30 of the Los Angeles Dodgers speaks to the media during a news conference before the start of the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium on September 25, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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The San Diego Padres are moving on to the NLCS for the first time since 1998. For all the drama this team has overcome in 2022, their journey deep into the postseason is well-deserved. For all the trash talk they endured at the hands of Los Angeles Dodgers fans, the triumph is even sweeter.

While the Padres admirably came up with clutch hits, played great defense, and battled with their pitching performances, there’s no denying the Dodgers suffered from a few self-inflicted wounds throughout this series.

Dodgers fans are pointing the finger at manager Dave Roberts, who, while he couldn’t control the team forgetting how to hit with runners in scoring position, didn’t exactly help with his decision making either. A manager’s job is to navigate the unexpected shortcomings and occurrences.

Roberts, time and time again, whether it’s a script he’s following, orders from the front office, or his own intuition, has failed to press the right buttons. For that, Padres fans have every reason to be thankful because even they’ll admit they needed all the help they could get against the Dodgers.

3 Dave Roberts decisions that help the Padres upset the Dodgers in NLDS

Austin Barnes #15 of the Los Angeles Dodgers (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Austin Barnes #15 of the Los Angeles Dodgers (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

3. Pinch-Hitting Austin Barnes in Game 2

With the Dodgers trailing 5-3 in the bottom of the eighth in Game 2, Nick Martinez got the first two outs of the inning before Gavin Lux singled to right field to bring the tying run to the plate. It was Trayce Thompson.

Padres manager Bob Melvin countered with Josh Hader, who got himself into trouble by walking Thompson to put the tying run aboard. With Cody Bellinger due up, Robert made the switch and called upon … backup catcher Austin Barnes. Uh … what?

Roberts could’ve sent wily veteran Chris Taylor or even electric rookie Miguel Vargas up to face Hader. Instead, Barnes, who, by the way, didn’t start Game 2 with Clayton Kershaw on the mound, was tasked with the high-pressure situation despite only hitting .212 on the year. Batting average isn’t usually a metric baseball fans live or die by anymore, but it’s important when you need a hit! Taylor, on the other hand, had a career 3-for-8 mark against Hader and, despite a poor season at the plate as he battled through injuries, was undoubtedly the better option on paper.

Barnes flew out to end the inning. Hader shut the door in the ninth and the Padres claimed home-field advantage.

Trayce Thompson #25 of the Los Angeles Dodgers (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Trayce Thompson #25 of the Los Angeles Dodgers (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

2. Starting Trayce Thompson Every Game

The Dodgers got beyond lucky when they traded cash to the Detroit Tigers for outfielder Trayce Thompson, who then proceeded to have a monumental career year after being a nobody from 2015-2021.

In the end, Thompson went 2-for-16 in the NLDS. He scored one run, walked three times, struck out six times, and didn’t record an extra-base hit. But apparently that was a better option than Cody Bellinger, who went 1-for-7 in the first two games and struck out four times? At least Belli hit a double and has a ton of postseason experience (in fact, he was great in October last year!).

Thompson no doubt should’ve gotten a healthy amount of reps, but when the offense was witnessing a downturn for the ages, leaving him in there was certainly not the right move. Thompson is a supplemental player that benefitted from the success of everybody around him — he lengthened the lineup. He was/is by no means a singular force to deserve 4 out of 4 playoff starts.

On top of that, perhaps Roberts and the Dodgers put the nail in the coffin of their relationship with Bellinger, who is by far a better defender than Thompson.

Yency Almonte #38 of the Los Angeles Dodgers (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Yency Almonte #38 of the Los Angeles Dodgers (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

1. Pulling Yency Almonte After a 1-0 Count

What … was this? In a win-or-go-home Game 4 for the Dodgers, Roberts got the team into a bit of a pickle with his pitching decisions. First, he yanked Tyler Anderson after just five innings and 86 pitches. The left-hander allowed just two hits and two walks. Only one baserunner advanced past first in those first five frames.

Going to the bullpen that early, quite frankly could’ve been the result of this undoing. Chris Martin got through the sixth (after allowing two hits), but then the seventh was where it all unraveled. Tommy Kahnle allowed three earned runs on two hits and a walk and Yency Almonte allowed two earned runs on two hits.

But that was because Alex Vesia gave up the game-losing hit to Jake Cronenworth after Almonte was pulled from the game on 1-0 count to the Padres’ second baseman. This move screamed desperation and without a doubt probably rattled Vesia, who more than likely wasn’t ready to enter a game in the middle of an at-bat.

Vesia worked the count to 2-2, but Cronenworth, with the stadium already rocking, ripped a two-run single into center field. If Roberts wanted to go lefty-lefty, why did he allow Almonte to throw a pitch? And why did he think it was smart to import Vesia behind in the count?

Additionally, Vesia pitched in Games 1, 3 and 4; Almonte pitched in Games 2, 3 and 4; and Kahnle pitched in Games 2, 3 and 4. Perhaps Vesia, the better pitcher, should’ve just come in to face Ha-Seong Kim, Juan Soto and Manny Machado?

Padres fans aren’t complaining, though. It punched their ticket to the NLCS.

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