Dave Roberts still plans for World Series win

Sep 27, 2022 - 11:48 AM

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Dave Roberts promised that, barring pitching issues, the Dodgers would win the World Series this year. Has that changed given the current state of the team’s arms?

“I still believe that regardless of what’s transpired this year with our pitching, we have enough talent to prevent runs,” Dave Roberts told reporters this weekend. “Thank you for asking.”

While the Dodgers have enjoyed a hugely successful season — they’ve won 106 games, the NL West title, and home field advantage for most of the playoffs — pitching concerns do loom. A quick rundown:

• Walker Buehler is recovering from his second Tommy John surgery.
• Blake Treinen hasn’t been progressing as expected from a shoulder injury.
• Dustin May will miss the rest of the regular season with back issues.
• Tony Gonsolin will likely take on a more limited role after recovering from forearm tightness.

And, to top things off, the Dodgers will be closing by committee instead of relying on Craig Kimbrel. So where does Dave Roberts get his confidence?

He still has Julio Urías, Clayton Kershaw, and Tyler Anderson to anchor the postseason rotation. The closing group will include Evan Phillips, Tommy Kahnle, Alex Vesia, and Chris Martin, all of whom have limited closing experience but have proven to be reliable relievers.

As for the rest of the equation — time will tell. Dylan Hernández at the Los Angeles Times has more info.

Dodgers Links

Evan Phillips’s journey to a successful season with the Dodgers has been a long one. Rowan Kavner at Fox Sports tells us how it all finally came together for the reliever.

In case you missed it, Clayton Kershaw is leaning towards playing again in 2023, writes Mike Axisa at CBS Sports.

Andre Jackson sees striking out Albert Pujols this weekend as a small but definite sign of progress after a tough Triple-A season, writes J.P. Hoornstra at The OC Register.