Latest news with #post-All-StarGame
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hernández: Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is always the calm center during the storm
Dave Roberts wasn't pretending to be calm. He was calm. None of this was new to him, the depleted starting rotation, the fatigued bullpen, the division rivals within striking distance. Under similar circumstances in past seasons, Roberts pointed out, 'We've gotten to the other side.' Advertisement The Dodgers won a World Series like this last year. They have won the National League West in 12 of the last 13 seasons. They usually reach 'the other side.' So rather than panic, Roberts waits. He waits for the end of a particularly difficult 26-game stretch, and when Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell can pitch again. Roberts won't say this publicly, but the Dodgers just have to tread water until they are whole. They claimed a 5-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday to win for the second time in their three-game series at Petco Park, preserving their lead in the NL West. The Dodgers host the second-place San Francisco Giants in a three-game series that starts Friday and the third-place Padres in a four-game series that opens Monday, after which their schedule will become noticeably softer. Advertisement Read more: Teoscar Hernández's home run helps lift Dodgers to series win over Padres Their remaining opponents before the All-Star break: the Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers. The post-All-Star Game schedule is extremely manageable as well. Provided a couple of their starting pitchers return as anticipated, the Dodgers should be able to not just win their division but also secure a top-two seed in the NL, which would give them a first-round bye in the playoffs. As it is, the Dodgers are 41-27, only ½ game behind the Chicago Cubs, the league's current No. 2 team. Dodgers players have taken on Roberts' understated confidence and make-do-with-what-you-have approach, which explains how the team has survived a 19-game stretch in which every opponent had a winning record. The Dodgers were 10-9 in those games. Advertisement 'Character,' Roberts said. Roberts specifically pointed to Teoscar Hernández, who broke out of a slump Wednesday to hit a key three-run home run; to Freddie Freeman, who he revealed is now dealing with a quadriceps injury in addition to his ankle problems; to Mookie Betts, who has continued to play high-level shortstop while playing with a broken toe. 'Guys are not running from the middle part of the season, the stretch we're going through,' Roberts said. 'We're just finding ways to win.' Teoscar Hernández circles the bases after his three-run homer. (Derrick Tuskan / Associated Press) The series win against the Padres was also a credit to Roberts' ability, and willingness, to play the long game. Advertisement With Tony Gonsolin put on the injured list last week, the Dodgers were forced to schedule two bullpen games in San Diego. By punting on the first and refraining from using any of his go-to relievers in a loss, Roberts ensured his team would be positioned to win the series finale. Again, this was nothing new, as Roberts basically forfeited games in both the NL Championship Series and World Series last year with the remainder of the series in mind. Roberts elected to send opener Ben Casparius back to the mound to pitch a fourth inning on Wednesday rather than replace him with Jack Dreyer, whom Roberts has grown to trust. The extra inning made a difference. Lou Trivino pitched to the bottom of the Padres' lineup in the fifth inning, allowing Roberts to deploy Dreyer against the heart of the order in the sixth. When Michael Kopech walked the bases loaded in the seventh inning, Roberts responded with the necessary degree of urgency rather than allow the recently activated Kopech to try to pitch his way out of trouble. Roberts summoned Anthony Banda, who retired Luis Arráez and Manny Machado to maintain the Dodgers' 4-2 advantage. Advertisement 'The bullpen has certainly been used and pushed,' Roberts said. 'I just think it speaks to the character.' And it says something about the manager as well. Roberts is now in his 10th season as the manager of the Dodgers. He has managed 1,426 games for them in the regular season and another 100 in the postseason. At this point, there's not much he hasn't seen, including what the team is dealing with now. Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is always the calm center during the storm
SAN DIEGO — Dave Roberts wasn't pretending to be calm. He was calm. None of this was new to him, the depleted starting rotation, the fatigued bullpen, the division rivals within striking distance. Under similar circumstances in past seasons, Roberts pointed out, 'We've gotten to the other side.' The Dodgers won a World Series like this last year. They have won the National League West in 12 of the last 13 seasons. They usually reach 'the other side.' So rather than panic, Roberts waits. He waits for the end of a particularly difficult 26-game stretch, and when Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell can pitch again. Roberts won't say this publicly, but the Dodgers just have to tread water until they are whole. They claimed a 5-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday to win for the second time in their three-game series at Petco Park, preserving their lead in the NL West. The Dodgers host the second-place San Francisco Giants in a three-game series that starts Friday and the third-place Padres in a four-game series that opens Monday, after which their schedule will become noticeably softer. Their remaining opponents before the All-Star break: the Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers. The post-All-Star Game schedule is extremely manageable as well. Provided a couple of their starting pitchers return as anticipated, the Dodgers should be able to not just win their division but also secure a top-two seed in the NL, which would give them a first-round bye in the playoffs. As it is, the Dodgers are 41-27, only ½ game behind the Chicago Cubs, the league's current No. 2 team. Dodgers players have taken on Roberts' understated confidence and make-do-with-what-you-have approach, which explains how the team has survived a 19-game stretch in which every opponent had a winning record. The Dodgers were 10-9 in those games. 'Character,' Roberts said. Roberts specifically pointed to Teoscar Hernández, who broke out of a slump Wednesday to hit a key three-run home run; to Freddie Freeman, who he revealed is now dealing with a quadriceps injury in addition to his ankle problems; to Mookie Betts, who has continued to play high-level shortstop while playing with a broken toe. 'Guys are not running from the middle part of the season, the stretch we're going through,' Roberts said. 'We're just finding ways to win.' The series win against the Padres was also a credit to Roberts' ability, and willingness, to play the long game. With Tony Gonsolin put on the injured list last week, the Dodgers were forced to schedule two bullpen games in San Diego. By punting on the first and refraining from using any of his go-to relievers in a loss, Roberts ensured his team would be positioned to win the series finale. Again, this was nothing new, as Roberts basically forfeited games in both the NL Championship Series and World Series last year with the remainder of the series in mind. Roberts elected to send opener Ben Casparius back to the mound to pitch a fourth inning on Wednesday rather than replace him with Jack Dreyer, whom Roberts has grown to trust. The extra inning made a difference. Lou Trivino pitched to the bottom of the Padres' lineup in the fifth inning, allowing Roberts to deploy Dreyer against the heart of the order in the sixth. When Michael Kopech walked the bases loaded in the seventh inning, Roberts responded with the necessary degree of urgency rather than allow the recently activated Kopech to try to pitch his way out of trouble. Roberts summoned Anthony Banda, who retired Luis Arráez and Manny Machado to maintain the Dodgers' 4-2 advantage. 'The bullpen has certainly been used and pushed,' Roberts said. 'I just think it speaks to the character.' And it says something about the manager as well. Roberts is now in his 10th season as the manager of the Dodgers. He has managed 1,426 games for them in the regular season and another 100 in the postseason. At this point, there's not much he hasn't seen, including what the team is dealing with now.
The Mainichi
25-05-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Roberts won't rule out minor league start for Ohtani, who faces hitters Sunday in big rehab step
NEW YORK (AP) -- Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts won't rule out a possible minor league rehabilitation start for two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who is scheduled to pitch to batters on Sunday for the first time since elbow surgery in September 2023 and could return after the All-Star break. Normally a pitcher coming back from elbow ligament repair makes several minor league starts in the final stage of his recovery. But because Ohtani is among the top hitters in the major leagues, the defending World Series champion Dodgers wouldn't want to lose his bat for any games. Minor league teams are off on Mondays, leaving Thursday, June 12, as the only day next month Ohtani could pitch in the minors while the Dodgers are off. "I think anything should be on the table," Roberts said before Saturday night's game at the New York Mets. "It's not going to be five minor league starts, I do know that," Roberts explained. "I think this is just such a unique situation that there's no one kind of blueprint. So we're going to do this live session. I can't even speak to if it's going to be an up and down. ... And then we'll see what the next week brings. If he's going to be around, it's going to be simulated games, but I really don't know what that even really looks like." Hyeseong Kim and Dalton Rushing are among the hitters likely to bat against Ohtani. "It's a big step getting on a mound facing hitters. Rightfully so, there's a lot of anticipation but I think he's really looking forward to it." Roberts said. "I'm looking for command. I just want him to get through it healthy and be willing to get to the next step." Roberts said during an in-game interview on the Fox telecast that a post-All-Star Game return was likely. Ohtani had right elbow surgery on Sept. 19, 2023. He returned as a hitter last year after signing a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers as a free agent and won his third MVP award by batting .310 with 54 homers, 130 RBIs and 59 stolen bases. After shoulder surgery on Nov. 4 to repair a labrum tear sustained during the World Series, Ohtani threw four bullpens sessions at spring training from Feb. 15-25, then paused to prepare for opening day as a hitter. He resumed bullpens on March 29. "I think up to this point he's checked every box," Roberts said. "You're talking about really adding velocity -- I think right now it's been tempered or controlled. You're talking throwing a slider to hitters, which he has only done in a bullpen. So those are two other boxes."
New York Times
13-04-2025
- Health
- New York Times
Spurs' Victor Wembanyama confident he ‘will be ready' for next season after blood clot
SAN ANTONIO — Addressing the media for the first time since a blood clot in his right shoulder ended his All-Star season in February, San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama on Sunday asserted his firm belief that he will be ready to rejoin his teammates by the time training camp begins in September. Advertisement Wembanyama called the post-All-Star Game discovery of the deep vein thrombosis more blessing than misfortune. He said he was 'feeling good' and working hard on his conditioning, while heeding the advice of the team's conditioning staff to progress slowly. 'I'm not going to expand on that too much, because it all remains to do for me,' Wembanyama said. 'But I'm hungry, and I will be ready.' Asked if the diagnosis required him to adjust expectations for his career, the 21-year-old from Paris showed remarkable equanimity. 'I think it's all about perspective,' Wembanyama said. 'All the attention I got from the incredible people here, incredible at their jobs. From my visits to the hospital and such, I think I got as good (of) care as you can get as a patient. So, looking back, I'm really lucky … But, all of us in that (locker) room, all of us in the league, we do with what we get, we do with what we are blessed with. And I'm still in the 1 percent luckiest people, so I've got nothing to complain about, and it is a really slight setback.' Wembanyama said what his teammates have done without him and fellow All-Star De'Aaron Fox, who missed the rest of the season after hand surgery in March, has heightened his expectations for next season. 'I've seen some energy in the court and dedication that has grown throughout the season,' Wembanyama said. 'At some point, I even felt like, damn, I wish we played like that when I was there. They do dirty work, they sacrifice, fighting every single game. Of course, we always think about the guys like Keldon (Johnson), Blake (Wesley), who are just machines and give a hundred percent all the time. But the whole team embraces that energy, and I'm willing to show that I'm ready to do that, too, because I'm willing to do the dirty work just as they do.' Wembanyama averaged 24.3 points and 11 rebounds this season. Though he played only 46 games, he finished the season as the NBA leader in shots blocked, with 176, 28 more than the Milwaukee Bucks' Brook Lopez.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA Finals odds: Thunder, Celtics end All-Star break as co-favorites
The defending champions and the two teams with the best records in the NBA are the post-All-Star Game favorites to win the NBA Finals. The Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder are both at +225 to win the Finals at BetMGM while the Cleveland Cavaliers are at +800. The Thunder and Cavaliers are atop their respective conferences with 44-10 records at the All-Star break. The Cavaliers are 5.5 games ahead of the defending champion Celtics at 39-16, while the Thunder are a remarkable eight games ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies in second in the West. Both the Celtics and Thunder stood pat at the trade deadline earlier in February. The Thunder's big addition was the return of Chet Holmgren from a hip injury that had sidelined him for months. The Cavaliers added De'Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks at the deadline for a package that included Caris LeVert. The Celtics have won two of three games against the Cavaliers so far and the two teams play once more on Feb. 28 in Boston. A Boston win will give the Celtics the tiebreaker if they can somehow make up those 5.5 games on the Celtics. That seems like a long shot, however, given there are fewer than 30 games to play in the regular season. The Knicks, Nuggets and Lakers are lurking behind the top three. New York is at +1300 and the Lakers and Nuggets are at +1400, though it's fair to wonder if the odds for New York and Los Angeles are inflated a bit because of a big-market bias. The Knicks are third in the East and 2.5 games back of the Celtics, while the Lakers are currently fifth in the West. However, Los Angeles is just three games out of second and a half-game out of fourth following its trade for Luka Dončić. The Lakers should have one of the most creative offenses in the league as Dončić and LeBron James get more time on the court together. However, the team's defense will be a question mark, especially in the playoffs. The team was forced to sign Alex Len off the buyout market to bolster its depth at center after its trade for Mark Williams with the Hornets was rescinded. Denver could be the best value of the three teams. Nikola Jokić is again putting together an incredible season and Denver entered the All-Star Game on an eight-game win streak. Denver looks to be the most likely team to finish second to the Thunder in the West and boasts the same core that carried the team to the Finals in 2023. The Celtics are the most-bet team at BetMGM with 14% of Finals tickets on Boston and those tickets making up 16.6% of the handle. The Lakers are the second-most bet team to win the Finals, while the second-most money is on the Nuggets. No other team has odds better than +2500. The Grizzlies are at that number as they rebound from a 2023-24 season that was decimated due to injuries. The Bucks are at +3000 as they have re-tooled once again. The Bucks sent Khris Middleton to the Wizards for Kyle Kuzma at the trade deadline and are just five games over .500. Milwaukee is one of just two teams inside the top six in either conference that has a losing record on the road. The Bucks are 29-24 overall and just 11-15 on the road. The Clippers, currently sixth in the West, are 12-13 on the road. Here's a look at the odds for every team with a 100-1 or better shot of winning the Finals. Boston Celtics (+225) Oklahoma City Thunder (+225) Cleveland Cavaliers (+800) New York Knicks (+1400) Los Angeles Lakers (+1400) Memphis Grizzlies (+2500) Milwaukee Bucks (+3000) Los Angeles Clippers (+3500) Dallas Mavericks (+4000) Golden State Warriors (+4000) Houston Rockets (+5000) Minnesota Timberwolves (+5000) Philadelphia 76ers (+6600) Phoenix Suns (+8000) Indiana Pacers (+10000) Orlando Magic (+10000)
