Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Avoids Overmanaging Amid Extended Struggles

LA's rough patch hasn't gotten better.

Things haven't gotten better for the Dodgers.

In fact, for the team that's been mired throughout the season with uncharacteristic vulnerability in the bullpen, things hit a historic low on Saturday night.

LA played the San Francisco Giants on Saturday. Rookie Bobby Miller was on the mound looking to continue his incredible start, and things looked as if the Dodgers could have a chance at beginning to right the ship.

That didn't happen.

Miller faced his first struggles as a major leaguer and the bullpen broke the dam wide open as the Dodgers fell 15-0 in their most lopsided loss in Dodger Stadium history.

The team's problems were on full display in that loss, and while it is just one game in June, that kind of a defeat is one so convincing that it's certainly a sign that the problems may not just go away.

As for manager Dave Roberts, he spoke his about the delicate balance of wanting improvement while also trying to not overmanage and force the issue during his pregame media availability on Sunday.

"I think there's a managing with urgency and there's also a panic or forcing something to happen. You still have to let the game unfold and watch the game. I think it's just about doing things the right way and playing good baseball as opposed to me trying to impose certain decision making things to force something happen, I don't think that's a good thought process."

As to whether he has to fight himself at times to not do just that, Roberts conceded that that can happen.

"Absolutely. It happens a lot. When things are going well, you figure you try to think what you can do to kind of spark something. But we have good players. So for me to try to do something totally out of the ordinary. I don't necessarily think that's the right way to go about things."

As things stand now, it's not exactly a five-alarm fire for the Dodgers, but it's getting ever closer to that point and the team does need to turn things around pretty quickly.

As for how things went Sunday, the Dodgers lost 7-3 in the series finale to San Francisco.

They now sit in third place in the NL West and trail the first place Arizona Diamondbacks by four games.

And about that bullpen?

Their ERA has ballooned to a ghastly 5.11, second-worst in MLB ahead of only the 19-55 Oakland A's.

Yeah, they have a problem here.