Dodgers manager Dave Roberts compliments Phillies lineup: ‘They have the same type of approach that we do’

PHILADELPHIA — Dave Roberts thinks the Phillies and Dodgers lineups have similar approaches.

“It’s a very, very talented lineup,” the Dodgers manager said. “Very dangerous lineup. … They have the same type of approach that we do. So you got to really pound the strike zone to get these guys out.”

It’s an interesting comment to hear considering that the Phillies were heavily criticized for chasing themselves out of the postseason in each of the last two years. The Dodgers faced the same New York Mets pitching staff a series later last year — and found success by being more patient and waiting for them to come into the strike zone. Los Angeles won three of the first four games of the series by at least eight runs. They walked 42 times across six games.

But according to Roberts, there is not much separating the Phillies lineup and the one that regularly has Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman at the top. The Phillies will miss Freeman this time around, as a shower mishap landed him on the 10-day IL.

“When they swing the bat, [they] slug,” Roberts said about the Phillies lineup. “And most of their guys do a good job of controlling the strike zone and taking walks when needed. So they make you throw the ball over the plate. That’s a really good formula for getting base runners in scoring position.”

In Philadelphia, there is a perceived wide gap between the Dodgers and Phillies. Really, there is a gap between the Dodgers and every other team in the league. The preseason PECOTA has LA projected to win 105 games. The same projection system has the Phillies with 89 wins, and the division rival Mets and Atlanta Braves at 91.

“I think that both teams like to use each other as a barometer or as a benchmark,” Roberts said. “There’s a lot of familiarity. We haven’t played in a lot of postseason games in recent years, but there’s a little rivalry with us, which is interesting, I think, in a really good way.

“We’ve both been good for so long. We both play similarly. There’s a lot of star power with both ball clubs. I think there’s a mutual respect. I enjoy playing these guys.”

Los Angeles will likely enter the postseason as favorites to repeat as World Series champions. As J.T. Realmuto half-joked after Thursday’s game, the Dodgers are billed as an “unbeatable” team. The Phillies and Dodgers are both well aware of the randomness of the postseason and how the best team on paper rarely wins it all. The Dodgers won 111 games in 2022 and fell to the San Diego Padres in four games in the NLDS. They watched from home as the 89-win Phillies surged all the way to an unexpected World Series appearance. The 2024 Dodgers faced elimination in Games 4 and 5 of the NLDS.

The two teams finished with the two best records in the National League last season. Somehow, the Phillies and Dodgers have avoided each other in the postseason over the last three years. Is this the year the two teams finally meet?

“I don’t necessarily want to talk it into existence,” Roberts said.

Harper on Dodgers: “Only losers complain”

Bryce Harper has some thoughts for those who like to complain about how the big bad Dodgers are ruining baseball.

The reigning world champs come into Citizens Bank Park with an 8-0 record. It will be the first real test for the Phillies, who opened the season with six games against the Washington Nationals and Colorado Rockies.

The Dodgers went on another offseason spending spree that has once again raised questions about the sport implementing a salary cap to maintain competitive balance. They added Blake Snell, Michael Conforto, Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates and prized Japanese pitching prospect Roki Sasaki. They also re-signed Blake Treinen, Teoscar Hernández, Clayton Kershaw and Kiké Hernandez.

Harper doesn’t think there is a problem with it.

“People won’t like this, but I feel like losers complain about what they’re doing,” Harper said. “I think they’re a great team, a great organization. That’s why guys want to go out there and play. LA is a great city to play in. It’s the mecca of kind of the world of everything from food to nightlife to sports. From the Dodgers, to the Lakers to anybody. They’re going to continue to get guys. They’re going to continue to pull guys from this sport, whether that’s bullpen, starting pitching, international players, anything like that. They’re doing what the Dodgers do.”

Roberts appreciated his comments.

“That’s probably why Bryce is one of my favorite players,” Roberts said. “I agree with him.”