‘Do or die’ Dave Roberts quote will have Dodgers fans running through a wall
The Los Angeles Dodgers faced a must-win Game 6 Friday, down 3-2 to the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series. Los Angeles had Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound again after the second-year starter threw back-to-back complete games. But Dave Roberts pulled Yamamoto in the sixth inning, trusting his bullpen with the Dodgers’ season on the line.
The gamble paid off. LA’s relievers protected a 3-1 lead through three innings. And Roberts pressed all the right buttons, bringing in Tyler Glasnow to close out the game. The Dodgers won on a wild game-ending 7-4 double play, sending the World Series to a decisive Game 7.
“This is do or die. You’ve gotta leave it all out there and pick up the pieces,” Roberts told Ken Rosenthal after the Game 6 victory, per FOX Sports: MLB. “From Yamamoto to what [Justin Wrobleski] did tonight. We got hits when we needed to, Mookie came up big. Man, we live for Game 7, so here we go!” the veteran manager added.
Dave Roberts confident in bullpen after Game 6 win
Despite being down in the series, Freddie Freeman was confident the Dodgers could make a comeback. Mookie Betts had his first multi-RBI game since the Wild Card Series against the Cincinnati Reds. And the team went 2-6 with runners in scoring position
But pitching was the story of the night for LA. Roberts pulled Yamamoto after 96 pitches. Wrobleski relieved the Dodgers’ ace in the seventh inning before passing the baton to Roki Sasaki in the eighth.
When Sasaki ran into trouble early in the ninth inning, Roberts went to Glasnow.
“I just felt right there, Roki wasn’t as sharp… [Glasnow] is a guy that has swing-and-miss stuff and I just wanted to bet on him. He’s been champing at the bit to make an impact,” he said.
Roberts also confirmed that Shohei Ohtani would be “part of the pitching plan” for Game 7. “With Shohei it could be two innings but it could be four innings. So I’m not sure where we’re gonna slot him. We’re gonna have to talk to him first and see where he’s most comfortable,” Roberts said.
Dan Campbell’s brutally honest assessment of Lions should scare rest of NFL
The Detroit Lions have been one of the best teams in the NFL this season. Even after losing both of their coordinators this offseason, Detroit seemingly hasn't lost a step. They come out of their bye week with a 5-2 record, scoring key wins against some of the top contenders in the process.
If the Lions are to be believed, they still aren't playing to their full potential. Head coach Dan Campbell believes that Detroit still has another gear this season. The Lions HC said that they could stand to be better at playing complementary football over the course of the season.
“I really believe we haven't played our best ball yet collectively in all three phases,” Campbell said, per Eric Woodyard of ESPN. “And that's really what we're trying to get to here is how can we sharpen ourselves. We know it's going to take every phase. Every game's different, and one unit may have to pick up the slack, but we need to start playing complete ball across the board. And just keep improving — like with all these teams that we're in the race with right now. So, that's where we're at.”
The Lions have highlighted four key areas for improvement during their bye week. That includes their third-down efficiency on both sides of the ball. Detroit is ranked 22nd in third-down conversion rate this season with just 37.7%, far below their 47% rate last season. On the other side, they're allowing a similar third-down conversion rate on defense, which is higher than their 32.5% rate last year.
The two other areas that the Lions focused on during the bye week are their red zone defense and Jameson Williams' involvement on offense. While Detroit's defense has been generally solid this season, it's allowing a whopping 63.6% of its opponents' red zone trips to end in a touchdown. On the other hand, Williams has had an up-and-down season thanks in large part to his fluctuating target rate. Detroit's offense is at its best when the threat of Jamo downfield opens up the rest of the offense. Finding ways to get him in space is going to be crucial for this team moving forward.
The Lions open the second half of their season with a matchup against the Minnesota Vikings at home. Will Detroit apply what they've installed during the bye week in their next games?
