Roberts shocked by latest early Dodgers exit: 'This one hurts'
The Los Angeles Dodgers were bounced from the postseason earlier than expected once again Saturday, losing the NLDS in four games to the 89-win San Diego Padres despite another dominant regular season.
"Shock factor, very high. Disappointment, very high. It's crushing," manager Dave Roberts said, according to Juan Toribio of MLB.com. "This hurts everyone because we didn't accomplish our goal, and that's the bottom line. Yeah, this one hurts."
Roberts has led the club to six division crowns but only one championship in his seven-year tenure.
Los Angeles set a franchise record with 111 wins and returned to the top of the division for a ninth time in 10 seasons but mustered only one postseason victory before another untimely exit.
The Dodgers continue to have trouble translating their regular-season domination to playoff victories. Their championship came in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, and they made two other appearances in the Fall Classic since 2013. This is the fourth time over that decade-long span that they've failed to win a playoff round.
Since 2013, the Dodgers boast the best regular-season record in baseball at 931-588 (.613 win percentage). The New York Yankees are second with a whopping 73 fewer victories. Over that time, the Dodgers are 53-47 in the postseason.
Game 4 starter Tyler Anderson threw five shutout innings Saturday before being removed at 86 pitches to start the sixth. The breakout star of the Dodgers' rotation only allowed two hits and two walks while striking out six. Relievers Tommy Kahnle and Yency Almonte wound up coughing up the 2-0 lead in the seventh.
"I could've gone five more innings," Anderson said. "I would've thrown 150 pitches if they would've let me. But you never second-guess that situation."
Interestingly, over the previous six postseasons, the Dodgers have either won the World Series or lost to the eventual champions. The Padres will face the Philadelphia Phillies in the best-of-seven NLCS for the right to play for the Commissioner's Trophy.