Dodgers postgame: Dave Roberts sees "dream scenario" with Clayton Kershaw & Shohei Ohtani

[Music] just first see there you put it towards um didn't it look right to have him back out there it was great um you know hearing his song come out and just watching him sweat compete um you know punch guys out it was great um I thought we pushed them enough um to get him ready for his next one where we can continue to build and we've got a nice foundation and um yeah I mean it was just it's been such a long you know Road for him back and um I'm just happy for him I'm happy for his family and uh you know for the fans to get to see uh you know one of the greats you did see we got in a little bit of traffic but just to see how the stuff is playing and TOS who had to evolve back to the shoulder surgery it's what did you see from that side did you feel good just about I I think from that side um what I was looking at is the stuff and I I think the arm speed the hand speed and that's something that he kept and maintained um for all of his pitches and when he starts to lose that then the slider doesn't isn't sharp uh the curve ball doesn't get there and then there's some little bit loss on the fastball velocity but today um it held and so for me that was a big positive and shows that he's strong he's healthy did those things exceed your expectations you know I I don't know I I tried not to put too much expectations on you know you know what we were going to get from him but I think it it it it uh was as good of as a as a result and um of his stuff and performance as I could have hoped for um and just even talking to him after the game um I I think he felt there was some adrenaline I'm sure but he felt good felt strong still and so um so I think that's something that I'm excited about and um you know I expected the swing and Miss I just didn't know if the stuff the hand speed the arm speed was going to hold and so it did and so that's something for me is a big takeaway do you feel like the momentum of the season is back on your side after things wi the allar break you guys go six and one on this home get glass down C sh back do you feel like things are starting to go your way again I I do I I do um I I just really you know happy for the guys to you know weather a lot of things that are out of their control and guys have stepped up and you know ke had a big day Lux is continue to play well Austin's doing a fantastic job behind the plate um and supporting everyone else the guys in the pen have stepped up in whatever role is asked of them and the young starters are doing great so to your point yeah we're getting healthy we're getting our guys back and um not to say that there's not going to be somewh challenges or another storm coming but I do think that you know that storm sort of before the dead before the break um I I think we weathered it and we got some momentum going into this road trip did Kershaw seem pretty common that two on know out situation for a guy who hadn't pitched all year you know it it it's it's I think it's one of those things that he's pitched in so much stress in those situations so many times throughout his career and I just learned it 17 years um so I think that there's some part of it that just you just default to have having already been there and it's not about your first start back it's not about you know how you feel it's about getting and out and getting out of that inning minimizing damage and you know people that have been in those kind of battles um have that to fall back on and I think that was his only thought you know in that moment and then Nick Amed second game with you guys he it's a go-ahead home run late against his old team just how special moment was that and how impressed have you been with his ability just to come in and contribute right away uh it was big we needed it um you know just to have essentially a gold glove Short Stop fall in our lap you know and we lose Chris Taylor the next you know the same night we acquire him and for him to come out there and hit a game a go-ahead homer against his old team I'm I'm sure that felt good for him and um he knows this division inside and out he's a major league player he's a winning Championship caliber player and so we just got better and so I'm happy for him and I think also you know a new ball Club regardless of familiarity um you feel good that you contributed and so I think that it makes him feel like you know I'm a part of this this group that wants me that needs me and and he can kind of take off from there and then 5 through n the lineup they can uh they count for five to six runs just how big of a li for they and how big of a turnaround have you seen with that part of lineup a huge huge turnaround and you know and and I mentioned some guys earlier but even Andy you know a young player who's he's in the thick of things and so for him to keep his wits about him and still play good defense and still take good at bats and he had a couple one or two hits today and so it's just I'm excited for him to continue to mature but yeah the 539 guys did a fantastic job today against a tough tough customer in the web does Nick arrival does Nick's arrival soften the blow for what's that does Nick's arrival kind of soften the blow that about it does it does I I feel for Chris because you know it's going to take some time to get him back um but you know he's not the only person that's on the ilil and you know you hear it all the time it's the nextmen mentality so it's certainly softens it when you got a guy that you know is a lock down shorts stop he's not afraid of getting a big hit and uh he's a seasoned veteran why did you go to Hudson so early today um I I just felt that you know just how you look at you have a lead you have Five Guys essentially that you you want to deploy you have to deploy to to cover the game and then you've got to have uh Honeywell at the back end for Extra Innings for some length and so it was sort of trying to put those pieces in the right place and you're looking at who they're going to hit for who they're not going to hit for and um I just felt that that was kind of the best way to to piece together the the game also huie um was the freshest of the group so um you know to insert him in the game uh and other guys you could potentially hold off an inning to give us an that bat to potentially tack on so you might have a chance to use somebody else but you know hu is a guy that I felt good in the lane and also the freshest what do you think of honeywall so far honey Honeywell is great he's very confident I love the strike throwing aspect um it's a funky change up screw ball um I think that we we were're getting him at the right time you know a guy that's been kicked in the teeth and kind of on the outs and then he has a new start had a premonition that it was going to be the Dodgers that claimed him and so he's all on board and as a 29y old player with not a lot of service I think that we we got him you know I think he's just scratching the surface so really excited about honey da that that third inning Jam Clayton clearly needed strikeouts there that he was that he that he's still able to sort of rear back and get swing and Miss is that encouraging it is it is and that's kind of to my point about the hand speed you know when the hand speed is fast and it replicates the breaking ball then the stuff can create deception and that's what he does and um for him to get the strike out and not give in you know takes a guy that's been through it to be able to trust doing that and we needed those strikeouts you know that first strikeout was huge and the second one I think he got to fly out but um that that speaks to you know where his stuff is at how does it sound a win a game we're playing starting show what about that Homer huh um yeah I mean that's like a dream scenario right you get you know two of the best players of Our Generation Um to finally play together I I think that you know shohi always talked about playing with Clayton and so this is the first game they got to play together and you know Clayton's got to watch Shi from a Sidelines for for four months so um well shooting five months um so yeah it it was good it worked out great Dave was this a good first step to see where he'll be for you guys in October it is it is and I think that you know if this is the floor then we're in for a fun ride with a clay this year Dave did you think the uh times shot will go out of the stadium or or just the B uh you know I was just hoping it would stay fair and uh that just speaks to it was just a really good swing um to hit like a sand wedge at 46° and to hit it you know 20 rows deep that's just he's just again look up the last time somebody hit a ball that's 43 de that far it just doesn't happen so again you sees his children all right thanks guys