Fair to wonder if Dave Roberts still wants to change NLDS format after Dodgers comeback

After two decisive wins and two devastating losses for LA, everything came down to Friday evening, when the Dodgers and Padres played one last game to decide who goes on to the Championship Series against the never-quit Mets. It was hosted at Dodger Stadium and fireworks were forecast long before first pitch, but, in the end, a better behaved crowd packed the seats to see the Dodgers get past the DS for the first time since 2021.

It was an excellent series, but one where the momentum flipped midway through Game 3 when the Padres simply decided to stop scoring. They wrapped the series with 24 shutout innings, and the Dodgers escaped by recording the final out before San Diego's offense had the chance to wake up. Which begs the question ... does a best-of-five feel better to Dave Roberts now than it did earlier in the series, when he argued for change?

It took a while, but LA finally showed us that they are capable of putting up a good fight and getting angry in Game 4, when it looked through Games 2 and 3 like they were just going to take their defeat quietly and try again next year. It's difficult to turn things around that quickly, but as the Dodgers eventually proved, it is possible.

Yes, the Dodgers are lucky they got here after falling behind, but it's still an unsettling position to be in for both teams, and Dave Roberts made his feelings about that clear on Wednesday, when he said, "Right now, I wish [the Division Series] were seven games. Obviously the seven-game series certainly gives a better test of the opponents. We’ll see if we can work on that. But I definitely like the seven-game series for sure."

Dave Roberts wishes Dodgers had best-of-seven Division Series

And ... now that the Dodgers rode Yoshinobu Yamamoto's coming out party and two solo home runs to the finish line, does he still feel that both teams deserve a longer showcase? Or is he just excited the Dodgers escaped?

Every year, it's all about the bye until it isn't. The time off saps division winners' strength ... until they find it. It's a burden that falls on the players, who are waiting to click, but the manager plays a role in preparing his team, too. Maybe Roberts was afraid he hadn't done the trick before his players proved him wrong.

Either way, I doubt you'll hear many complaining on MLB's side about the Dodgers finding their mojo and advancing. The short series will likely stay.d