Dave Roberts' comments after Dodgers' slow start show lack of preparation

When the Dodgers shut out the Mets on Sunday and put up 10 runs on the board for good measure, they ended a truly depressing homestand on a high note. In three series against the Padres, Nationals, and Mets, the Dodgers were 3-6, with just one win per series. The overwhelming number of losses can be attributed to weaknesses across the board — pitching being shaky from top to bottom, the rotation's woes feeding into additional bullpen innings, and hitters still not being able to hit with runners on base. The Dodgers always kept themselves from being swept, but that's just about the only positive takeaway from their last nine games.

Of the rough go at home, Dave Roberts said that he "didn't foresee this," which isn't exactly what fans wanted to hear. Fans are allowed to go into a season with high expectations for their team, especially when they've assembled a lineup like the one the Dodgers currently have, but the manager should probably have fewer blind spots than fans.

He also said that he thinks it was "just a bad week," which isn't really an answer for to how the Dodgers will fix these problems going forward (subscription required).

Dave Roberts hopes the Dodgers "just [had] a bad week" which isn't exactly reassuring for fans

The Dodgers were supposed to be doing a lot of things right out of the gate, and some have lived up to the hype. Aside from Freddie Freeman having his version of a slump (he's still hitting .287, but his slugging isn't where it should be), the top of the lineup is still raking. Shohei Ohtani is starting to come out of his "hitting with RISP" slump, and Tyler Glasnow has been just about the only great thing about the pitching staff.

However, the bottom of the lineup was supposed to be one of the best in baseball, and they haven't been. The bullpen was supposed to be better than they were at the beginning of last season, and they sort of are, but they're still in the bottom third of all teams in ERA, and the Dodgers have been forced to depend on them more because the rotation hasn't been doing well either.

The solution could be that the hitters just need to get hot and the rest will follow, but that doesn't seem like the best thing for the manager to be resting on. Roberts and the Dodgers shouldn't just be hoping that better days are ahead, they should be trying to ensure that they are right now.