Dave Roberts discussed the Los Angeles Dodgers' 9-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies during a press conference on July 22, 2026, covering the offense, Eric Lauer's start and Max Muncy's go-ahead home run.
Roberts praised Lauer's professionalism, noting the pitched well despite an irregular rest schedule. Lauer typically starts every six days, but this outing came after roughly 13 days of rest. "He's a pro. Um you know, since he's been with us, he's been fantastic," Roberts said. He also noted the Dodgers have won all eight games Lauer has started, adding that Lauer had joked with him that the number was actually six before Roberts corrected him. "He's told me he's told [laughter] So when he let me know it was six," Roberts recalled.
Muncy delivered a two-run home run that put the Dodgers ahead for good. Roberts highlighted his consistency on both sides of the ball, calling it "invaluable." He also praised Tommy Edman, saying this is the best version of Edman the team has seen, with much-improved at-bat quality against pitching. Edman was previously regarded as a lefty killer but has faced more left-handed pitching recently while also improving against s, according to Roberts. Edman also made a defensive play against Will Klein during the game.
Roberts noted that Dalton Rushing has had a good stretch, including a homer in an at-bat in which he fell behind in the count before fouling off a pitch and connecting. With Will Smith out, Roberts said Rushing needs to step up. "Having Will down, we need him right now, you know, so we need him to, you know, be the player that that he expects that we expect," he said. Roberts also reflected on the team's broader consistency, noting the Dodgers have repeatedly lost series openers and come back to win the series, which he described as their 22nd series win of the season.
Asked about Shohei Ohtani, Roberts said he had spoken with Mark and confirmed Ohtani came out of his recent outing fine. "He's going to throw another bullpen on Saturday, but he came out of it," Roberts said, indicating Ohtani will continue his throwing program with a bullpen session on Saturday.