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Dave Roberts is making it clear: the Dodgers need their offense to carry them through October. The manager told the team that he wants the lineup to “drive” the postseason push, per staff at DodgerBlue.com. This comes after Los Angeles repeated as World Series champions last year despite never reaching full offensive potential during the playoffs, scoring just .213 as a team over the final three rounds (aside from an 18-run outburst across two games in the NLWCS sweep of Cincinnati).

The reality is simple. Last year the Dodgers won by pitching and defense. Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and the rest of the core got it done when it mattered, but the offense was inconsistent and sometimes downright quiet. This September, with one month left in the regular season, Roberts is signaling that won’t cut it in 2026. He’s not wrong. Every October rotation has better stuff, every bullpen sharper. The margin for error shrinks. And when your bats go quiet like they did last October, you’re vulnerable—even if you have the pitching to back it up.

For the Dodgers heading into the final month, this is the real message: tighten up at the plate. Get Freeman and Betts hot. Keep Shohei Ohtani‘s lineup presence felt. Make sure Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernández continue producing. The pitching staff is solid. But Roberts knows the 2025 blueprint—barely scraping through October on fumes offensively—is a luxury this team can’t afford again.

Source(s): Staff (DodgerBlue.com) | First reported: September 2, 2026 2:10 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers