"A matter of a couple of inches here and there" - Shohei Ohtani opens up on David Robertson's effectiveness against the top of the Dodgers lineup
The Texas Rangers came roaring back against the LA Dodgers' offense and won the series 2-1. One of the key components of Bruce Bochy's side, especially in Game 2 and Game 3, was 39-year-old RHP David Robertson.
The Dodgers' top line, which consists of megastars like Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman, was all silenced by the veteran pitcher as he struck them out with no outs and runners on first and third in the same inning on back-to-back nights on Wednesday and Thursday.
In the post-game conference, Ohtani opened up on Robertson's performance in the series. The $700 million Dodgers star praised the 2011 All-Star's pitching prowess as he appreciated the mix of pitches that the pitcher showed during the game.
"He has been able to execute side-to-side pitching pretty closely, some pitching may not be strikeouts but overall he has been able to manage pretty well," Ohtani said via his interpreter.
"He has been able to mix his pitches pretty well throughout the outing, but we have been able to hit the ball pretty hard, it could have been a matter of a couple of inches here and there."
The Dodgers lately have shown symptoms of offensive turbulence and it was once again clear with their disappointing performance against the defending World Series champions.
So far this season, Robertson has played 28 games for his side. He has an ERA of 3.19, a WHIP of 1.03 and 46 strikeouts. After his heroic performance against the Dodgers, the team and its loyal supporters would hope to see similar performances from the relief pitcher.
David Robertson on his performance against the Dodgers' top-line
Following the game, David Robertson reflected on his performance against the Dodgers. The pitcher said that winning this series was really important for him and his team, as they hadn't won one in quite some time.
“I just had to dig deep. We walked away with a series, which we haven’t had in a while. It was just my turn to win a battle against them because they’ve been beating me up so bad," Robertson said.
The Rangers are next scheduled to face the Mariners for a three-game series, and after winning two consecutive games against one of the most formidable sides of MLB this season, they will surely hope and try their level best to continue this winning streak even further.