Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts offered a blunt assessment of his team, which has lost eight of its last nine games.
"Kind of thinking about it on the plane yesterday, we're a wild-card team right now," he said Monday, according to Jack Harris of the California Post. "We gotta get going."
Roberts attributed the recent stretch to a lack of "urgency" and "focus" while pointing to the Dodgers' slouching offense as a reason for their struggles.
"It never feels good to be bullied," he said. "And to know that teams go after us with the fastball more than any team in baseball, that's bothersome. That would bother me."
The Dodgers are fourth in the majors in runs, but sit 23rd in the league in scoring over the past 30 days. Roberts expects better results from his squad and believes it comes down to effort.
"Everyone’s trying," he said. "But I think the effort could still be enhanced and improved and more focused. So yeah, I think it's just a reminder. A good reminder. There's plenty of time. We're still plenty good. But we gotta play like it."
The Dodgers enter Monday's contest against the Kansas City Royals with the third seed in the NL playoff picture.
