The low point came 34 days ago.
During a late-season series in Atlanta, the Dodgers lost two games as their division lead dwindled. They learned Tyler Glasnow would become the latest, and most important, pitcher lost for the season to injury. For a brief moment, the team felt that people were “panicking,” as outfielder Teoscar Hernández described it, about their season. For one of the few times in a year full of adversity and unforeseen setbacks, manager Dave Roberts noticed confidence in his clubhouse waning.
So, in an uncharacteristic move for a manager who describes himself as “not a big meeting guy,” Roberts decided to call one, gathering his players before a Sept.