April 22nd, 2023 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka Less than 24 hours after experiencing the best game of the new 2023 season, the Dodgers – and their fans – experienced the worst.
One day after the game-winning ninth-inning grand slam home run by 25-year-old Dodgers (sudden) superstar James Outman in Thursday’s exciting 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs at historic Wrigley Field, 33-year-old Cubs left-hander Drew Smyly not only no-hit the Dodgers for 7.1 innings on Friday afternoon, he came within six outs of throwing what would have been the 24th perfect game in MLB history.
…would have been.
Instead, and with no intention whatsoever of chumping Smyly out of his bid for baseball immortality, 35-year-old Dodgers pinch-hitter David Peralta hit a full-swing nubber up the third base line which Smyly and 35-year-old Cubs catcher Yan Gomes both attempted to field, resulting in the pair colliding and neither neither being able to make the play.
Truth be told, even if Smyly or Gomes had fielded Peralta’s ‘swinging bunt’ (as they are often called) cleanly, Peralta would have easily beaten the throw. As such, and rightfully so, he was credited with a base hit, the only one the Dodgers would have on the day in their embarrassing 13-0 loss to the North Siders.
“I think it’s been two weeks since we won back-to-back games,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters postgame. “I think each game it’s a different reason. Today, it was obviously both sides of the baseball. Yeah, I don’t really know the inconsistencies, the reasons for it.
“I think we’re just going to try to flush it. I know I’ve said that more times than I care to in the first month of the season, but right now, that’s all you can do,” added the Dodgers skipper.
As for his take on Smyly’s near perfection, Roberts said what every Dodgers – and baseball – fan on the planet would say:
“There was no hard contact all day. We were fortunate enough to have a collision between the catcher and the pitcher to get an infield knock, so Drew pitched a heck of a ballgame,” said Roberts.
He then summed it up best:
“It never feels good to get your butt kicked like this.”
Yes, it doesn’t.
Play Ball!
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Posted in 
Just the right velocity on the Peralta hit. 1 or 2 mph up or down and it would have been fielded cleanly. A little faster and it gets to pitcher quicker, and , a little slower and the catcher is all over it. That’s baseball.
“Yeah, I don’t really know the inconsistencies, the reasons for it.” Anyone else tired of Roberts saying this (or something very similar) every season when the Dodgers are struggling to play championship baseball? As the on-field leader of the LA DODGERS shouldn’t Roberts have a grasp of the problems/issues of the team playing substandard baseball?
Roberts is clueless. He says what he is told to say by the front office.