Spirits high as Dodgers reflect on win

LOS ANGELES —- Manager Dave Roberts may have the understatement of the night when he was asked about his reaction to Yasmani Grandal’s grand slam that completed their comeback in the seventh inning.

“I think I kept my emotions in check,” said Roberts, “you know it is just one of those things, as a coach, manager, you’re in their every at bat for these guys.”

“You know the struggles Yasmani’s had, you know he’s had a great night,” said Roberts, “but right-handed not so much. And I know he’s up there competing to get to a good count, and to a get a pitch and drive it, I was pulling hard for him and all those guys, in those collective at-bats, so to kind of see that inning through with that exclamation mark, I was a little emotional.”

Roberts added that this team believes that nothing that can stop them from being on top at the end of game.

“It is kind of one of those things right now where we’re at,” Roberts said, “where regardless of score, we always feel at the end we are going to find a way to win.

“That’s something, as this season has moved along from April to now, you just see that,” Roberts said, “there’s always been fight but I think that belief comes from having done that and we’ve done it numerous times.”

Brett Anderson pitches well in his return off the disabled list

Brett Anderson’s line shows he gave up four runs in five innings but Anderson, Roberts and Yasmani Grandal thought he pitched well outside two pitches he made on Thursday night.

“Outside of that second inning,” Roberts said, “I thought he threw the ball well.” “His last outing, I thought he was around 69 pitches, something like that, so where he was at, I did not see fatigue, but I think that was good for him to go five innings. For his first start, I thought it was pretty good.”

“First actual start with everything healthy and feeling good” Brett Anderson said, “execution still wasn’t there from where I’d like it to be but closer.”

“I gave us a chance to win, [Yasmani] had one of his career days and our bullpen did what they’ve been doing for however long now.”

“I’ll take the positives out of it more than the negatives,” Anderson said, “my body feels good, I’m not 100% closer to where I want to be execution wise but body wise, arm wise, could not ask for much better.”

“I think he was good, made a couple of mistakes, just basically two,” Grandal said, “one to Hundley, one to DJ and obviously to DJ, you make a mistake, he’s been hitting really good, he’s leading the league in batting average, good contact guy.”

“I thought [Anderson] did a good job, he gave us a solid five,” Grandal said, “especially coming out the two previous outings, he made big strides, and he stepped up.”

Chase Utley’s instinctive no-look throw to first

Manager Dave Roberts had more to say about this play than the man who made it.

“The legacy of Chase needs to grow, he does so many things, the thing about him,” said Roberts, “he makes this crazy no look pass to first base and first thing he says after you compliment him on the great play, he can’t I believe I missed that ball.”

“So instead of acknowledging the greatness of that play,” Roberts said, “he wants to go back to I should have made that play a lot cleaner.”

Chase Utley was a man of few words when he was asked about it after the game.

His first comments about the play.

“Got lucky to be honest with you.”

Asked if he knew where he was on the field when he made the throw.

“I did know where I was, or at least it looked like it right.”

When asked how difficult that play was to make.

“To be honest with you, pretty lucky but we’ll take it.”

Did he make the play all on instinct.

“A little instinctual and a little lucky.”