​Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts put on a managerial masterclass on Tuesday, October 6th, pulling all the right strings.Why Game 3 was so crucialThe Dodgers were in danger of going full win-or-go-home mode after losing Game 3 to the Atlanta Braves. LA had their best starter going in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, with Tarik Skubal already used, and an inconsistent Tyler Glasnow left to deploy. Oct 6, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) in the dugout in game three of the NLDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn ImagesAdditionally, Chris Sale took the mound as Atlanta’s starter, and the home crowd got to see a good amount of their bullpen.With so much at stake and the Dodgers’ offense struggling mightily in Game 2, Roberts had his back against the wall, and instead of running the same old lineup and crew, he put on his managerial cap and made some pivotal changes.The lineup tweaksOverall, the offense went into battle mode against Chris Sale, taking a good number of pitches and making strong swing decisions for the most part. Sale lasted only five innings as the starter, allowing seven hits and three runs while striking out seven. Roberts challenged the offense, especially struggling players like Will Smith and Shohei Ohtani, to really hunker down and fight, fouling off pitches and really looking at where pitches were going. Additionally, he put in Kike Hernandez to hit for Max Muncy. Muncy had two home runs over the first two NLDS games, but against a southpaw, Roberts put in Hernandez. View this post on InstagramA post shared by Noel Sanchez (@noisebynoel)Kike Hernandez has one of the best postseason resumes of all time, but he was injured for most of the year, didn’t play much, and struggled at the plate when he did. Still, Roberts trusted the matchup and believed in Hernandez, who delivered a key two-run home run on a low changeup against Sale. His home run made the difference.Oct 6, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Enrique Hernandez (8) circles the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the fourth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn ImagesOhtani went down the order to fifth, his lowest since joining the Dodgers, and went 0-for-2 with a walk, though he looked better than in the first two games.Roberts kept the faith in Andy Pages, and the center fielder rewarded Roberts with a 2-for-4 game, a real confidence booster. The offense didn’t need to be great; it just needed to do enough, and it met that bar thanks to Roberts’ tweaks. The bullpen callsYoshinobu Yamamoto threw 98 pitches through seven innings, and with the stakes and how well he pitched, Roberts could have made the typical overconfident managerial move of “trusting your guy.”Yamamoto can throw 120+ pitches if needed, but Roberts resisted the temptation and called in Tanner S