Roberts calls Dodgers fans' boos toward Baez 'ridiculous'

The Los Angeles Dodgers' ongoing slide is quickly making a lot of folks sweat in La-La Land.

Things unraveled quickly for the Dodgers on Friday night, as they blew a 4-1 lead in the fifth inning en route to their 13th loss in 14 games, a 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Colorado Rockies. In the stands, frustration was taken out on reliever Pedro Baez, who was lustily booed by his home crowd as he entered the game in the sixth inning.

Baez entered having allowed five earned runs in his last three appearances, and took the loss in two of his team's most recent defeats. Roberts defended his reliever and chastised Dodgers fans for jeering him in the face of another loss.

"I absolutely think it's ridiculous," Roberts said, per J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News. "I think that, you know, as passionate as our fans are, as knowledgeable, I think it's ridiculous that this guy who grew up a Dodger and who does nothing but competes, continues to grow, and he's got a two-and-a-half (ERA) - gets booed at home. That's something that really pissed me off tonight.

"This guy's grinding, trying to find his way through things, and has done a lot of good things for us," Roberts continued. "He's pitched big innings. And these are our fans that come here and welcome him with boos? It's ridiculous."

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The boos didn't seem to bother Baez, as the 29-year-old struck out the side in his lone inning of work - something Roberts was quick to acknowledge.

"The way he responded was outstanding," Roberts added. "To Pedro's credit, to go out there and punch the side out, good for him."

Los Angeles, once on pace to challenge the major-league record for wins in a season, has now lost seven consecutive home games. The team's lead in the NL West, once a 21-game advantage over Arizona, remained at 10 after the Diamondbacks' 13-game win streak was snapped Friday.