Dodgers' Roberts: 'We're a better team' than Cubs this year

Dave Roberts is pulling no punches.

With his Dodgers facing the Chicago Cubs in Los Angeles on Friday for the first time since both sides squared off in the 2016 National League Championship Series - in which the C emerged victorious in six games to advance to the World Series - Roberts admitted he held the North Siders in high regard throughout last season but doesn't feel the same this time around.

"Last year, I thought they were the best team ... This year, I feel we're a better team," he told the Los Angeles Times' Andy McCullough.

Though the season is still young, Roberts' assessment isn't exactly groundless. Heading into Friday's contest, the Dodgers are sitting at 28-20 while the Cubs are at 25-21. Chicago does, however, own the top spot in the NL Central, while Los Angeles is 2 1/2 games behind the Colorado Rockies in the NL West.