Dodgers Outfielder, Dave Roberts Disagree Over Key Decision in Loss to Marlins

The disagreement highlights the growing pains of MLB's ABS challenge system.

Apr 19, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) walks to the mound for a pitching change in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers ran out of ABS challenges in their 3-2 loss to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday.

They played the final three innings without the ability to challenge ball and strike calls after Alex Call challenged and lost a 2-and-2 strike thrown by Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara in the sixth inning.

The pitch was a close one. The slider nicked the outside corner of the plate, on the border of the official strike zone defined by MLB.

⚾ ABS Challenge! Miami Marlins vs Los Angeles Dodgers

Bot 6 | Los Angeles Dodgers challenges
🏠 HP Umpire: Austin Jones
🎯 Sandy Alcantara to Alex Call
📢 Original call: Called Strike (98.1 mph Sinker)
❌ Result: Call stands.#MLB #BaseballTwitter #ABS #MarlinsBeisbol… pic.twitter.com/MZZkEGcI3J

— MLB ABS Tracker (@MLB_ABS) April 29, 2026

Nonetheless, the miss lowered the Dodgers' success rate on challenges to 56% for the season. They now rank 10th in MLB in that category.

Call, for his part, told Newsweek that the challenge was worth a shot.

“I know we only had one [challenge] left,” Call said. "You've got to use your challenges. I was about 90% [sure] on that one. Having the ball just be touching [the strike zone] by one-sixteenth of an inch is a win, as far as validating my eyes. Obviously you want it to be a ball, and it sucks losing the challenge and being down for the game, but a 3-1 count there [instead of 2-and-2] — it could be a different story."

The ABS system has a margin for error of one-sixth of an inch. The pitch Call challenged might have been within that margin, as he suggested.

Still, manager Dave Roberts disagreed with the 31-year-old outfielder.

“Obviously, when you look back, it wasn't a good challenge,” Roberts said. “It’s hard to have one challenge left in the fourth inning ... and you put yourself behind the eight ball. You know, if you're gonna challenge, and it was a [high] leverage-ish spot, as far as that importance but ... you like to think you're gonna get those right.”

On an individual level, Call is 1-for-2 challenging pitches as a batter. Will Smith has won 21 challenges as a catcher, tied with Agustin Ramirez of the Marlins for the MLB lead.

Other Dodgers haven't been so fortunate.

Dalton Rushing is 1-for-5 challenging pitches as a catcher, one of the lowest success rates in the league. Tyler Glasnow is 1-for-1, Edwin Díaz is 0-for-1 and no other Dodgers pitchers have challenged a call.

The Dodgers certainly aren't the only team still navigating how to take advantage of MLB's first challenge system. Their lost challenge on Wednesday highlights some of the typical growing pains around the league.

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