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NL DIVISION SERIES: DODGERS VS METS

October 13, 2015

Don Mattingly

Flushing, New York - Postgame four

Los Angeles Dodgers 3 New York Mets 1

Q. Just for Justin Turner to have the kind of performance he had tonight against a team that let him go, (no microphone). Is there a certain satisfaction that a player can take from that?
DON MATTINGLY: I'm sure there's some type of satisfaction, but JT, we've been around him enough over the last couple of years. It sounds like his time here, he liked it, enjoyed it. Didn't seem to have any ill will. Maybe he does, I don't know. Just doesn't seem to. He seems to enjoy it when he comes back.

So I think it just feels good to get a big hit. He's swinging the bat good. He's been able to go from being a guy that obviously was let go to being a guy that's been for us a really good player over the last two years.

Q. Obviously getting that performance out of Clayton was important for you guys to continue your season, but how big do you think it was for him personally to have an outing like that, get a win, sort of pitch a good game like that in the postseason?
DON MATTINGLY: I mean, he'll be able to answer. I think he's coming in. But to me his game's a lot like the other ones he's pitched. He's pitched really good, just tonight he got the out. He goes six, I don't want to talk about it. I know he went six scoreless last year against St. Louis. The seventh inning, you make a couple of plays and he ends up getting a big homer. Tonight he was able to basically pitch the same way. Cespedes hits that chopper to lead off the inning and like, Oh, here we go, and he was able to stop that.

Q. Any thought to leaving him in in the 8th? What was going through your mind? Did you discuss it with Clayton? What was the thinking behind that?
DON MATTINGLY: No, no thought at all in the 8th. We had guys ready in the seventh. Him going on short rest, he was throwing the ball good. The ball was still coming out of his hand good, but at that point we knew that was going to be it for him.

Q. To follow up, did the way the game played out in the 8th and 9th go with basically what you had mapped out before the game? And also was there a concern about Justin's health before the game?
DON MATTINGLY: Well, we were willing to go six outs with Hatch and Kenley right there. We would have went Hatch 6, 7 and Kenley 7, 8. Hatch came in and got two big outs for us. When we get to David, we think that's a spot for Kenley to come in there and obviously Kenley finishes it up in the ninth.

Yeah, JT has been -- he was a little sore yesterday during the game. He had some swelling. He was able to play, but as the game went on, he was going to have trouble moving. So we felt like it doesn't hurt us at all to have Jimmy and move Corey over. Both those guys are good defenders.

Q. Having survived tonight now going home having, Greinke on full rest, do you feel like you've regained the upper hand in this series?
DON MATTINGLY: Well, we're going back home, where we get a chance to play. So that's a feeling to be able to get out of here. I think coming into here you think about getting a split and being able to come in here and split and get back home and get the ball -- we knew Clayton was going to pitch, so getting the ball back to Zack on our field and give us a chance. When we lose one of those games at home, it puts us in a bind. So when we're able to split them, it gets back to a game that anything can happen honestly. You don't know how the ball's going to bounce. Something can go wrong early. You just don't know. But we have an opportunity at least to extend.

Q. I know it's right after this game, but is it possible that Kershaw could work out of the pen for Game 5?
DON MATTINGLY: I don't know. He'll probably want to, but I haven't really thought of that scenario. But since the Mets might be listening, yes, he could pitch. (Laughter). I don't know. We'll see.

Q. Given that the Cespedes chopper as you mentioned, was sort of an "Oh, here we go moment," the fact Clayton got through that, how much do you think that's going to help him in that situation in postseason series down the road?
DON MATTINGLY: I don't know. Again, he can say it, but you know, hopefully he's getting to pitch this postseason again, and that really would be the biggest thing. Clayton has pitched for the most part pretty well. He's had a couple of different innings that went wrong, but for the most part he's pitched well.

You know, I'm actually really happy for him. I mean, this kid is tremendous. Everything that you're supposed to be, he is, and I think to see him be able to do that tonight on short rest is a really good feeling for I know myself, but I think a lot of those guys in that clubhouse feel the same way. This guy's an animal, the way he works, represents us, the game of baseball, himself. I mean, he's really a credit to the game, and so you're really happy for him to be able to do that tonight.

Q. Is the short rest for Clayton just a one-time thing because of the format in the first round or if you're fortunate enough to win, could he go on short rest again on Saturday?
DON MATTINGLY: Just trying to get the ball to Game 5 at this point. We just kind of planned up to this point and see where we go from there. I don't look too far ahead, but we probably wouldn't go short rest, short rest, I wouldn't think. If we're able to get the ball back to him, that means we're in a seven-game, and I don't think we would do that.

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