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NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: CUBS VS DODGERS

October 15, 2017

Albert Almora

Los Angeles, California - pregame 2

Q. You guys have faced some great, great pitchers; not good pitchers, but great pitchers. Is there something that the offense can do collectively to do something different with their at-bats, or do you have to stay within who you are, like you have all season?
ALBERT ALMORA, JR.: Yeah, I think we've just got to keep being us, putting great at-bats together, not trying to do too much. Obviously you know, now in the playoffs, they're bringing their A-game, just like all year. Obviously, we're battling. We're having a lot of fun out there, and this is what it's all about. We're facing the best, and we're having a lot of fun doing it.

Q. Talk about the success you have hitting lefties and the confidence Joe Maddon has in you.
ALBERT ALMORA, JR.: I'm a pretty confident player. I trust my abilities. I trust what I can do on the baseball field. Whenever I'm given a chance to play, I'm really not trying to do too much. I'm just trying to help the team, whether that be a righty or a lefty.

I'm happy that Skip has confidence in me in these situations. This is what I strive to be. I want to be a big part of this organization, hopefully for a long time, and hopefully win a lot of ballgames for these guys.

Q. Last year you were down 2-1 in the Championship Series, down 3-1 in the World Series and lost the Opener. But you look at your manager, and you could never tell with what -- on the argument last night. What is it about Joe and his leadership that you keep things so even keeled that you never let pressure affect you adversely?
ALBERT ALMORA, JR.: It's a loose clubhouse. I mean, he just lets us go and be ourselves, and I think that's special. You know, there is no pressure added. There are no speeches after losses or anything like that.

I've heard from other teams that some managers do that, and it might not be a bad thing for those kind of guys. But for the way our clubhouse is structured, win or lose, we're the same guys.

We lost yesterday. We turned the music on after a couple minutes and, hey, it's on to the next one. You've got to give credit when credit is due. The Dodgers played a great game. We did as well, and they just came out on top. It's part of baseball.

It's hard to sweep a postseason. It's hard to win -- it's impossible to win 162 games. You're going to have your losses. It's part of it. It's just how you bounce back is how you determine who the team and the winners are.

Q. In a game where it's just another day every day, you mentioned the music coming on even after a loss. Does that help eliminate any negative thoughts quicker so it doesn't linger with you guys after leaving the park after a loss? Not necessarily last night, but just in general?
ALBERT ALMORA, JR.: I guess. We don't think about it in any type of way. It's just, hey, that's the way we are. We're human. We're not robots. We're not perfect. So things happen in this game. Like I said, we're playing a great team over there, and you've got to tip your hat sometimes.

I think that made us stronger throughout the year, being able to just let it go and come back. Because at the end of the day, you go 0 for 4, you go 4 for 4, doesn't matter what happened. That day's over. You have to come back the next day and be prepared, be ready to go. It helped keep even keel the whole year.

Q. To hit a home run is fine, great. To hit a home run in these kind of games is even better. To hit a home run off Kershaw, how are you feeling about that?
ALBERT ALMORA, JR.: It's special, obviously. I respect Clay. He's probably one of the best pitchers in the game right now. Obviously in this moment, in this stadium, so much history here, just like in Wrigley, it's a pretty surreal moment. Obviously, I'm not trying to do that there. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes, and I think I hit one of them.

Obviously it's something that I'm going to be able to share with my kids and grandkids later on. It's going to be something that's going to be with me for a long time.

Q. You've been around this team for a long time. You've seen the guys, all of them go through their ups, their downs. It's a long season. When it comes to Javier Baez and his offense, when is he at his best?
ALBERT ALMORA, JR.: Oh, that's tough. I don't want to speak for him. But that guy has the most confidence that I've seen in a player. It's really special to see. Even now. Even now. He's not where he wants to be, obviously. We all know that. He knows that. But the smile on his face, he comes here to work, and he's ready to go.

That's all you can really ask for. In this game, unfortunately, things happen. You're not going to be perfect. You're going to have your week or two that you're not feeling at your best. I know I went through it. The way he's handling it, he's not bringing anybody down. On the contrary, I actually saw -- one of the first guys I saw when I looked into the dugout when I hit the home run was him cheering.

So he's a winner. He's here for us, and I want him in that starting lineup every day.

Q. Do you guys talk with John Mallee about the two-strike approach and changing things at times? Or is that, again, you stay with who you are? They allow you guys to be who you are within yourself and that's where the confidence comes from?
ALBERT ALMORA, JR.: You know what, it all depends on the player. Some guys obviously ask a lot of questions, and some guys have their own routine. They've been in the league for a while and they know what to do. Personally, I'm always trying to pick our hitting coach's ears, him and Eric Hinske, so I've learned a lot about myself with two strikes, how to be aggressive during the at-bat.

But they're there for us, and they're one of the hardest-working guys that I've seen from the coaching staff. Seven o'clock games and they're there at 10:00 in the morning. They're ready for us for whatever we ask for.

So it all depends. All depends on what the player needs and what the player wants. But they definitely let us be and let us do our job. But if we need them for anything, they're definitely there for us.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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