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MLB WORLD SERIES: ASTROS VS DODGERS

October 28, 2017

Dave Roberts

Houston, Texas - postgame 4

Los Angeles Dodgers - 6, Houston Astros - 2

Q. Was there any hesitation pulling Wood after the first hit he had given up?
DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, there was. I thought that obviously he pitched an incredible game. Both starters tonight were lights out. Woody's command tonight, his compete was just off the charts. The focus and just on this stage to leave it all out there, I just felt that where they're at in the order and how much he's been used or pushed over the last month, right there, that's all he had. And for me, for us, that was plenty. And it was time for us as an offense to pick him up. And I felt good going to Morrow right there. And can't say enough about what Brandon and the pen did tonight.

But, yeah, Woody set the tone for us and just outstanding tonight.

Q. Yesterday in here you said you were sticking with Bellinger in the cleanup spot through some real difficulties. And I think you mentioned he was just going out of the strike zone too much. Did he get back in the strike zone tonight in those last two at-bats? And what made you feel that a young, inexperienced player would be able to reverse course before the series ended?
DAVE ROBERTS: I did feel that he went back in the strike zone. And I think it's one of those things that he's got that calmness about him. And when things speed up, he has a way of sort of resetting and not letting it spiral. Even this year in his first year, there were times where he started to struggle. And he was able to slow the game down and not put too much pressure on himself. And you look at the at-bats tonight that he had, huge. He came up big. And the one thing with Cody, though, is he's such a defensive star out there, that the defense obviously helps us win baseball games, as well.

But it was absolutely good to see him come back tonight with a couple of big doubles.

Q. You mentioned compete, overall with the whole team, the mindset after what's happened in the last 24 hours has been a very busy World Series. What was this team all about tonight?
DAVE ROBERTS: Well, I think both teams, both teams really athletic, just play their tails off. And I think for us to really -- early on versus Morton, didn't really have great at-bats. And really he had really good stuff. The fastball was playing tonight. The curveball, the slider. He threw a couple of right-on-right changes to our guys that we really weren't ready for.

But you look at KikÃ© and the two-out hit by Logan, and just to kind of stay the course. There were some great defensive plays. Logan out there, JT at third. The defense kept us in the game, Woody pitched well. But for us in the 9th against Giles, their closer, get the base knock and a walk and the big hits following, it was a complete team effort. But I think for us is, you're down 2-1, and you just go in there with the focus of trying to win one game, and that's what we did tonight.

Q. You mentioned Cody not leaving the strike zone, what did you like about his approach beyond that in his last couple of at-bats?
DAVE ROBERTS: I think that you look at yourself and you punch four times in a row the night before. You fly out in a decent at-bat, your first at-bat. And then you punch again, and then the game starts getting more important towards the end of the game. But for him to really keep that calmness about him says a lot about the makeup of the player. And there's certain players that just have that innate ability to be in that spot, to want to be in that big spot. And Cody, you can see the heartbeat is really good.

Q. Seems like there's been a little bit of philosophy shift in baseball about managers, instead of using relievers to put out the fire, you want to make sure the fire doesn't start in the first place. Can you explain how that came about, and where you stand on pulling a guy even if he's doing great?
DAVE ROBERTS: I think it's more you've got to put yourself out there, because I think in baseball it's very reactionary. And to be able to try to be proactive and get ahead of something that potentially might happen, and to go a direction that might increase your chances marginally that we don't know, I think that us as an organization, I think that I know I believe that. But you do open yourself up for some criticism.

But I think for us, for tonight, I thought Alex earned the opportunity - obviously, the way he was throwing the baseball, didn't give up any hard contact - to continue to go. But at that point in time after the homer, I just felt that right there, I just saw that for me, I felt that was good enough. That was enough that he needed to give us. And to go right to the pen right there, I felt we can keep them there, we win the game.

Q. Morrow's thrown four times in five days, he's been so valuable for you. Just how important is that, his role? And is he available in Game 5?
DAVE ROBERTS: He's available. He's available. And we'll get Kenta back. We've got our horse going to start tomorrow, No. 22. And you look at how we match up and use our pen, and to have bridge guys to get to the big man at the back end is imperative.

Today we did have Rich Hill in the pen if we needed him. But the innings that B-Mo and Watty gave us were obviously huge to allow us to get to Kenley. So if those guys can't do their job, it just doesn't work. But a credit to all those guys.

Q. You just mentioned Kershaw going to big Game 5. How much confidence does it give you knowing he's next?
DAVE ROBERTS: I like where we're at. This series up to this point, we've played four games, and there's been so many emotional swings, and we're dead even right now. And it's a three-game series, and we've got our ace going tomorrow. So I know that in our clubhouse we feel good.

We're going to enjoy tonight. It was a hard-fought ballgame. But I promise you we'll be ready to go to win one game tomorrow.

Q. Culberson pinch-ran for Turner, was there any kind of injury issue?
DAVE ROBERTS: He got hit on the calf at some point tonight, and so he just told me, just to keep an eye on him. And once he got to third base, I felt he went first to third and if there was a medium fly ball that Joc would hit or something like that, I felt that I didn't want to push him too much, make sure he's available for tomorrow, and don't want to put him in harm's way.

That's it. He said he's fine and he'll be ready to go tomorrow.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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