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NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: DODGERS VS BREWERS

October 15, 2018

Dave Roberts

Los Angeles, California - postgame 3

Milwaukee - 4, Los Angeles - 0

Q. I wondered, last year you expressed disappointment in the fans when they got on Pedro a little bit. What did you think when they got on Yasmani tonight? What are your thoughts on his performance offensively and defensively, and can you expect to keep running him out there?
DAVE ROBERTS: We'll play Austin tomorrow. Austin will catch. Yaz will be ready to go off the bench. He's been good for us all year. So he'll be ready off the bench tomorrow. He had a tough night and obviously the fans voiced their opinion. And they're passionate. They want to win. They want the best out of all of us, especially in the postseason.

So I know it's not personal. And I think it's just one of those things that they were just as frustrated as we all were.

Q. What did you see happen?
DAVE ROBERTS: I think in moments of leverage in the box I see him getting a little too anxious. And the block tonight with a shot to third base, a backup slider, he just couldn't get around. But that was a tougher play than it seemed, than it looked like. And then there was the pass ball that just hit his glove off the Wood pitch.

Q. It seemed like Walker's fastball was moving really well early, and then he had more trouble the third time through the order. What did you see from him today?
DAVE ROBERTS: I thought he couldn't command his curveball. I thought there were opportunities to get ahead of hitters with the breaking ball and he was trying but just couldn't really strike it. I thought the fastball had really good life and command all night long. The punch-outs speak to that. And he did enough to a point to keep us in the ballgame. And I thought it was a decent pitch to Arcia, it was a grounder off the bat of Kratz, that got down the line, and I still thought the stuff was coming out well. Arcia put a good swing on it, and I didn't think he got enough to hit it out, but unfortunately for us he did.

Q. For so much of us we're watching at how they use Hader. Are you doing the same thing? Is he that big of an X factor, you're always looking at when Hader comes in?
DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, he's obviously a guy you're very aware of when they're going to use him. Obviously tonight they used him for one inning, but he's tough. He's tough on right-handers, left-handers. But with a 4-run lead obviously they didn't need to go for two innings tonight, to probably save him for the next night, tomorrow or the next night. Yeah, we're aware of where he's at.

Q. You had the bases loaded twice tonight, couldn't get any clutch hitting. Anything you can do moving into tomorrow to try to shuffle things up to get a few more hits when you need them?
DAVE ROBERTS: Well, actually, I thought we had the right guys in those moments and we just didn't execute. So I think we were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. And one part of it is creating scoring opportunities. We had a second and third, one out. We had a lead-off double. And we couldn't push them across.

So in games like this, things like that get exploited. I definitely don't think it's the personnel. It's a matter of when we get in those spots we have to find a way to be productive.

Q. What did you think of the two slides that Manny had at second base? After the first was there any discussion with him about being careful?
DAVE ROBERTS: Well, the first one obviously they reviewed and it was fine. It was a clean play. And the second one I just felt that -- we talk about it a lot when you go into second base that you have to really make an attempt to hold on to the bag or not try to -- it's a safe play, as far as trying to protect the infielder.

And so Manny knows that. We talk about it all the time. And they looked at the review and they got it right. Because you do have to make a very good effort to hold on to the bag, and apparently we didn't. But I didn't really look at it too much.

Q. And can you explain the decision not to hit for Buehler in the fifth inning?
DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, you look at your bench and you've got Chacin, we've got a right-handed bench at that point in time, I mean all night. Chacin has been very good against right-handers. And with the way that Walker was throwing the baseball, I felt we could get two more innings out of him.

And in that spot in a one-run game, I felt we're still in it. So to try to get a hit with a guy that I don't -- it is just the net of having Walker still in the game. Where we've used our pen in the first couple of games there was a thought to continue into long innings. And again I still thought we had four chances to push a run across.

Q. One more thought on Walker. Did what you saw from him the third time through the order at all caution you against leaving him in a game that long later on down the road?
DAVE ROBERTS: No, no. He's gone third time through the order numerous times. I think for me it's how guys are seeing him. I still thought he was throwing the baseball well. And I'll take Walker against Arcia any day. And he put a good swing. I don't think it was necessarily the third time through. The ground ball, soft contact that found the outfield grass.

I just don't think you can blanket not having Walker or Clayton or any pitcher go out there afraid to go out a third time through because it's the third time through.

Q. For all the talk of their bullpen, have you been surprised how well their starters have thrown here?
DAVE ROBERTS: Miley and Chacin threw the ball well. So both those guys have had great years. They keep the ball down. And for us the plan is to get them up and try to put the ball in the air. And unfortunately tonight, and even against Miley the other night, we couldn't do that and they kept us at bay.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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