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NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: DODGERS VS BREWERS

October 20, 2018

Dave Roberts

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - pregame 7

Q. Walker is going to be up over 165 innings this year going into this game. And just wondering, is that still within the range that you guys were thinking about in Spring Training or did you have to really adjust the plan for him at some point?
DAVE ROBERTS: I think that we did a pretty good job of adjusting the plan to get ahead of it. And where he's at right now I don't foresee any limitations. Obviously in this particular game we want him to go as long as he can, as hard as he can -- as hard as he can for as long as he can. But as far as the sum of his workload, we're in pretty good shape.

Q. How willing would you be to play Clayton Kershaw today and how much can you reasonably expect him to give you today?
DAVE ROBERTS: Very willing. It's hard to see a scenario that he's not a part of this game. And what he could give us, it's hard to -- he's going to go out there and do his pregame and see how he feels. And so for he and I, it's going to be a conversation and how he's throwing the baseball. So there's really no -- I don't really have a number of pitches or innings. But I do see him being a part of this equation.

Q. Every team has ebbs and flows through the years but watching the Brewers from afar the past few years, what has it been like to see them rise from pretty bad to tonight in a pretty short time?
DAVE ROBERTS: It's actually -- Couns is a person I really have a lot of respect for and we're friends. And so to see the way this group, this organization has come together in recent years, it's good for baseball. It's a great fan base. They're doing it the right way. And so to make the trades that they did, the acquisitions, the key players that play the game the right way with a core group of guys, it's fun to watch and very commendable.

Q. You played two do-or-die games in the postseason. What did you learn from that?
DAVE ROBERTS: What did you learn from it? What did I learn from it? It's important to try to get a lead. You've got to use all your resources that are at your disposal. But I just can't say enough about the importance of trying to get a lead and kind of putting the onus on the other team to kind of react.

Q. Last year in Game 7 you just played it in the World Series, but it was a weird one. They got ahead early and that was kind of it. Is there anything you take from that particular game or that experience that you would apply tonight?
DAVE ROBERTS: A little bit. It's easy to kind of go back and look at how things played out, but in this situation there's a result, there's how the guy, I feel in my opinion, looks. So, yeah, I have to take all of my experiences and the players that we have this year and make a decision on what's best to win this game today.

So make no mistake, our only goal is to win tonight's game. So whatever that means or whatever it takes.

Q. Having played this game at the highest level last year, the emotional state of your team, do you think they're anymore calm because of that?
DAVE ROBERTS: You know what's funny, is that I think the general mood is very relaxed. It's very relaxed. Guys are laughing. Guys are preparing. There's certain guys that have kind of got that focused look and their personalities reflect that. But I do believe that being in this situation and playing in a lot of big games, albeit only one Game 7 in the World Series last year, which a lot of our guys were part of, not something that we look fondly on, but I think that experience will help.

But, again, we've got to go out there and take good at-bats off Chacin and try to get a lead. That's one thing I think in this series we haven't done a good enough job of.

Q. I know you don't want to give away exactly what you're going to be doing, is Clayton starting the game in the bullpen or walking out later?
DAVE ROBERTS: Clayton is going to start the game in the bullpen.

Q. Given that Max has had struggles trying to make contact in this series, did you consider starting David at first base today?
DAVE ROBERTS: You know what, I think that that's a fair question. I do believe that there's been some swing and miss with Max. I still like him in the batter's box, I do. Chacin has made some good pitches on him as has their guys in the bullpen. I also feel that Freese is a very good weapon in a selected spot off the bench. And I still trust Max's ability to get on base and potentially slug for us.

Q. How much thought did you give to starting Yasmani behind the plate because of what you've talked about with his chemistry with Walker Buehler?
DAVE ROBERTS: I thought about it. It was a tough one. Yasmani has been our starting catcher all year long. And Walker, they've had success together. But I just feel right now the way that Austin is receiving, sync'd it with our guys as far as game planning, I just felt that this, for one game right now today, gives us the best chance. And to have Yasmani as a left-handed bat on the bench also is an added bonus for our club.

Q. The two Game 7's you were part of, Boston and then last year the road team won them both. Is it all about scoring first to unplug that crowd? Because the crowd can go nuts. What is the key to a road team doing that?
DAVE ROBERTS: It does -- you do want to try to take the crowd out of it. And two of the Game 7's that I was a part of, one on the good side and one on the not so good side, that's exactly what happened. So obviously it's easier said than done. But this is a very energetic, lively crowd. And so to put good at-bats together and put a couple of runs across, that's huge.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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