NL DIVISION SERIES: GIANTS VS DODGERS

October 10, 2021

Dave Roberts

Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles Dodgers

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Just wondering with Kenley and Blake not pitching in these first two games, do you feel like you'll be able to expand them a little bit in the next two?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah. I think that you at these first two games now, potentially it's a three out of four, which each one of those guys has done. But even looking at tomorrow just feeling that you can go one-plus in any situation, feel kind of more flexibility, even in tomorrow night's ball game.

Q. You've had Corey Knebel in some high leverage already in the playoffs. What sort of gave you that confidence in September that he was ready for that and how can that affect the bullpen moving forward?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think with Corey it was obviously his track record, certainly in the postseason speaks for itself, and coming off that lat injury early in the season, I think our entire, even having conversations with Corey all year long was to get him ultimately prepared for whatever we need of him in September.

So I've always had that trust, but haven't had that chance to really deploy him. I think the most important thing is that he's throwing the baseball well, he's healthy, and just the confidence that I see when I give him the baseball kind of makes me feel even better.

Q. Is Austin Barnes going to start tomorrow or will it be Will Smith?

DAVE ROBERTS: No, Will Smith is going to start tomorrow.

Q. With Max obviously, he mentioned after that Wild Card start that he felt like he found something. Did you see anything that perhaps can lead to more success going forward here?

DAVE ROBERTS: I can't speak to it. I know that we had some guys, pitching guys, some player performance guys digging into kind of the body, the delivery, and I did hear that he figured some things out. So obviously the confidence that he has and the delivery and making pitches, I feel good about it. But I don't know exactly what they found.

Q. With first base tomorrow going up against a lefty, will we see Albert out there or are you going to stick with --

DAVE ROBERTS: No. Albert's going to get the start tomorrow.

Q. The last three starts with Max, should we lump them all together or, that start against the Cardinals he managed to avoid damage. Was that different from the two before?

DAVE ROBERTS: It was different in the sense that he was missing arm side with his slider. But I think overall he just didn't pitch to his expectation. So I think that to lump those in as all kind of outlier starts or starts that are not becoming of Max Scherzer I think is totally fair.

Q. Did the nine-start run he had when he got here, did it raise expectations a little bit too high? Are we asking too much for a guy to have a .078 ERA forever?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think that's fair. But we made this acquisition for him to be an ace, a stopper. When he takes the baseball you expect to win. He's going to prevent runs. So the numbers you can always kind of debate, but the bottom line is that, and I know Max knows this, it's the last three he hasn't performed the way that he expects.

So with tomorrow and the techniques in his things in his delivery, the compete, the track record, I just expect him to throw the ball extremely well tomorrow night.

Q. With Albert at first how do you decide in center field between Cody and Chris Taylor?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, Chris Taylor is going to play center field and I'll run AJ out there in left field. And it's more of the mindset of give us the best chance to get a lead, beat the starter, and we can pivot out of some things. But I think that's kind of the mindset, my mindset.

Q. Is he adding another right-handed bat against Wood in the lineup?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yes, that's right.

Q. You guys are obviously more than familiar with Alex Wood. How would you describe him as a pitcher and a competitor, and a little bit about maybe about what he gave you guys last year.

DAVE ROBERTS: Well, I don't think we get through Game 6 without Alex Wood and his valuable innings. Obviously I showed a lot of confidence in him at that point in time in the game to get him out there and take down some huge outs.

I have a very good respect and admiration for him, consider him a friend, and he's a great competitor. I think he feels he's always the best option, which as Major League ballplayers, that's a good thing. It's a fastball. It's a slider, slurvy-type pitch, and it's a changeup. He pitched to all quadrants. He likes to get strike one. And he'll be prepared for us because he knows our guys pretty well too.

Q. That's kind of the age-old question, right? You have so much of a familiarity with him. Is there an advantage for him or for you or is it just a matter of on the day because you know each other so well?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think it's on the day and I think that's what's going to be fun to kind of see how this goes. Is he going to go fastball to get ahead or is he going to throw a curve ball to steal a strike? In an even count is he go fastball to trick us or is he going to go with his strength, the changeup.

So we know it. He knows it. And that's kind of the fun part, and ultimately just it really comes down to execution.

Q. Do you guys know what you're going to do for Game 4 yet on the mound, if it's going to be Tony for sure or maybe an opener situation?

DAVE ROBERTS: We don't know. We don't know. I think right now where our head is at is deploy anyone and everyone to win tomorrow night.

Q. Following up on Wood, is it going to be kind of weird for you? I know you guys have faced him this year but is it going to be weird to see him on the other side in a playoff game at Dodger Stadium?

DAVE ROBERTS: It's going to be different and it certainly helps that we've already faced him a couple times and I think once or twice maybe at Dodger Stadium.

But in this environment certainly used to having him in our dugout, but tomorrow we're on opposite dugouts.

Q. When he came back last year, just when you reflect back on what he provided the team and also kind of giving him a chance to reset after the injuries he had in 2019, just kind of, did that go about as well as you would have hoped it would mutually for both you guys?

DAVE ROBERTS: It did. It did. Alex considers and always has considered himself a Major League starter and I respect that. But I think for us where we were at we needed him to buy into coming out of the pen and doing whatever we needed. He bought in and he was a -- he's a great teammate, and so I think that that buy-in and that clarity and focus helped him navigate his role last year. And like I said, I don't think we win the World Series last year without him.

Q. How much of a swing game is Game 3 with it being 1-1?

DAVE ROBERTS: They're all important. Last night was a swing game. So to get ahead and get an advantage in a series, it's important. So like I said, I'm going to manage this game using every resource we have to win it.

Q. Sort of the converse of the Alex Wood stuff, Max Scherzer hasn't faced the Giants as much as some of the other guys on your team has. How much of an advantage is that for you guys?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think that you don't know until you know, but the unfamiliarity, I think, kind of tips the scale in the pitcher's favor because I think that, that's why kind of being more familiar with guys and familiarity with their characteristics do and what the pitch mix is certainly helps the hitter. So I think that's an advantage. But again we still have to go out there and make pitches.

Q. After Game 1 you said the team needed more consistent hitting. You got that in Game 2. How good and loose is this team feeling for the next game?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think we're feeling really good. Today we just kind of got guys some optional work, some weight room, some playing catch.

But as far as tomorrow, I think that understanding that we can get back to being ourselves, getting into counts, taking walks when needed, use the whole field, run the bases well, be active. And to see us score some runs like that, I think just continues to add confidence in our entire offense.