NL DIVISION SERIES: GIANTS VS DODGERS

October 11, 2021

Dave Roberts

Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles Dodgers

Pregame 3 Press Conference

Q. We obviously saw how electric the fans were in San Francisco. How important is it for you guys to take advantage of playing at home in front of your fans tonight as well as tomorrow night?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, it was really -- it was fun. It was a fantastic atmosphere up there in San Francisco and I would expect the same thing here tonight, certainly a lot more blue than black and orange.

Our fans have been waiting a long time, essentially a calendar year, to host a playoff game and have full capacity. So a lot of anticipation. I think the excitement has built all the way through the season and to have just a great rivalry and a building of a great series. So it's going to be pretty electric tonight.

Q. You will have Albert Pujols playing first base today. How much excitement is in the clubhouse to see Albert play in these postseason games?

DAVE ROBERTS: I know I'm excited to write his name in the lineup. I think the fans certainly understand and have seen what he's done for our ball club this year.

But I think right now, to be quite honest, guys are kind of in the space of preparing for a game and knowing he's one piece of this puzzle to help us win a ball game tonight.

Q. What was sort of the thought process flipping Corey and Trea in the order today?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think the driver was knowing, obviously starting Alex tonight, the guys that they have in their pen that I think they trust and making them make a decision at some point in time, third time through.

So setting a lineup to win the game, to get a lead, to beat the starter, but also to win the middle innings and the back end of the game and that's kind of how I thought about structuring it.

Q. Those two guys, Trea and Corey, are probably your two best hitters coming into the playoffs. What have you sort of seen from them over these four games or so?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think it's a small sample in the sense that it's only been three games. I think those, both those guys are aggressive hitters, so you could see that there's not a whole lot of giving in to hitters in general, those two guys in particular, so it's really trying to understand -- and Alex is going to do the same thing. He's going to nibble and not give in, so you just got a really lock it into your zone.

Q. A lot of guys who used to be great players, as they get kind of towards the end, will say the right things about accepting a lesser role and stuff, but it doesn't always kind of work out. With Pujols when did he kind of know, like, okay we're going to be good here?

DAVE ROBERTS: That's a very good point. And probably the hardest thing, one of the hardest things to do is manage a guy that was a one superstar and the skill set isn't what it used to be. Not to say that can't really contribute, and clearly Albert has, but I think early on, the conversation that Andrew and I had with Albert as far as really not knowing how this was going to play out, whether he is on the playoff roster with us or he doesn't finish the season with us, there's a lot of different ways it could have played out.

I've tried to keep the lines of communication open and he understands the talent on the roster. He understands his role. So you expect every player to still have that ego as far as, I'm the best option, I can still do it, and I don't expect that to change. But I still think there's an ultimate respect in whatever decision I choose to make.

Q. Are you surprised that it went this well?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, I am. I am. I'm not surprised how the dealings and how him accepting the role, but, man, he's been so impactful in the clubhouse as far as on the field as well.

Q. As you watch what Kiké Hernandez has done for the Red Sox in the playoffs and Joc Pederson today, especially for the Braves, is there a little bit of regret that these guys are still not here contributing to your roster?

DAVE ROBERTS: No. I mean, obviously they're great players, but there's an economics component too. So they signed different deals and they helped us win a championship. I know that we're always rooting for those guys individually and they're big postseason players. They have made the Red Sox, Kiké in particular, and Joc, obviously, with the Braves, but much better, but it's a different team, but they certainly made our club really good.

Q. When Will Smith was in here earlier he said that he thinks Tony Gonsolin is starting tomorrow. Just wondering if a decision was made on that?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think that it's, I think that he's an option. I just don't want to set that one in stone right now. So he's a possibility, but that's probably as far as I want to go with that.

Q. I hope you haven't already been asked this. Your team won 15 straight games at home. How much is that, do they really gain energy from the fans here, how important is the energy the fans give them?

DAVE ROBERTS: I had no idea we've done that. I think a lot of it has to do with guys are comfortable, obviously comfortable playing at Dodger Stadium, and when you have 50,000 fans, it matters. It matters. Whether it's in the box, whether it's on the mound for our guy, or conversely one of their guys has to make a pitch and you start to feel that tension that the fans create.

So I didn't know 15 in a row, but let's hope it's 16 after tonight.

Q. Regarding Gonsolin, is he still, is he behind the shoulder injury that sort of sidelined him twice this year and what have you seen since his second time back from the IL?

DAVE ROBERTS: He is behind it. It's past. He threw an assimilated game a few days ago. I think with Tony it's just kind of trying to continue to be consistent in the delivery. I think that there's been times that he's come out and really thrown the baseball extremely well and other times he's trying to feel for his mix. So I think as far as physical kind of where he's at, he's fine. It's just kind of honing in the other parts of which lead to execution.

Q. Do you sort of have a plan A and a plan B for Game 4 depending upon whether you win or lose tonight?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think so, but it's very kind of widespread because I just don't know how guys are going to be used tonight. So I think that, if you can tell me the usage of tonight's pen, I can give you a better answer.

But I think that once we get out of tonight, then I think it will just be more clear, I think, to everyone.

Q. You played with Barry Bonds at the end of his career and now you're managing Albert at the end of his career. Any similarities in terms of game planning or mindset -- you're smiling -- and approach? Both in the early 40s, and that team didn't win, but this is, obviously.

DAVE ROBERTS: Well, Barry, that last year he was, and Albert's chasing some records and some amazing numbers. Barry was as well, home run record in particular. I think Barry, right there, that year he was still sort of All Star caliber, if you look at those numbers. It was remarkable.

(Phone ringing.)

Who is that? Who do I need to fine right now? (Laughing).

I think with Albert he's extremely, he's been very good against left and just average, or if you want to call it average, against right over the last, this year and the last few years.

As far as clubhouse guys, they're just different people, so just different people.

Q. Will Smith batting in front of the pitcher instead of Albert, is that just a function of splitting up left-handed hitters once you start setting him?

DAVE ROBERTS: It's just kind of how we get into this, get into the game, come out of it, I just like the ability to kind of move Will around, I think it really puts him in a tougher spot if Albert's there, so it just kind of trying to weigh in all those things out, yeah.

Q. Getting back to Gonsolin, is the plan for him tomorrow to go as long as he can, as hard as he can or is he going to be in more of an opener role?

DAVE ROBERTS: Well, when he gets in the game, when and if he gets in the game it's go as hard as he can for as long as he can. I just really right now can't speak to if it's going to be an opener, I just, I don't know, I really don't know. But I do know he's a part of the equation tomorrow and so when he's deployed, for how long, I just can't answer that, I really can't. It's kind of depending on how he's throwing the baseball.