NL DIVISION SERIES: GIANTS VS DODGERS

October 12, 2021

Dave Roberts

Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles Dodgers

Pregame 4 Press Conference

Q. With the ultimate decision to have Walker Buehler starting today on short rest, what led to that and why do you think he is just truly the best in the postseason?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think taking down as many outs as we can with the best arms available was the original thought, and Walker actually brought it up to us, and we were late in kind of deciding because we wanted to make sure he woke up today feeling good.

So I think -- so once he came today and felt good, we, it was a no-brainer. How long he can go, that will be dictated on how he's throwing the baseball and how he feels.

Why he's successful in the postseason, I think he just has a way of controlling his heart beat and just making pitches. So it's kind of our whole thing. Go as hard as you can for as long as you can and we'll have somebody behind you.

Q. What makes Gavin Lux a good choice for center field?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think for me tonight, looking at DeSclafani, he's been pretty successful against right-hand hitters, so to give Gavin an opportunity, who I think, recently he's been swinging the bat really well, taking good at-bats. I like him in the strike zone, just getting another left-handed bat in there. And I feel that having Mookie and CT flanked to his right and left, I feel that with the foot speed, we can man center field, the outfield, and we'll see where we go from there.

Q. When did Walker bring up the possibility of him starting tonight?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think it was after, it was actually after Game 2. Just kind of what most players do is they kind of think forward, especially starting pitchers, and see how I could play a factor in the series.

Q. And then is Julio an option tonight in relief?

DAVE ROBERTS: No, Julio will not be an option today.

Q. How come you've never asked Walker Buehler to go short rest before? How do you think he'll react to that?

DAVE ROBERTS: I don't know how he'll react because he's never done it. I know that having the player initiate the conversation and owning it and wanting it, I think bodes well for us. Why we have never, I just don't know if, I can't really go back to the series and the situations that kind of, the thought -- I'm sure we've considered it numerous times, but I don't know why we ultimately didn't pull the trigger.

Q. Did Walker speak to either Clayton or Max, both guys I know have gone on short rest in the playoffs, to get some advice and experience on that?

DAVE ROBERTS: He has. I don't know what was said, but he certainly looked for kind of thoughts, advice, from both those guys, yes.

Q. So is Urías your Game 5 starter?

DAVE ROBERTS: He will be our Game 5 starter, yes.

Q. In this situation what are you looking for from Walker and how do you balance letting him fight through adversity, anything, and knowing it's an elimination game?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think it's purely just watching the game. I think that it's not -- like I talk about with a lot of our guys, it's not stuff. You know, you're going to see the velocity. You're going to see some swing-and-miss. It's, command is one thing, and if you talk about stuff, how is his breaking ball, how is his cutter, is it doing what it's doing, is it backing up consistently, those are things that I look for.

And ultimately I got to make a decision, is the guy that I'm bringing in following him, is he a better option to get that next hitter or next hitters out.

So obviously having conversation with Walker, he's never gone on short rest and so there is a leash. So you got, we got to be mindful of that. But as far as early on, if he's throwing the baseball well, in my opinion, and will I trust him to get out of stress if he's throwing the baseball well? Absolutely.

Q. What is it about this team that gives you confidence in them in these potential elimination games?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think the thing that gives me confidence is we've been in this situation before. All we talk about for the last six years is preparing on winning one baseball game. And the magnitude of the games certainly are different, and this being an elimination game, it still goes in line with our kind of ideology to use 26 guys to come together to win one baseball game. And after we win tonight, we'll figure it out. So just knowing we're all aligned in that gives me a lot of confidence and we've had success doing it.

Q. Chris over AJ in left field, is that just kind of based on how Chris is swinging the bat lately?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think having AJ to be able to deploy in a spot. They have got two left-handers that are rested, a guy like Rogers who I feel is a leverage guy, obviously, and I kind of view him as a left-handed pitcher because he's so good against lefties. Being able to use AJ in a spot I think is huge and the right matchup. And I do think Chris has taken really good at-bats and so I feel that he's earned this start.

But I don't think it's a bad thing in the sense that having an opportunity to put AJ in a great spot to help us win a game, it's a win-win for the Dodgers.

Q. The fact that Walker has pitched in elimination games before and pitched well, I mean, how much more confidence does that give you, him going to the mound tonight?

DAVE ROBERTS: It does, certainly. One, that he's done it; one, that he's had success, but the bottom line is that no one knows what's going to happen until the game starts.

Q. Wondering if it was a learning experience that September 5th game when Walker kind of scuffled in San Francisco against their bullpen, that last game in that series, the Sunday game, and what do you draw from that?

DAVE ROBERTS: He's been roughed up before, like all pitchers have. So I don't know if it's, you never want to get beat up like that, but it was no surprise to see him come back and see a team that had his way with him, and also that there's a lot of familiarity. I mean, he's faced these guys what, seven times, something like that.

So that's why aces are aces because they don't run from fights. And it's a good club over there, we all know that and for Walker to want to take the baseball on short rest, it just shows why he's a top-end starter.

Q. Did Walker ever previously volunteer to go on short rest?

DAVE ROBERTS: I'm sure he has. I'm sure he has. He's always, from day one since I've known him, since he's been here, he's always willing to do whatever we ask of him. So I'm sure he's offered that, but ultimately we decided it wasn't the best for him and that was probably addressed. We just probably didn't want to put him in harm's way at all.

Q. Sort of that willingness, though, and I guess knowing so far in advance, what does that tell you about where he's at in his maturity or just his understanding of his place on this team and who he is?

DAVE ROBERTS: It shows his leadership. It shows his buy-in to his teammates, the coaches, the organization, and knowing that tonight he's our best option to start and he didn't run from it.

Q. If Walker volunteered after Game 2 when obviously you didn't know what was going to happen in Game 3, would he be starting tonight whether you were up or down in the series?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think being down in a series it was a no-brainer, if he woke up today feeling like he could take the baseball. But the deeper conversations would have been if the series would have been flipped. We probably would not have done this, I mean, but it's a flip of a coin. I mean, there was extensive conversations.