NL DIVISION SERIES: GIANTS VS DODGERS

October 12, 2021

Dave Roberts

Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles Dodgers

Postgame 4 Press Conference

Los Angeles Dodgers - 7, San Francisco Giants - 2

Q. What did you see from Walker this evening and what I guess kind of stood out for you about his stuff and how he handled short rest?

DAVE ROBERTS: God, honestly, I want to say he had better stuff than he did the other night. I think the solution is to have him go on short more often.

I think sometimes, and this is just kind of, he just seemed relaxed, and sometimes when you might be a little bit more fatigued and not too amped up or too strong, you sort of kind of try not to do too much. And all night long he stayed in his delivery, all the stuff, the velocity, the characteristics of his secondary pitches was really good, used the changeup when he needed to. I thought it was really good all night long.

Q. Gavin Lux reached base all four plate appearances tonight after coming close to a game-winning home run last night. What are you seeing from him from the plate right now and what do you like about what you're seeing?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think I just love the heart beat, the composure. I think that just watching him take at-bats, it's like a guy that's played in the postseason much more than he has. And so I think that results withstanding, he had a big night, he had a big night, but I think that how he's kind of conducted himself in this setting is very telling.

Q. What gives you the confidence to put him out there in center field in only his 7th career start out there in a big spot like this?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think it's more of I just, I trust the person, and he's a baseball player and I think that if I felt that the moment would get to him, and in this situation not as much experience out there, then I would kind of rethink it.

But I just feel that he can handle whatever situation I put him in. This has been a big growing year for Gavin.

Q. Can you talk about Brusdar Graterol and how he has improved, especially in this postseason?

DAVE ROBERTS: He's really, I guess, I can say composed again. I mean, he's really shown a lot of poise. He's a very emotional guy. But I think when you're in the postseason the emotion is already sort of going to be there naturally, so it's about execution and making pitches and taking good at-bats.

And, Brusdar, you look at the outings that we've run him out there, he's made good quality pitches and the moment isn't getting too big for him. So I think last year it was his first year. And great young man, very excitable, and the fans love it, but I think that when you're talking about big, big spots, being able to keep your poise and still focus on making pitches is growth and he's done a fantastic job.

Q. After you guys won the Wild Card game you said this is what baseball wants, Dodgers-Giants. Do you think tied at 109-109 this is what baseball wants too, a Game 5?

DAVE ROBERTS: This is what baseball wants. I mean, I think, as I understand, all the series are done and so we're going to be the only show in town. So if you have a pulse or you're a sports fan, you better be watching Dodgers-Giants. So it's going to be a great one.

Q. Couple questions about Gavin. I know you're not making out a lineup card tonight but when you reflect on what he did today and in the series, has he earned a chance?

DAVE ROBERTS: He's going to play. He'll be in there somewhere, yeah.

Q. Just as you're thinking through his progress on defense, how tough is it for him to go into center field in that park?

DAVE ROBERTS: It's a bigger ballpark. There's more real estate. I think it just boils down to you either trust a guy out there or you don't, and he either makes a play or he doesn't. So like I said, he'll be in there. I just don't know where.

Q. There was an offensive rhythm that started from DeSclafani but went to reliever to reliever to reliever. What was different in the at-bats that allowed you guys to establish that rhythm and keep it?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think that, early on, I think we talked after Game 1, I think when we're at our best is when we use the big part of the field. So you saw that with Trea in that double, scoring Corey, and Corey did that same thing with his base hit for his first hit of the night, and followed that up again with, against that McGee at-bat.

But I think when we're at our best, that's what we do. So it just allows us to see the baseball a little bit longer, make better swing decisions. And I think tonight it could have been a lot more skewed, the score. So I thought we took some great at-bats and didn't get rewarded, but if we continue to take those at-bats, I like our chances.

Q. Regarding Mookie Betts' home run, that at-bat, was that one of those at-bats where it was a good at-bat, it was a good planning at-bat? And also there was the sense watching the game that the score should be higher than it was. Did you feel that as well?

DAVE ROBERTS: We did. But the bottom line is the scoreboard is the only thing that does matter and it was still, they were still in it to the end. So I think Mookie's been getting some hits, but to see him go back side like that was really impressive. I told him after the homer, I said that's his best swing he's taken all year. But, yeah, these guys, the Giants, they do a great job of kind of limiting damage, keeping their club in it and then they kind of prey on momentum, and so fortunately we got enough outs.

Q. This might be kind of dumb, but just entertain me for a second here. Just that feeling, you kind of described with Walker, right, that maybe pitching on short rest maybe kind of freed him up in some ways. It looked like with Lux kind of a similar thing, where you're kind of taking a gamble of sorts, right. And I thought Bellinger's swings probably looked as good as they have in a while. Was there maybe a bit of, let's go out and play -- our backs are against the wall, let's just go out and play ball?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, yeah, there's a lot of that. I think that, just talking to Cody, talking to Gavin, things of whatever it takes to help the ball club win. When I hear things like that and I believe it and trust it, it's about, then it's kind of whatever happens, happens. I'm going to be prepared and like I said, in the postseason, playing with your back against the wall, win-or-go-home game, there's natural kind of anxiety or pressure, whatever you want to call it. But I think if you have that mindset it just alleviates some of it. And I think that Gavin being in the batter's box and in the outfield, Cody in the batter's box, you know, he's forgotten what happened in the regular season and he's present and I think that when I believe that, then I can trust it. So that's, I think that's been a big kind of driver in their kind of success so far in the postseason.

Q. Obviously Walker and Julio, their personalities are pretty different off the field, but on the field, in terms of the way they compete, the way they kind of handle the big moments, do you see things in common between those two guys?

DAVE ROBERTS: A sneaky thing, I think, the thing that I think the most common thing between those two is that they watch the game. They watch everything. They're very curious. They came up together in the minors. Both talented, so that's a similarity, obviously. But I think the thing that I love about those two guys, and they're the present, they're the future of our club, is that they're very perceptive. They watch, whether it's hitters and coaches what we talk about the game itself and how the game tells you what happens. And so they just, they just love to watch baseball players and learn.

Q. We have seen Walker in these sort of elimination games before, but is there anything you can kind of like learn from him or see from him now doing this on short rest?

DAVE ROBERTS: Like I said, Julio is a great competitor, the moment doesn't get too big for him.

Q. Walker. I mean Walker today.

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, as far as Walker.

Q. Yes, Walker today. Like seeing him on short rest, getting him to see him in an elimination game on short rest, anything that you can learn from him that you hadn't before?

DAVE ROBERTS: Like I told him after he came out, I was like this is something now you've checked a box. You've pitched in big games, elimination games, 163's and all this other kind of stuff, but never pitched on short rest and a box was checked and you came out ahead. So, yeah, it's great.

Q. Do you know if Max Scherzer can be available for you out of the bullpen in Game 5?

DAVE ROBERTS: We haven't had that conversation yet, I'm sure we'll have it. But right now I will say he's unavailable. But I've been known to change my mind, so we'll see, but -- we'll see.

Q. This will be the last matchup of teams that have obviously seen each other a whole bunch. Curious first sort of what you've learned about the Giants and then also just more generally how that familiarity will manifest, like what that sort of chess match is when you're thinking about facing a team or coming up with a game plan for a team that you have seen a lot, but you also know they have seen you a lot?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think the thing that, because of the familiarity, they sort of think -- we think alike, I think on the margins, trying to get advantages. So I think the playbook is kind of we know each other's playbook, so now it just goes to old school, we're going to run the ball to the right and you're going to have to stop us and it's the Vince Lombardi. So it's like we're going to play, we know what we do, they know what we do, we know who they want to have the baseball in Game 5, they know who we want and the matchups that we're trying to get, now it's about going out there and executing and the best team wins.

Q. A lot to like about what Julio has done this year, a lot to like about what he did last year in the World Series, but in this situation, taking the ball in Game 5, what do you like best about him being the guy that's doing that?

DAVE ROBERTS: I like the way that he wants to be the guy and he's got great stuff. He just wants to be the guy. He wants to be the guy.