NL DIVISION SERIES: GIANTS VS DODGERS

October 13, 2021

Gabe Kapler

Oracle Park

San Francisco Giants

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. When you faced a starter like Urías so recently and so many times through out the season, how do you sort of balance all the things that you're looking for in the lineup, with some bats that are maybe a little colder than you would like, but maybe an optimal matchup situation and knowing that these guys have seen him so much?

GABE KAPLER: I think you can expect the guys that we normally have in there against quality left-handed starters in our lineup tomorrow. I mean, there's some ordering stuff and some positioning stuff that we always have to work through, but I don't anticipate any big surprises there, kind of know what we tend to do against left-handed starters and it's going to be pretty similar tomorrow.

I'm not sure if that's where you were going with it, but that's it.

Q. You're not shaking it up?

GABE KAPLER: There's not going to be anything that surprises anybody.

Q. You haven't hit real well in this series obviously against some good pitching. You just want to win. It's not about stats. But do you see anything with the at-bats? Do you see anything with the swings? Are you guys just a little off or is it mostly their pitching?

GABE KAPLER: Spent a lot of time over the last couple of days just kind of looking at Graterol and Treinen and Joe Kelly and Walker Buehler and Julio Urías, and the theme in common with all of these guys is just really good stuff and the ability to put the ball in various parts of the strike zone and then, when necessary, kind of go out of the strike zone to maybe even acquire some swing and miss.

So I think in those situations when you're facing high-quality pitchers, you really have to hone in on your game plan. And the game plan for us, throughout the season and will continue to be, looking for pitches that we can drive and really jump in on those aggressively.

And then being a little bit more passive and patient on pitches that we can't drive. Now it's an additional challenge when you're facing guys that have as much movement and velo and stuff as these guys do. But that's true for any team in the postseason right now. You're going to be facing high-quality relievers, high-quality starters, because by nature those are the teams that are in the postseason.

So you could ask me this at any point during the season and I will almost always say there's no one thing in particular. And that's just true for hitters. It's not boiled down to like one specific thing, whether that be a rhythm and a timing and being on time or seeing the ball a little bit deeper in the strike zone or moving your contact point a little bit more out in front or game planning a little bit differently. It's a lot of things in combination and not one thing in isolation.

Q. Before the series I think I saw a quote where you said you knew, you openly acknowledged that managing in the postseason is different. What have you learned in these four games about how different it is and how will that shape your decision-making in the game tomorrow night?

GABE KAPLER: I think the most obvious and notable, and I'm not sure it was anything new that popped up, but something that I haven't experienced before and now am experiencing for the first time is the ability to have all of your relievers up every single day. It's a big difference from what we had in the regular season, where so much energy and time was spent on monitoring the pitchers' workloads and were they going to be good on the third day in a row and was that a gamble that we were willing to take in the middle of the season.

When you get to the postseason, you have these built-in days off, so you can ask your relievers to pitch on back-to-back days. They have been doing it all season long. And then you know have you that off-day coming. So it just gives you a little bit more flexibility. That's one thing that stands out to me.

Q. A couple of your players have described Webb as kind of a goofball. Does he still kind of maintain that same loose demeanor on his start days or is he a little bit more different?

GABE KAPLER: You do see a tiny bit more intensity and perhaps a little bit more seriousness on his start day, but you can still talk to him. So I've been around some pretty good high-quality Hall of Fame-caliber pitchers who on their start days it's just really difficult to have a conversation with them.

And like there are some pitchers who everybody in the clubhouse knows you just stay away from them on the days that they start. That's not Logan Webb. It's actually none of our starters. You can have conversations with Logan Webb in game and I think he can receive the information and process the information. You can have conversations with Logan Webb on the mound. I think he can process and apply information.

And I also think he is who he is on days that he starts. Maybe with a slightly more serious vibe, but for the most part, man, he's just like, yeah, he's that great personality even on the days that he starts.

Q. Considering you have so many relievers available and you have Gausman potentially available, Wood potentially available, how do you manage a game with an off-day before, off-day after, aggressively while also knowing that maybe giving those guys some room to work?

GABE KAPLER: I don't think there's -- there's no like script on how to manage in those situations, in my opinion. My opinion is that, just like we did during the regular season, we're going to watch our starting pitcher and listen to the cues that he gives us, in this case, it's Logan Webb. Have conversations with Buster, because he's got such a great perspective.

We'll be watching from the dugout and check on if he's able to stay in his delivery, is his stuff still moving the way it normally does, is the velo still there. So kind of the characteristic that's would make you think he's still got something left in the tank.

And then the game is going to kind of dictate who comes in next and what matchups we're looking for. But the one thing that I can share is that we do feel like we have plenty of options. So this is sort of going back to the earlier question. It's just nice to know that in a Game 5 scenario everybody's going to be available, everybody's going to be strong, everybody's going to be wanting the baseball.

Q. How is Tommy La Stella doing today and do you anticipate him being available off the bench?

GABE KAPLER: I haven't seen Tommy yet today. I anticipate him being available as usual. I think what's happened with Tommy is that as the game has gone on it's kind of felt like more wear and tear on his Achilles, so that's why we've been cognizant of getting him out of games because he might not be moving left and right as efficiently as he would be in the early stages of the game.

So in this particular case, he's going to be a pinch hitter off the bench. Donovan Solano will start at second base. And I think that we're not going to have any problems with his ability to potentially replace Donovan at some point, take a big swing off the bench, maybe hit for the pitcher, be all of Tommy La Stella.

Q. How are Belt and Watson doing? I saw Belt was doing a little bit of throwing the other day and I think Watson threw a bullpen?

GABE KAPLER: Yeah, so I was actually out on the field with Belt. He was running some sprints. I don't really have anything new to report on Tony or Brandon. They're both progressing nicely. I don't anticipate like making any sort of announcements on either one of them right now.

Q. Following up with the earlier question. Beyond the strategic and having those relievers available, how is the postseason different for you as a manager just for the vibe, just the intensity? When you're sitting in that seat in these situations, how does it differ from regular season? Because obviously you had envisioned it I'm sure but you hadn't experienced it until now.

GABE KAPLER: So I know you're kind of looking for ways it's different and I totally understand why. We played a lot of games down this stretch, this stretch of the end of the season, that were really meaningful games, where it seemed like every day something was on the line. The questions prior to the game, in conversations with our writers, were, and others, were often about the importance of that day's game, the vibe, the electricity in the ballpark, the energy, like those are the things that came up.

So these are actually quite familiar questions and all this feels quite familiar. In my brain, just like during the regular season, I'm paying attention to how the players are responding to these environments and then trying to help with some support in any way that we can as a coaching staff. That also is happening in the postseason.

And maybe what you're doing is you're saying, hey, this is a little bit of a different environment. Perhaps there's a few more fans, perhaps there's a higher level of energy and excitement in the ballpark. Are you feeling anything different? Is there anything that we can do to help support you in a different way? So we kind of have those conversations, ask those questions, and pay that level of attention.

Q. Logan's frame of mind before all these big games, is it the same as it was in early in the season and is it like a pitcher who's been around like 10 more years than he's been? He's so young but he's getting it done in all these big games.

GABE KAPLER: I think the frame of mind is different mainly because he's got such high level of confidence right now. I think it stems from having outing after outing of success. And there's been a few bumps along the way. But for the most part it's, every time he goes out to the mound, he feels like he's going to give San Francisco Giants a chance to win that game.

So I think the mindset now is, I've done this now for a really long period of time. I don't know that a clinching game for the National League West isn't a perfect test for what's happened so far in the postseason, and he's just, and he's sort of, not battle-tested specifically in this type of situation, so I can't say he's pitched a Game 5 in a Division Series, but he's pretty battle-tested in other ways.

And experience comes in all different shapes and sizes. I think he can lean on some of that experience that he's had at this point and definitely trust himself because of the success that he's had to date.

Q. As someone who appreciates history, have you considered your place, your team's place, Logan Webb's place, in history and all the story lines that are going around this series, including tomorrow, story lines that won't soon be forgotten?

GABE KAPLER: Yeah, so what I do is I listen pretty carefully to what the players are saying in their post-game conversations, and I think our players understand the magnitude of a Game 5 in a DS at home against the Dodgers, the first time playing the Dodgers in a postseason series, all of the dramatics that have happened in Game 5s along the way, and some of the cool things that have happened for the Giants' players and Giants' fans.

And I think our players are well aware of that, and so when I hear them talk about it, it fires me up a little bit. It gives me, their understanding and knowledge of the history is, it's encouraging.

Q. Part of that history includes a lot of recent success in elimination game situations. Have the guys who have been here for those over the last decade or so, Posey, Crawford, Belt, been talking a lot to the younger guys about what that's like and how to maintain composure?

GABE KAPLER: So some of the messages that are being sent are direct and in conversations with players in the clubhouse, they're in conversations with players in the dugout, and you kind of visibly see those happening.

Some of them are a little bit more subtle and they come in the form of the conversations that the players are having with the media and things that they're saying in the media, because Buster, Brandon, both Brandons, all of our veteran players that have kind of been there and experienced this, they know that their words carry a lot of weight.

So, and they know that their teammates are listening but also reading their words, and so the things that they are saying, I think, are meant to share with our fans and meant to share with all of you, but I also think they're meant to share with their teammates and the coaching staff.

Q. These two teams know each other so well having played 23 times. Is there any such thing as a home field advantage in an elimination game beside having the last at-bat?

GABE KAPLER: Well, the last at-bat is one that we talk about a lot and I think that's an important one. Look, when we went to Los Angeles it was loud, right? There was a high level of intensity in the stands and a lot of quality rooting going on.

I think from our standpoint we felt the same thing when we've been here at Oracle Park and think the home field advantage comes in the form of having the support of 40,000 people-plus or what's the attendance number? I'm not sure. Yeah, somewhere in that neighborhood. And you can feel that support. It's meaningful. It changes the energy and it boosts confidence and gives you adrenaline, and we've all been talking all year about how some of that adrenaline can be used and channeled to good performance. So I think, yeah, I think it means something.

Q. Wondered, last night you blew through pretty much your entire roster, pitchers, other than starters and Doval, blew through -- however you want to phrase it.

GABE KAPLER: It happened fast, didn't it?

Q. It went quick. (Laughing) what I'm wondering, it seemed like early on for awhile every move was obviously to keep your guys within striking distance to try to win the game.

GABE KAPLER: That's right.

Q. I'm wondering, later, when you continued to empty your bench, did it at all shift to thinking of tomorrow's game in terms of getting guys game action, getting guys, shaking a little bit of rust off, what was your thinking in general?

GABE KAPLER: I think that's, it's great, because that's really what happens in a game is like, okay, how can we stay as close as we possibly can. Like, can we -- and this is not just the Giants but all teams, like can we get it to one more pitcher in their bullpen. Even though we know that you have the off-day, it's still valuable to kind of see another bullpen arm when you can. Potentially something stressful happens and you're able to score a couple of more runs and just put some additional pressure on the opposing team.

The one thing I'll say is once you get past the point of you're right within striking distance, let's say a team goes up five or six runs in the 8th and they have got a couple of nasty relievers left, the cool thing with us is we still have good players that we can get in the mix, as you mentioned, get them a little bit of work, and potentially scratch and claw also to help us get back into the game or keep the game close.

Like Zack Littell, by way of example, he hasn't been used this season in the same way that Camilo Doval has of late or Tyler Rogers has of late. He's been, he's stretched for us at times and he's also pitched some big moments for us, but you can tell, like in that game we were down and it was going to be tough for us to claw back into that game, but we needed somebody to give us a couple innings of work. And not only did he give us a you couple innings of work, but he made it very attractive to look for a spot for him in Game 5, the right spot. Because when you're going through the caliber of hitters that Zack was going through, with the stuff that he was bringing to the table, that's compelling.

And he's performed in those kind of moments quite a bit for us this season. We all remember the Milwaukee series, how pivotal he was.

But to the question, I think it's a combination of getting people work, getting through the game while still keeping people fresh and ready for the Game 5 situation, and continuing to scratch and claw to try to win the game and make something good happen. It's just kind of putting all those things together.

Q. Dave Roberts said he thinks it's going to be pretty unlikely that Scherzer gets in the game tomorrow. Do you believe that and is he still part of the prep work that you guys go through in the next 24 hours?

GABE KAPLER: For me it usually doesn't matter whether I believe something like that or not. So by way of example, when we're thinking about, when we go back and we look at who has pinch hit for who, not with the Dodgers or the Giants, but who has pinch hit for who over the course of the season, and we find out that player A has never pinch hit for player B, that doesn't mean that we expect that player A won't pinch hit for player B.

We have to always plan for every possible scenario, would another team burn a position player early in the game, use two pinch hitters at once. Maybe they will, maybe they won't, but we have to be prepared for those.

So that's not to speak to this situation specifically, but what I'll say is I'm not going to be surprised by anything. Dodgers aren't going to be surprised by anything. It's where we are.

Q. In that vein, with Logan, when the Dodgers start making some adjustments, their hitters, to what he did in Game 1, what kind of adjustments can you guys and Logan make back?

GABE KAPLER: I think this is not specific to Logan. Sorry that I keep going if this direction, but I believe it. When pitchers have two great secondary weapons, they have a good sinking fastball they can elevate at times, and they see some adjustments being made either in game or in a subsequent game, they can always go to those other secondary weapons, if those are working better. They can also pitch more in the zone if necessary. If you're seeing a passive approach, they can try to pick the edges of the zone or go out of the zone for some swing and miss.

So it's true for Logan, but it's true for all pitchers. They're going to be able to adjust their pitch usage. They're going to be able to adjust how frequently they're in the zone, how quickly they're pitching to contact, things like that.

Q. Yeah, the one thing Dave Roberts made a point at in Game 1 is that their hitters swung at a lot of pitches outside the zone. So I'm thinking they're going to be a lot more patient, or try to be, this time around.

GABE KAPLER: Okay.

Q. Your lineup against left-handed starters includes some guys who have not started really swinging the bat all that well in this series. Do you, are there strategy things that you can do, manufacturing runs, things like that, that you would be considering at this point, or is it a matter of just kind of sticking with the process that you guys have followed throughout the season?

GABE KAPLER: So, I mean, obviously I can picture all of our right-handed hitters in my mind and I feel like some of the ones who have struggled more recently have actually started to come around a little bit and there have been guys who have been pretty consistently good over the course of the season.

One guy that comes to mind right now is Darin Ruf because he hasn't, he just hasn't had the big hit in this series, and it's been a little bit since he's been at his best. But what I'll say is, the at-bat quality has consistently been good and he's just been facing some nasty, nasty stuff. So a guy like Darin Ruf, Wilmer Flores, Donovan Solano, Evan Longoria, Kris Bryant, all these guys are historically really good hitters against left-handed pitching. Buster Posey historically very good hitter against left-handed pitching, against both, but particularly left-handed pitching.

So the capability is all there. The at-bat quality has been there. Sometimes it doesn't show up in the box score. It's just the way baseball is. Even like if everything goes close to right it doesn't necessarily show up in the box score. We want it to in Game 5 and we're going to do everything in our power to have that come to fruition.

Q. And you guys have had some really good games against Urías this year and then some where he was tougher on you. Do you look at basically the most recent time that he's faced you, obviously in this series, or do you like guys to go back and look at some of the games where they have had more success?

GABE KAPLER: This is true of video. So like when you're analyzing video, I think it's true when you're analyzing performance and, as a hitter, I think when you're analyzing your own style and approach in the batter's box, I think it's healthy to look at like a very recent look, the last couple of starts. I think it's a really good practice to look at one year, like the entire year of that pitcher's performance. And I think it makes a lot of sense to go back a couple of years. And then look at those three buckets, kind of put it all together and see, when you game plan like decide how to approach based on all that information.

Q. Once Logan had the game he did in Game 1 or even before that, and I know you don't look too far ahead, but how locked in were you thinking if you just get one more win you got Logan pitching Game 5 at Oracle Park here?

GABE KAPLER: During the game last night?

Q. Just big picture that you knew you had, I mean you knew you had this, him in his home stadium pitching Game 5?

GABE KAPLER: I think I was thinking about it a little bit differently. First, how are we going to win yesterday's game. Like what was going to give us our best chance to win. So that meant that we would consider all options and including if we got into like a really long, extra inning game, by way of example, that could have been Logan. Understanding what we have in front of us now, it certainly is a comforting feeling to know that we have one of the better pitchers in baseball over the course of this season on the mound for us. Dodgers can say that too. They have got one of the best pitchers in the game on the mound as well. It's nice that it lined up, that Logan is pitching Game 5 for us. We know that we have our work cut out for us and it will be interesting to watch it all unfold.