NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: BRAVES VS DODGERS

October 17, 2021

Dave Roberts

Truist Park

Los Angeles Dodgers

Postgame 2 Press Conference

Atlanta Braves - 5, Los Angeles Dodgers - 4

Q. I guess just walk us through the decision to go with Julio there in the 8th inning.

DAVE ROBERTS: We talked about it before the series and he was available last night if it came to the situation. It didn't. He hadn't thrown a bullpen and he was the best option at that point in time. He was prepared for it. It was a perfect spot for him, and getting him through that 8th to go to Kenley to finish the game.

Q. How much did you consider leaving Treinen in or going to Bruihl if you wanted another lefty as oppose to going with Julio?

DAVE ROBERTS: Well, when you've got the top, I think in the 8th inning to look at it as the leverage that it was, Julio in my opinion was the best option we had. You've got Albies and Riley behind him, so I just felt in that inning Julio was our best option.

Q. I know obviously you had Julio lined up to start Game 4. Do you know if this is going to impact it?

DAVE ROBERTS: No, no, not at all. Not at all. That's why he was ready, available yesterday, didn't throw a side, to prepare for one of these two games.

Q. Then you mentioned obviously him being the best option available. You do have another lefty there in Bruihl. What sort of was the play in your head there?

DAVE ROBERTS: I just think that if you're talking about performance, experience, nothing against Justin, but when you have a choice between him and Julio, I think it's pretty clear who I was going to choose.

Q. What did you see from Scherzer in the game early on and were you expecting more from him and did the game change that?

DAVE ROBERTS: It just, early on I thought it was good and he sort of hit a wall and after that 4th inning he said he was starting to feel it a little bit. So that's why going into that 5th inning it was going to be a short leash and when I took the ball he said, I gave it all I had, and that's what you want from a player.

Q. Just with Alex Vesia, there in the 5th, how big were those strikeouts against Albies and Freeman for him?

DAVE ROBERTS: He's really coming of age. We've put him in some big spots early in his career, first postseason, and he's just making pitches when he needs to. So he's doing some special things.

Q. Your offense has struggled with men in scoring position. Is that an approach thing, a sample size thing, and how do you fix it going forward?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think it's, I think in this, in that particular instance it's an approach thing. It's an approach thing and I think that certain times in scoring position we, we're expanding too much.

Q. A long season chasing the Giants and obviously coming off a grueling five-game series with the Giants. Do you see any signs of wear and tear in your club coming out of that?

DAVE ROBERTS: I don't. I think two innings, obviously they have had two big innings to take the lead, and the series could be flipped. So I just, like I said before, our guys are prepared to play through October. So it was a great series, but I don't think that there's any kind of affects from that past series. I don't.

Q. I don't know if anything about the Braves has surprised you, but has there been anything that's surprised you or particularly impressed you about how they have won these two games?

DAVE ROBERTS: Nothing's really surprised me. We knew coming in they're a very aggressive swinging the bat, especially early in the count. If you're going to -- you really got to make a quality pitch that first pitch getting into the count. They're aggressive. They play. They can catch the baseball. And so nothing's really surprised us, no.

Q. To follow up on that, guys have really had Freddie Freeman's number, the seven consecutive strikeouts, has the 0-8 surprised you at all?

DAVE ROBERTS: That, yeah, I think that we still have so much respect for him and he can get hot at any moment and I think we've done a great job of containing him, but some other guys we got to sort of figure out.

Q. Just big picture, to leave here down 0-2 with the amount of pitching you've had to use, what's your level of concern?

DAVE ROBERTS: Well, I think if you look at both clubs, as far as usage and leverage uses, they're in the same position we are. But the thing is that they have got a two-game lead in the series. So I think for us, Walker's ready to go. He's got an extra couple days. So certainly for Game 3 we're going to lean on him.

But, yeah, this is kind of how the series has played out and I think that both guys or both teams are in the same situation outside of the most important factor that they have got a two game to nothing lead.

Q. Going back to Julio really quick, you said Max kind of told you that he started to feel it a little bit today. That was his fourth appearance in 12 days. I guess Julio would kind of be in the same situation. Is that a concern at all that Julio might kind of feel some fatigue in Game 4?

DAVE ROBERTS: I mean, I think it's certainly a possibility, but I think with Julio the expectation where we kind of, how we use him in his start days, it's kind of a 75, 80 pitches, so we just felt that, not having the bullpen, to be able to give us what he gives us on a typical start, I just, we don't think it would be compromised, no.