NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: BRAVES VS DODGERS

October 19, 2021

Dave Roberts

Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles Dodgers

Pregame 3 Press Conference

Q. First, it's good to see Justin Turner back in the lineup, and I know said that was the plan, but with his neck is that something you're going to have to continue to watch or do you think he's good from here?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think he's going to be in the lineup from here on. It's one of those things that it's probably going to be there, but each day it's, the soreness has subsided, the range of motion has increased, so he's good to go.

Q. How do you like Alex Vesia, what do you like about him, can you describe him how he is on the mound?

DAVE ROBERTS: Alex has shown a lot of growth this year, a lot of poise. He's very emotional, but during the inning he has found a way to control and harness those emotions to make good pitches and execute and he's earned a lot of leverage innings or spots. He's been fantastic.

Q. As you sit here this morning, I know plans can change, but as we're sitting today who starts tomorrow and who starts Game 5?

DAVE ROBERTS: The plan is for Julio to start Game 4 and we'll see about Game 5. My focus is, our focus is today.

Q. To follow up on that, is that because of your conversations with him and he feels fine? Why did you decide between last night and today?

DAVE ROBERTS: I talked to Julio, came in, played catch, worked out, had a great conversation with him and he feels great physically, mentally, all that stuff.

Q. Any explanation how you absolutely own the Braves at home over these last few years?

DAVE ROBERTS: No. I hope the trend continues. I don't. I don't. Baseball's a funny game. So I guess we're playing well against these guys at home. So, again, I like the guy we got going tonight or today and I expect us to play a good baseball game.

Q. Freddie Freeman so far is 0-8 with seven strikeouts. Do you think you guys are exploiting anything there? I know you guys are going inside on him a lot. Do you think that game plan is working?

DAVE ROBERTS: We've had success in two games. He is a premier hitter in baseball. Handedness doesn't really affect him, you have to make pitches. And there's some room inside, but you still have to sequence. You still have to change eye level, front to back him. You just can't keep going to the same zone, because if you do, your margin for error really shrinks.

So I've got a lot of respect for him as a hitter and we got to continue to keep our eye on him because he can wake up and when he does, it's not good.

Q. What have you learned I guess just from all your years being in a situation like this about pitchers making a start, pitchers in the start after they came back on short rest? Like somebody like Walker Buehler, is there anything that you need to monitor there? Can that be more taxing than making the initial start on short rest or is that mitigated by him having an extra day of rest?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think the latter. I think that every pitcher is different, clearly. The situation, how much they were exerted in a particular start and on that short rest and the days following the recovery.

So with Walker, what he did that last start, the extra day, we feel very good. We've monitored him and talked to him and have all assurance and confidence that he's a full go.

Q. How much of a factor do you think shadows can play later on in the game and do you manage any differently based on that?

DAVE ROBERTS: I don't manage any differently, but I think that it's going to be kind of the middle innings, I think that's when they will kind of start to be a factor. So certainly it would be nice to have a lead when they start to creep in because it does make it a little bit more difficult.

But regardless, when they arrive, which they will, you still got to take good at-bats and still try to score runs and prevent runs.

Q. Just to follow up on that, if you watch on TV, you hear about the shadows. What is it specifically? Is it the velocity that's harmed, the spin rate you can't pick up, certain pitch less difficult to hit than others?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think it's kind of different whether it's sunlight to shadows to shadows to sunlight. Ultimately it's you can't see the spin and that's where balls, whether it's sliders, cutters, and just seeing kind of the spin of the baseball, that's what is a little bit more tough for hitters to adjust with the shadows.