NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: BRAVES VS DODGERS

October 20, 2021

Dave Roberts

Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles Dodgers

Pregame 4 Press Conference

Q. What's your evaluation when you use 36 pitchers in four games, how does that roll over into what you're doing in the rest of this series, the coming series, how does it affect that? And as a player you go back long enough that it wasn't this way at one period of time, so what's your evaluation of it?

DAVE ROBERTS: Well, I think if you look at all four teams that are remaining, we're all in the same situation. I think you're kind of having the mindset of I don't think that any of us are looking, I know we're not looking towards the next series. It's what we feel is going to give us the best chance to get through this series, and that's winning four games.

So even yesterday the expectation for Walker to do what he did wasn't in our kind of calculus, but you have to read and react to try to figure out a way to stay away from leverage guys to kind of prolong the game, extend the game, save guys, whatever you want, anyway you want to look at it.

So I think that if you look at our pen in particular, getting some other guys involved yesterday and staying away from a couple key leverage guys was huge and having those guys have two days off. So there's just no one way to predict how it's going to play out and you sort of have to get through the day and pick up the pieces.

So, yeah, it's a lot of arms we've used, but I do think having guys like Evan Phillips and Vesia and Bruihl, to not, to pitch, but not to kind of pitch a lot of innings in usage I think still keeps those guys sharp and fresh.

Q. When did you see this start to change in your time as player, coach, and manager?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, I would say it sort of started when I started managing. I didn't see it as a player. I didn't see it as a coach. I think it's more of the, it's starting with starting pitching as far as starters, just you look at 200-inning guys over the regular season, which has kind of really tailed off over the years and that's kind of the start of it.

Q. We haven't gotten a lineup yet. How do you kind of construct a lineup when the other team is having a bullpen game?

DAVE ROBERTS: We've got Betts, Seager, Trea Turner, Will Smith, Justin Turner, Lux, Bellinger, and Taylor.

Q. You've kind of used like Taylor in center field instead of Lux against a lefty. Like how do you kind of manage that knowing that they have a righty starting, but they kind of go with a lefty later on in the game, like, how do you kind of balance your lineup, do you just kind of go with your best guys?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think it's going with guys that we feel it's good to start with and however they kind of pivot, just knowing the usage of some of their leverage guys, making a bet, seeing guys they might go to or guys they might not want to go to.

But with the guys that I have, that we have in there, I feel good kind of regardless and also to be able to counter if we need to.

Q. Since he made the swing changes Cody Bellinger is getting much better results and better at-bats. Do you think that positive reinforcement will bleed into next year and he's more likely to stick with these things and does he need to stick with these things?

DAVE ROBERTS: I don't know the answer. I do think that the success that he's having will bleed into next year. Also just having a full off-season of health and not rehab I think will also be a huge benefit. But whether he keeps his hands where they're at or goes back to where he was when he was a hundred percent healthy, I just don't know the answer right now.

Q. Is Lux in center today? Is it the same?

DAVE ROBERTS: Gavin's in center field, yes.

Q. I know he's just started playing the outfield in September when he was in the minors, but how surprising is it to you, or is it at all that he's kind of in center, and I know you've had Taylor in left and him in center, but Taylor's played center before. How surprising has been his, I guess, achievement or just willingness to play outfield?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think it's not surprising as far as the buy-in. I think it's a credit to him willing to do whatever it takes to help us win. And it's not easy to be in a position that you haven't played a whole lot of, certainly in this stage, and on the heels of what happened yesterday. I mean, it takes a tough ball player to withstand that stuff.

So it's still my decision to run him out there, and like I said, there's plays that CT has made that I think are pretty challenging for a guy who hasn't played outfield, balls that are kind of slicing, and so like I said, I think, I feel good with Gavin out there and I expect him to make the plays.

Q. With Lux's speed I know that's one factor but are there other attributes he has that you think make him a good center fielder?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think the speed, just the ball, kind of everything's in front of him. And he made a play in the first inning that was a game-changing play, so we can't lose sight of that too. So I think he's a heck of a ball player.

Q. I guess this is more of a general question. Do we underestimate buy-in when it comes to a guy like Lux adapting to center field, Bellinger changing his stance, what you guys did in Game 5 of the DS, like do we underestimate how much that matters?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think we all do, I think, because you can't quantify it. You can kind of lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink, that old adage. It's like you can see things and try to benefit a player or anyone, but if they really don't believe it and trust it, then it's all moot.

So I think that whether it's Cody with the swing change or Gavin playing a different position or AJ Pollock coming off the bench today and saying, When there's a big spot, I'll be ready, you know, that's buy-in, and if you don't trust it, you don't want to believe it, then you're not going to perform or it just makes it that much harder to perform.

Q. And the shift gears a little bit. I know earlier you mentioned that you stayed away from some of your leverage guys like Treinen and Brusdar. Are you more willing to go multiple innings with them today considering that they didn't go yesterday?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yes.

Q. With Gavin, after that play happens obviously in the 4th inning yesterday what kind of conversation, if any conversations are happening in the dugout with him after that? Do you talk to him, is there a pep talk, or is it, hey, just leave him alone, he'll figure it out?

DAVE ROBERTS: I just told him a couple innings after, I said, you're going to be in there tomorrow and I don't want you to be careful, just keep playing.

Q. What's his reaction to that?

DAVE ROBERTS: He gave me a fist bump.

Q. And then with Julio, obviously he's been pitching a lot. How long is his leash today?

DAVE ROBERTS: He's going to go as long as he can go. I would hope that we can get a lead, keep tacking on, and have him run. There's no reason, there's no, within reason, a pitch limit. He feels good. He came off 59, then threw an inning, and right now he's ready to go. So if we can build a lead I don't see how he can't get to 90, 95 pitches.

Q. You talked about this a bit over the last few days, but is there anything specific you're seeing from Trea at the plate right now and is he someone that's sort of on the way out of a slump or do you feel like he's still kind of feeling things out?

DAVE ROBERTS: I thought the last at-bat where they pitched around Corey to get to Trea, I think that that's something he took personal, which he should have. Probably one of the first times somebody's ever pitched around a player in front of him to get to him, right?

Obviously the result was a base hit, soft contact base hit, but I thought the swings, the swing decisions, that at-bat, very good. Trea, he's trying to figure some things out. He's an aggressive hitter. I just want him to continue to kind of be aggressive to his zone and if it's not there, take his base, but use all fields like can he do and has shown he can do.

But let's just say that I think that that last at-bat that he had, there's something to that and I think it will bleed into today.

Q. If I asked you in July or August Gavin's future, I think you would have said second baseman, maybe short stop. Have you seen enough now to think maybe in the same 5- or 600 at-bats he could be a Chris Taylor kind of guy?

DAVE ROBERTS: I can. I can. And that question, that's a compliment, a huge compliment. I think that sometimes we see things, and Gavin is a short stop, he's the number one prospect in baseball and, or a second baseman, whatever it might be.

To be an every day player is the goal, and so it's kind of cut up differently, so I certainly see him as an every day major league player and however that plays out for the roster, we'll know in time.

Q. They always say momentum is the next day starters, but do you believe that what happened last year with last night with Bellinger does have a momentum carryover and the second part was how many times have you did you watch the replay of that at-bat?

DAVE ROBERTS: I've watched it probably a dozen. Now with this thing called TikTok it's around everywhere, so my kids show me this stuff. So yeah, I've watched it and I do think that there's something to just the confidence, the swagger. And Cody's a threat and those guys over there know it. So as long as he can continue to stay in the strike zone -- and you see the way they're pitching Gavin Lux -- as long as he can continue to stay in the strike zone. Justin is going to catch fire. Trea is going to get going. Mookie's swinging it well. So it's like that kind of, on the offensive side, we just got to continue to kind of stay hungry, that sense of urgency to our zone and that will be momentum and I'm excited to see Julio take the mound today. Last night was electric and to have that guy take the mound -- I don't know if the mariachis are going to be there today too, but this guy's going to bring it, I promise you.

Q. To confirm, do you have a TikTok account?

DAVE ROBERTS: No. No. I might have a burner Twitter account but I don't have a TikTok account.

Q. Just wasn't sure if you were doing the dances on there.

DAVE ROBERTS: I have done a few. Check quarantine, yeah, I've been on there.