NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: BRAVES VS DODGERS

October 21, 2021

Dave Roberts

Truist Park

Los Angeles Dodgers

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Have you guys decided on who will replace Joe Kelly on the roster yet?

DAVE ROBERTS: It's going to be David Price.

Q. Just curious, from your standpoint, you know this team better than anybody, it seems like less talented teams that get this far and overcome as much adversity as your group of guys have overcome get labeled with a gritty type of team, but this team is so talented it doesn't seem like anybody refers to them that way. Do you feel like they're more gritty than what they get credit for?

DAVE ROBERTS: Absolutely. I do. I think the first lazy look is payroll, but I think you know better than anybody, people that watch this team play every night, night-in and night-out and how we play the game, the adversities that we have overcome and never made excuses, that shows a lot of grit.

So it's not surprising how we responded, but certainly that thought or that sentiment isn't used to describe our group which for me is very strange.

Q. You've said it before, that momentum really is only as good as that day's starting pitcher. But I'm wondering if there's something you can take from yesterday's game offensively and repeat it tomorrow, even if Ian Anderson is on his game.

DAVE ROBERTS: Well, I'd like to think so. I think the first thing obviously with what Chris Taylor and AJ Pollock did as far as the at-bat quality, the slug, feeling good, feeling good about your swing, I think that certainly carries over. With what Trea Turner did yesterday is what we've known, which makes him a great player and a batting champion, what he did last night. And obviously with Mookie and guys throughout our lineup, picking each other up and the at-bats Albert had.

So I certainly expect that to carry over, but again, you still got to prevent runs. But offensively more of what we did last night will be certainly welcome for Game 6.

Q. I know we kind of picked at this after the game, but with a day to think about it, what is your best explanation for why yesterday so many guys seemed to click at once?

DAVE ROBERTS: I just think that with Fried there was a little bit more familiarity. Certainly it was a week prior we saw him and he pitched well against us, but I think early AJ set the tone by beating a fastball to the spot and hitting a homer and CT did the same thing. And I think right there you could see that Fried's game plan changed a little bit. There was more changeups. There was more arm side attempts and his bread and butter is that fastball that kind of bores in on the right-hand hitter and we got him off his number one, which I thought was a very good thing.

Q. As intense as it was just ending the regular season and then having those first couple series the way they went, how welcomed is this day of rest to just kind of reset a little bit going into these last couple games of this series?

DAVE ROBERTS: Very welcome. Like I said last night, I'm looking forward to getting on this flight here in a couple hours. It's interesting how last year in the NLCS we played seven straight games and so obviously there was no travel, but that off-day for to us reset, get the pen reset, I think is really beneficial for all of us, mentally and physically.

Q. When Brusdar, to go through those two innings on 14 pitches, what do you think he's kind of done to kind of take another step again this October?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think it's just really getting the trust in his stuff. I think Connor McGuiness, the pitching guys, have done a great job with the delivery, Mark Prior and those guys. I think Josh Bard's done a fantastic job with the preparation.

And then now most importantly I think Brusdar's really been able to slow the game down, trust his stuff, and know that 100, 101 plays in the strike zone, and he's getting ahead of guys and attacking.

Q. Did he add a cutter to his mix? I know he got Freeman on something he kind of ground out that looked kind of between a sinker and a slider. I don't know if he had added that to his mix.

DAVE ROBERTS: He did. He did. He added it about a month and a half ago and the driver was Connor McGuiness, and Brusdar just really bought it and it's really opened some things for him up against left.

Q. You mentioned yesterday Justin Bruihl is dealing with a sore arm, just wondering what the extent of that is and is that something that might affect him on the roster?

DAVE ROBERTS: It is. It's something that Justin is in the training room right now getting some work and a little catch play to see how it responds. So we are going to bring an arm just in case he can't go for the next, for Game 6 and beyond, but I just don't have that name right now.

Q. Just following up on that with Bruihl, you said that he just kind of felt it when he was warming up last night?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, when he felt it, it was something a little bit I think similar to what he had in September and just couldn't post and wanted to be out there but just his arm wouldn't let him.

Q. With Kenley this month just sort of, I know he had a really good year, what have you seen from him especially in the playoffs and sort of, kind of doing stuff that at this time of year he maybe hadn't done the last couple years?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think he's been able to focus on things that are important and that can help you instead of a little bit in the past, which I think we're all guilty of at times, the scope gets a little bit more broad and the noise gets a little bit more loud and invasive.

So now I think that this whole year, especially after that little stumble he had after the break, he's just really harnessed that focus and this is as good as I've seen Kenley Jansen pitch in my time here with the Dodgers.

Q. On that, I know he's talked a lot about wanting to be that guy getting those last outs in October. How much do you feel like this means to him personally just to be able to be pitching this well this time of year?

DAVE ROBERTS: Personally it means a lot, certainly looking back a year ago where I don't think that he felt the confidence that he feels now. I think that he really understands the fact that we want him to throw the last pitch of 2021, but up to that point, he's available to help us win that particular night. So he's our closer, but there's certain times that I'm going to go to him in a different spot and he's embraced that.

Q. I'm assuming Gavin will be out there in center field. How much did yesterday just maybe having a day to not sort of worry about some of the stuff earlier in the series sort of might help him going into Game 6?

DAVE ROBERTS: It's going to help him. All these experiences, good, some not so good, it's part of the growth pattern. And Gavin is a young player and he wants to be the guy, he wants to be able to help us and he's going to help us win tomorrow night.

Q. If you guys were to win Game 6 tomorrow and even the series, does that give you guys a mental advantage into a Game 7 because of what happened last season, do you think, and how do you exploit that?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think we've got a mental advantage right now, getting back on that plane and going back there playing Game 6. History's a powerful thing to the mind and so we feel good and I think that we're going to use it to our advantage, but at the end of the day we still got to go out there and play a good baseball game. So, win tonight and pick up the pieces and once you get to Game 7, like everyone who's been a part of a Game 7, anything can happen. But I think that us being in elimination games and all that stuff bodes better for us, but again, that's all moot, you still got to go play and execute.

Q. Do you know who the extra arm is you guys are going to bring in case Bruihl can't go?

DAVE ROBERTS: I don't. We've got a couple guys we're tossing around, whether it be a left-hander or a right-hander, so we're still kind of figuring that out.