NL WILD CARD SERIES: PADRES VS METS

October 8, 2022

Bob Melvin

Citi Field

San Diego Padres

Pregame Press Conference

Q. Blake seems to be a man of his word. Earlier in the season he said, don't worry. I'm going to get better as the season goes on. How impressive has that been and what's been the difference for him?

BOB MELVIN: He's getting ahead and throwing strikes. I think similar to the year before he had a little difficulty early in the season getting ahead and throwing strikes, putting guys on via walks. He's tough to hit. Just you hit him around because his stuff is so good.

But when he's getting ahead of the count, he's less predictable, his breaking ball works much better, and he doesn't need to be fine within the zone because most of his pitches are really explosive.

Q. He has done well in big game situations and says that he enjoys those types of situations. What is it that you've seen about him that gives you confidence that he can do that again?

BOB MELVIN: I think the way that he's been pitching here the last couple months would suggest he has a lot of confidence. You know, the velo has even ticked up a little bit. I think he's refined his breaking stuff more so and just pitches with a lot of confidence this time of year, and this time of year usually adds up to pitching in the postseason when you're pitching well late. So I think all those things come together at the right time.

Q. Are there certain things about his personality that might make him more successful in those situations or be able to get up for this?

BOB MELVIN: It may be, yes. When you have success doing it in the past, it always kinds of resonates with you.

His preparation has been the same. Got off to a little bit of a slow start, hasn't pitched as many innings as maybe some of our other guys, and maybe this time of the year that helps.

Q. How important has the bottom of your lineup been, four hits and three runs scored last night from the 7 through nine guys. Not only during the season, but you've said it would be important during the postseason here as well?

BOB MELVIN: You always rely on the middle of the order guys to get on top, but when you're getting production all the way through the lineup, it puts a little bit more pressure on the opposing pitcher knowing that there's not really a break.

So I think that was important yesterday that we got some production there, had to throw some pitches. There were some guys on base. We took advantage of some mistakes yesterday, which Max does not make very often, and ended up being a real good offensive night.

Q. There were times this season the last couple months where Grisham was struggling and Bell was struggling, and you kept on riding them. Even it might not have been the best percentage played that night, you said you wanted them for the course of the season. They were your best options. Can you speak to the challenges of managing for this season as a whole as opposed to just one night's game during the regular year?

BOB MELVIN: Look, over 162 everyone is going to have periods where they don't swing well. Probably these two guys went a little longer at times than they normally have in their career, but there's a lot of production there from both of these guys and you can't just walk away from that.

Especially maybe with the depth we have in the organization. So you really have to have faith in guys that they're going to come around. These are your guys and continue to support them.

Q. What was it that made you go -- I know it's how it lined up, but go Snell, Musgrove versus the other way around?

BOB MELVIN: That's just the way it was lined up. We wanted to keep these guys -- we've been real consistent this year about whether or not six days, we were a six-man rotation for a while, getting extra days. Then we went to regular turn for a while.

All three of these guys really could have pitched in any game in this series.

Q. At what point did you see that Robert Suarez had sort of taken another step? Was it simply the knee, or was it sometime in maybe the last month or so?

BOB MELVIN: I think it was just before that, that they were starting to get an inclination that this guy could be either an eighth or ninth inning guy. When he came in, he was probably looked at in Spring Training to be the ninth inning guy, but had not pitched over here before so we weren't really sure.

I think it was opening day he walked some guys in a closer's role, and it ended up going against him. But as the season went along just before injury and when he came back, during that period we realized how important he was. When you look at his numbers, he gets lefties out just as well as if not better against righties. We put him in spots where he comes in with guys on base.

If you look at it, he's probably our true eighth inning guy, but he's also the guy we bring in with a couple of outs in the seventh to shut down a rally because of his numbers against lefties and righties. He's just been a Godsend for us, and that's just a great sign by A.J. to bring a guy over like that that you're not really sure, hasn't pitched here before, and he's performed beautifully for us.

Q. What Jurickson has done, the ups and downs of this season, he's pretty good in the postseason. Is he one of the underrated sort of gamers on the team?

BOB MELVIN: He is, and takes on a leadership role in our clubhouse too. He's not afraid to say things in meetings and hitters meetings. He's not afraid to get on guys if situationally they don't do the right thing.

Then you look, when we've played our best, usually Jurickson is getting on base and playing his best baseball. That's what you would expect out of a guy that leads off. Of the guys we have behind him, when he's on base and they get a chance to knock him in, that's when we're at our best.

Q. Bob, you mentioned, I think last night, when such a short postseason series like this, three games, every game feels monumental. Do you almost manage this game, even up 1-0 in this series, with the same sort of urgency you would if you were down 1-0 in the series? Like the game goes on, you have a chance to close it out, you would approach it almost the same way as if you were facing elimination?

BOB MELVIN: Yeah, it's all the same. If you're behind at some point in time big in a game like this, then maybe a little bit different where you try to chase it a little bit harder, but every one of these games you're playing like it's the last game of the season.

Q. Ha-Seong Kim, this is his first time in first Major League postseason, but it seems like he has been here for many years. Where did this composure came from?

BOB MELVIN: This is my first experience with him, and he looks very comfortable out there in the atmosphere. He has a lot of fun in pregame. He's very confident in what he does. When you're that good defensively, you should have a lot of confidence.

His offense has gotten better as the season's gone on. He's gotten big hits for us. He's been durable. I think last year being the first year in the states, not getting to play as much as he did, you know, how do I fit in? Where this year he knows he fits in and knows he's a key piece for us, and I think he gains a lot of confidence insulating what are team things about him.

Q. Bob, you had a lot of success really over in Oakland, you went to Wild Card games, had winning seasons, you have Manaea here, Bassitt you could face tomorrow. What do you draw out of that whole experience that you take in this series and where you're going right now?

BOB MELVIN: What do I take from my time in Oakland? You know what, this is a little bit different in that Oakland didn't have the payroll. So we have some big time players here that are getting paid long term contracts. That was never really the case in Oakland.

But I think the way we just kind of fight our way to the playoffs a lot in Oakland just gives you a little experience once you get here. It's two completely different teams, and you manage them differently. But I think just maybe the underdog thing that we had in Oakland played well. Here it's a little different story.

Q. In this case, even with the payroll, you have to fight your way into the playoffs too?

BOB MELVIN: That's not a bad thing too, having to fight your way in. Because once you get here, you feel hopefully good about the rewards. You know it's 0-0 again, and I think we have a pretty dangerous team.