NL DIVISION SERIES: PADRES VS DODGERS

October 10, 2022

Dave Roberts

Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles Dodgers

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. First, can you believe that it's finally here? NLDS starts tomorrow, and can you go into what the pitching plan is going to be as you prepare for weather? Just Game 1, Game 2, or even looking at Game 3.

DAVE ROBERTS: Julio is going to start Game 1 and Clayton will start Game 2, and then we'll figure out how we navigate 3 and 4.

Q. How did you make that decision? Kind of what went into it?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think for us you could essentially flip a coin. They're both aces in our eyes. I think that Julio has been fantastic for us all year. Kind of just making that decision to give him that opportunity, we all felt good about it. Clayton feels good about starting Game 2 and going on from there.

Q. Manny Machado said is he looking forward to this division rivalry. Is it possible to enter the series without all the emotion that comes with a heated rivalry?

DAVE ROBERTS: Is it possible? I guess it's possible, but it's very unlikely given the recent history, the geography, the familiarity.

There's going to be a lot of emotions. It's going to be exciting not only for players and fans. It's going to be a very intense series.

Q. Skipper, throughout the course of the year, you pretty much had your way with them. What are the pitfalls or warning signs you will tell them when it comes to playing a team that you have had your way against, you've been kind of sitting around waiting to start playing, and they've been fighting and been active all along?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think there is a lot of pitfalls. I don't think that we would be victim of them.

The win/loss in the season I think certainly has been skewed, but I think that if you were a part and really follow each game, they could have went either way, a lot of them. So, it's obviously a team that's coming off a very big series, emotional series. A very talented team.

We're going to have our hands full. So there's going to be no letdown on our part. The regular season has no bearing on the postseason. It's the best of five. So history in our opinion doesn't really matter.

We feel good with where we're at as far as having the five days to kind of reset, get some guys that had some injuries to kind of get back on track, so we feel good where we're at.

Q. Blake and Dustin, are they going to be healthy enough to make it?

DAVE ROBERTS: They're both going to be healthy enough to make it. We still have to sort of finalize the last couple bullpen spots, but these are good problems to have because we have a lot of viable options, but we're going to kind of talk through the final roster here after this workout.

Q. Dave, the scenario of starting Clayton Game 1, Julio Game 2 and then having Kershaw Game 5 with Julio theoretically available out of the pen in 5, was that seriously considered at all, and ultimately, why did you guys think that wasn't necessary?

DAVE ROBERTS: We thought about it, kind of kicked a lot of different scenarios around.

We felt that having Julio for Game 1 and potentially for Game 5 on regular just made the most sense. Hopefully we can get through the series. Then Clayton will be even more prominent in the next series. That's kind of how it works.

We are in a really good spot, but that's just the best way we felt we should navigate this series.

Q. What has Chris Taylor done over the last couple of days, and is he available for you guys?

DAVE ROBERTS: He is available today. He is better than yesterday, which yesterday was better than the day before, so he is a full participant. There's going to be a live batting practice for him today. Trayce Thompson is going to take some at-bats as well.

If it goes well, you know, my anticipation is he'll be active on our roster.

Q. How much consideration do you guys have in maybe keeping him off of this roster, of trying to build him back up for a couple more innings?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, there's no -- I think you can argue, like a lot of these final decisions, you could argue both ways. To have Dustin continue to stay online to build up where he threw three innings yesterday, to get him on a regular routine, to build up to four innings, to have more length potentially in the potential next series. I think that you could argue that.

But to have his arm talent in this series certainly makes a lot of sense too. So, yeah, this is kind of what we're going back and forth on and what gives us the best chance in this series, which is obviously most important, but also kind of how you can put the play in the best position to help your ball club more and to your question about Dustin's build-up.

Q. Is Kimbrel on your roster?

DAVE ROBERTS: We're still talking. I think that certainly with what Craig has done in his career, it is definitely noted. This has been an up-and-down, inconsistent year as Craig has admitted and has never felt right.

So as far as the whole roster, we're going to have meetings here shortly.

Q. What is his role if he is on the roster?

DAVE ROBERTS: If he is on the roster, it's just kind of what every other right-hander is. He is more getting right-handers out versus more left.

I see him kind of in a lane that makes more sense for him.

Q. One more. Last night we saw Chris Bassitt had some issues with the pitch count last night at Citi Field. Got really loud. This place gets really loud. I'm wondering if you guys will make adjustments to make sure that doesn't happen for your guys, and do you think that will have an impact here the next two days?

DAVE ROBERTS: I don't think it will have an impact, but it could. I think that we have the five or six mound visits that if it has to be because of communication and we have to use a visit for that, it would be certainly unfortunate.

But we're going to have that thing turned up pretty high.

Q. Andrew came out the other day and said that this is the deepest 13-man staff that you guys have probably had going into the postseason series. How much does that play a role and maybe not sort of tinkering with Julio's usage, having him available out of relief in Game 5, everything like that?

DAVE ROBERTS: Well, yeah, we don't -- obviously, Game 5 is we just don't know, but I think speaking to the depth of the bullpen, it is the most talented up and down pen that we've had or just kind of armed to prevent runs.

I think the way it's going to show itself is in a shorter series, whether it's five games or a longer series, seven, we'll just have different options so you don't have to run the same cast of characters to the same part of the lineup all the time.

We're fortunate in that.

Q. Dave, do you know if Miguel Vargas is going to be on the roster yet?

DAVE ROBERTS: He is right there. Vargy is the hit tool, the foot speed. Certainly makes him a real viable possibility.

Q. Then what's going to go into with Treinen? How did he bounce back from the other day, and what do you still have to see to make a decision there?

DAVE ROBERTS: I was just kind of wanting to talk to the training staff today, talk to the pitching guys and just wanted to make sure during catch play today Blake felt good.

After the first day yesterday talked to him, felt great. The assumption, the hope is that he feels good today. And if that's the case, then it's hard to imagine him not being on the roster.

Q. Is this the most dangerous version of the Padres you guys have had to face?

DAVE ROBERTS: Probably. You know, I think that if you look at the starters, I think it's a very power of strength for them on the starters. They've got some nice arms in the bullpen.

As far as positionally, I think this is the best we've seen them be able to defend. As far as the lineup on the offensive side, they've just got a lot more balance than they have in years past. We've got a good test.

Thanks, guys.