NL DIVISION SERIES: PADRES VS DODGERS

October 12, 2022

Bob Melvin

Dodger Stadium

San Diego Padres

Postgame 2 Press Conference

Padres - 5, Dodgers - 3

THE MODERATOR: First question for Bob.

Q. Bob, can you talk about what Hader did? I know you had a conversation about him going for it. Did that go pretty much like what you thought?

BOB MELVIN: Exactly. He is ready to play. You know, didn't do it during the regular season. Kept his workload at a minimum. He saved those type of things for the postseason. He was all for it.

He knew that any runner on and two out he was going to be coming in for four outs, and did what we expected him to do.

Q. What is your confidence level in Robert Suarez at this point?

BOB MELVIN: Pretty good. That role a lot of times is really the most difficult role when you are coming in. For the starters when there's runners out there, probably going to go more than one, have to get out of a jam like that, get a strike-out, double play. It's easier; said than done, but he did it.

He has really pitched himself into as prominent role as we have.

Q. Overall what did you think of your guys' play tonight? It seems that you are playing as crisply as you have all season.

BOB MELVIN: Yeah, and very spirited. It was a back-and-forth game. There was a lot of drama. We take a lead. All of a sudden they come right back.

It seemed like it went back and forth the entire game, and then certainly now you have two out, nobody on in the 9th, and Freeman hits an 0-2 pitch that's up around his chin that I don't know how he even gets to, and then all of a sudden you are one pitch away from being in trouble again.

It's probably as back and forth a game as you are going to see. A lot of drama to it. Fun win.

Q. Bob, going back to San Diego with fans in the stands for the postseason, give us a sense of what that may be like for your team and just emotionally overall?

BOB MELVIN: Yeah, they've been waiting for this for a while, and they've supported us all year.

It seems like every game we get between 35,000 and 40,000 people there. The drama that took place during the regular season, I think we had 10, 12 walk-offs or something like that that they were a big part of.

They incentivize us. We feel like they're part of us. To be able to reward them, get home, and have some playoff games for them, it feels really nice.

Q. Let me just turn it back to the pen for a second. By my count, six different relievers in two games and no runs.

BOB MELVIN: Right.

Q. Does Nola get enough credit for what he is doing back there?

BOB MELVIN: You know, there's a reason he is back there every night. This is a guy that has not spent his whole career catching. He is kind of new to the position, but the strides that he has made this year, very cerebral in what he does.

He works very well with the pitchers. Not only starters, but the relievers. They have a ton of faith in him. Here we are in the postseason, and this guy is catching every game for a guy that has not done this very often.

He does not get as much credit as he should, and I'm glad you asked that question.

Q. Could you talk about that sequence where Yu was holding Mookie on, and then a really, really good throw by Nola there?

BOB MELVIN: That's his best throw of the year. Comes up at the biggest time. We know that they're probably going to be a little bit more aggressive.

Yu has been better in the second half of the season than maybe the first half of the season at holding runners and gave him a time. Gave him a 1-3. It was around a 1-3 that he gave him to throw, and Nols made his biggest throw of the year. So credit to both of those guys for being aware.

Q. Do you think that Jake at all maybe rushed Turner, Jake on his way to second on the error that Turner made? Did you happen to see that?

BOB MELVIN: I think it's more how we're playing right now. We're going as hard as we can every 90 feet, and I think it resonates as the game goes along. Look, he doesn't do that very often, but I think when you play in the style that you do, you have to be crisp in how you get the ball and get rid of it; and whether it had an effect or not, I'm not sure.

Q. They go to PitchCom, is that the first time that Yu has used PitchCom?

BOB MELVIN: Yeah.

Q. That's a pregame decision when they get in that situation?

BOB MELVIN: The starter was just at second base, and then I think they used it a little bit more as the game went along. That's not easy either. You go through an entire season not using it, and now all of a sudden you're using something that you're not used to at all. Credit Yu too.

You have to be pretty calm out there to be able to do it and deal with something like that that you never have before.

Q. The double play that was turned, Cronenworth to Kim in the 6th, Game 1, they turned a huge one in the 6th.

BOB MELVIN: Right.

Q. Tell me, in your eyes, how pivotal was that moment for your team?

BOB MELVIN: That was the play of the game. There are certain moments that get lost in the shuffle with the drama at the end of the game, but strikeout double play and you have to be perfect on it. He has to get rid of it beautifully, and Kimmy has to get to the bag and get rid of it with a runner coming down his throat. That is the play of the game at the time and got the momentum back in our dugout.

Q. How did you think that Yu recovered from what was clearly a missed call on a really nice pitch?

BOB MELVIN: Yeah. You know what, nothing really bothers him. I think it bothers us more so. He just kind of moves on.

I've never seen him really too frustrated before, so he kind of takes the: There's nothing I can do about it now. I don't want it to affect me, and I just need to move on.

That's what happens when you are a veteran pitcher that's been through the wars like he has.