NL DIVISION SERIES: PADRES VS DODGERS

October 13, 2022

Dave Roberts

Petco Park

Los Angeles Dodgers

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Dave, just with Tony Gonsolin getting the start tomorrow, what is the plan coming after him? Is it a situation in which you think you'd use Dustin May to take some bulk innings? How are you seeing the bullpen play out tomorrow?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think with us, certainly there's going to be some restrictions on Tony. I don't know what they are right now. I know that he's built up, upwards to 75 pitches. We'll see how it goes with his stuff and effectiveness.

I think the good thing about our pen coming off an off-day is Dustin is back online. Andrew Heaney is back online, and the other guys are available.

I think for us, it sort of depends where Tony comes out, what's the score and all that stuff. There's not necessarily a person or persons that has to take bulk. I just think I'm going to make the decisions, whatever gives us the best chance to win and to prevent runs.

Q. Dave, obviously you guys beat up Clevinger in the first couple innings of Game 1, the offensive production has been three solo home runs. What's kind of your view of what's happened to the offense?

DAVE ROBERTS: You know, honestly, it's like I thought we threw out a lot of hits last night, and I thought there were some other balls that we squared up that didn't get rewarded for.

I think honestly last night, I thought there were a lot more good at-bats than bad at-bats, but situationally I think we could have done a better job. We had a couple opportunities to push a couple runs across, and we didn't capitalize.

I thought we did a good job of getting to Yu and not letting him get through six innings and having a chance to get to the bullpen as well.

The first game we sort of went silent for six innings, but I thought even having a chance against Hader in the eighth and ninth, I thought we did a good job.

Q. Darvish spoke after the game, and he mentioned how you guys are really good at extending at-bats by fouling off pitches, you guys don't chase the borderline pitches. Obviously you guys have been effective in terms of getting the starting pitcher out of there quickly, and it's always kind of been what he calls Dodger baseball. Given that you have been successful in doing at least that part, does it feel like the offense clicking is really not that far away?

DAVE ROBERTS: It does, it does. Obviously I thought, again, we had a chance to win that game. We're 1-1. I think going into now if you look at it as a three-game series, I like where our offense is at. I really do.

I think certainly getting Mookie and Justin on track, I expect that to happen. But I think up and down the lineup, guys are taking good team at-bats. It'll be good to get C.T. in there, and Austin will be catching tomorrow.

I think offensively, team offense, we're going to be okay in the next potential three games.

Q. Given the expectations that this team has, obviously there's no secret about it, is pressure getting to these guys at all?

DAVE ROBERTS: No, I don't think so. I think that there's been talk about it all year, expectations and whatever it might be. But when you're in a baseball game, the only thing you're thinking about is how to win that ballgame.

All that stuff that people might talk about before has no bearing on the outcome of a Major League Baseball game.

Q. I don't think we asked you yesterday, and obviously both of them are good options, but what went into going with Gonsolin in Game 3 as opposed to Anderson?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, I think the main thing is looking at it as coming off an off-day, Tyler has more length than Tony, so to be able to come off an off-day, have your full disposal of pen arms available, I think, just equipped us the best to prevent runs for Game 3.

Q. Obviously if you guys win the next two the series is over, but looking ahead with three games in a row, what's kind of the challenge of managing the bullpen for those particular --

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, I think it's great. I think that we're in a really good spot because there's a few guys that they haven't seen yet. I trust them all. So I think when you're talking about an extended series, the thing that happens is familiarity, which ultimately I think benefits the hitters.

So I think that we've got an opportunity with a compilation of arms to change and vary looks that they don't get the same looks two or three or four times.

Q. What have you seen -- you mentioned there with Mookie, but what have you seen from him, obviously a small sample size, but from him at the plate?

DAVE ROBERTS: I thought the last at-bat, the double was a good piece of hitting. I haven't looked at him. I don't know if it's a little -- I think there was one at-bat, there was an expanded slider off from Yu when he was 1-0.

I've got to look again, but it's a little bit more magnified, as it should be in the postseason, but it's two games, and I expect Mookie to be fine.

Q. I think a couple weeks ago you mentioned that for whatever game Tony starts in the playoffs would be kind of like a bullpen game. Is that still how you're looking at it? Do you want it to be more of a piggy-back situation with somebody else? What's the ideal situation tomorrow on the mound?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, you know, I think obviously the less amount of pitchers as you can use in a plus game, I think that's ideal. But then you've got to bake in leverage and matchups to kind of keep preventing runs.

I don't see it as a piggy-back situation. I see it as a collection of arms. Obviously less is more, but if we have to use six arms tomorrow, we'll do that.

Q. With Barnes behind the plate, is Smith going to DH?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, Will is going to DH tomorrow.

Q. Following up on that, if Smith is DH'ing, does that mean Muncy will be at second?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yep, yep.

Q. What have you seen out of Chris Taylor? He's had a number of live at-bats but hasn't played since September 30. How close is he to being able to handle a start for tomorrow?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think physically he's close to 100 percent, if not 100 percent, as far as how he feels.

He's taken a ton of simulated at-bats. Is it game situations? No. I think for me it's just betting on the experience and the person and the player. I expect him to go out there and play good defense and take good at-bats versus Snell, and we'll see what happens for Game 4.

I'm excited to get C.T. back in there.

Q. Both have played center and left this year; what was sort of the decision to put Trayce in center and Chris in left?

DAVE ROBERTS: I just think that Trayce is a center fielder. He's played more center field. I like him there, and I like C.T. in left field.

Q. Are you able to confirm Tyler Anderson will start Game 4?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yes.

Q. I wanted to ask you about Blake Treinen. How did he look to you last night?

DAVE ROBERTS: I thought the stuff was good. Obviously you look at the result, he gave up a run, gave up a homer, Cronenworth did a good cutter in, but I thought the stuff was good. I thought the slider to the right-handers to get some punch was good.

I thought it was a positive outing, and hopefully expecting that he comes in today into the training room feeling good recovering, to be back online for either Game 3 or Game 4.

But to get him back out there I think was a huge win for us.

Q. So you haven't heard how he's been able to bounce back yet?

DAVE ROBERTS: I have not yet, no, because -- I have not heard yet.

Q. What's the level of concern with Dustin who's kind of coming in off of a similar period of rest and this will be his first game action in a while?

DAVE ROBERTS: Well, I think that was kind of the plan as far as from the regular season he threw four innings against our hitters. Just to give him the kind of throwing his bullpen, which he did two days ago to get him online for length and whatever we need. So there's no hesitancy with Dustin where he's at.

He's had postseason experience, and he's raring to go.

Q. What would his max pitch count be?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think Dustin is kind of right around the -- I'd say probably four and 60, something like that.