NL DIVISION SERIES: PADRES VS DODGERS

October 15, 2022

Mookie Betts

Petco Park

Los Angeles Dodgers

Pregame 4 Press Conference

Q. Mookie, with being 2-1 in the series, it's obviously a situation you guys have been in before. How do you rely on whether it's last year or even experiences in the past to prepare for a matchup like tonight?

MOOKIE BETTS: You know, experience is the best teacher, and so being in this spot before, we kind of know how to handle things. But I don't think there's a secret. You've still got to go play the same game. There's no -- it's still baseball. I know it's the postseason and there's a lot of hype and everything going on and a lot of emotions and intensity and whatnot, but essentially you're still playing the same game we've been playing since February.

Q. Earlier in the year you guys were kind of at this point, as well, where you were not delivering with runners in scoring position. Is there a message from that point in time in the season that you as a group can reflect on to apply right now?

MOOKIE BETTS: No, not really. I mean, we got through it at that time early in the season, and we have to get through it now. It's tough, but it is what it is. These are the cards we're dealt.

We have to figure out a way to make it work. We have to figure out a way to scratch across a couple of runs, get a couple hits. Our pitchers -- we've been doing everything pretty good to give ourselves chances to win, but we haven't hit with men in scoring position.

If you look at it from a positive spin, we're getting those guys in scoring position, so all it takes is one or two hits, so really it's just depending on if we get those hits or not.

Everybody is trying. Nobody is not trying. It's just a matter of if we get it done or not.

Q. Dave always talks about when you guys are going at your best, it's the team offense. Do you feel like you guys are having team offense at-bats, or do you feel like it could be a little bit more that way?

MOOKIE BETTS: I feel like we're having team offense at-bats. We're getting guys on base, and so if you're doing that, it's got to be some type of team type of offense. We're just not pushing the runs across. But it's not going to be easy. They've done a really good job of executing, and so we just have to figure out a way to get that hit.

Q. Do you think you guys have at all been pressing in those situations specifically at the plate when you have had chances to get guys on? Is it part of just the atmosphere being in a postseason setting that's contributed to those struggles so far?

MOOKIE BETTS: I don't know. I can't speak for everyone. We just haven't gotten it done, whether we're pressing, not pressing, relaxed. Call it whatever you want, we're just not getting it done.

Like I said, like Dave said, we've been in this situation before, and we just have to find a way to get it done. That's it.

Q. On days like this when you're facing elimination, is the vibe different? Is the sense of urgency around the clubhouse different at all, or does it feel the same?

MOOKIE BETTS: I think it feels the same. We can't start adding extra pressure, especially from within. There's plenty on the outside. You can't add extra pressure from within. Like I said, it's still the same game we've been playing since February. We just have to figure out a way to get a couple hits with men in scoring position. I think everything else is fine.

Q. In a situation like this, has anybody maybe after the game yesterday or today or maybe sometime before game time addressed, spoken at all, or is there any need for that?

MOOKIE BETTS: We kind of talk amongst each other. We all know kind of what the issue is, so it's not like there's a secret or anything. There's pep talks and stuff that will go on at some point I'm sure, but we'll see. Baseball is a different sport. It's not like you can get hyped to go run through a wall. It's like methodical, slow methodical, so no matter how excited and hyped you get, baseball just doesn't work that way.

You can do all the pep talks and stuff you want, but when you get in that box, you have to mentally get yourself ready because nobody can really do it for you.

Q. Having some time off at the beginning of the year, you guys had it clinched even with the best record in the league pretty early. And then taking that extra week off in between, not having a series, did that maybe stall the offense a little bit, just baseball being a methodical game and it's a game of repetition, trying to find that rhythm again at the plate?

MOOKIE BETTS: I mean, if you want to use it for an excuse, then you can. But it's definitely an excuse. We had to figure out a way to get it done. Nobody cares. Nobody really cares at the end of the day.

When you start the game, nobody cares what you went through before you got there. We just know you're here now.

To answer your question, it doesn't matter if it did help us or hurt us or whatever or not. We're down 1-2 right now, so we have to win today.

Q. Did you find something yesterday? It seemed like you looked more like yourself at the plate than you have in recent weeks.

MOOKIE BETTS: Yeah. I mean, I felt pretty good yesterday. I hit some balls hard. But none of them fell. It doesn't really matter what I found or whatnot. That was yesterday, and today is a new day, so we'll see what happens today.