NL WILD CARD SERIES: DIAMONDBACKS VS BREWERS

October 3, 2023

Torey Lovullo

American Family Field

Arizona Diamondbacks

Pregame Press Conference

Q. Can you just talk us through some of the roster decisions that you had to make in not keeping Peterson in and not keeping Kyle Nelson as well?

TOREY LOVULLO: Yeah. They're very difficult decisions. We get together as a group. We talk about the construction of lineups and how guys will be used, how can we maximize a situation in earn is spots of the lineup. You want to make sure you have the right coverage.

We felt like the 12 best pitchers and 14 best position players that we have will help us win the games.

The hard part is knowing what Kyle Nelson did for us over the course of the season. I know seven wins, X amount of innings, X amount of strike-outs, crunch-time situations, huge outs. We wouldn't be here without Kyle Nelson.

Those are things that we consider and bake in there, but the bottom line is right now where are we, how are we going to win games, how do we match up with this team, what is their projected roster going to be?

In both cases with Jace, even though he came at the trade deadline, he's had some great moments with this team. Right now at this point in time the 26 best players are on the roster that are going to help us win a baseball game, and those involve tough decisions and tough conversations with the players.

We're ready to compete. That is bottom line. Today is Game 1 with 26 guys on the lineup that will help us win a baseball game.

Q. What do you like better about Pavin over Peterson?

TOREY LOVULLO: Ultimately that's what it came down to and one of the main conversations. Probably the competitive at-bat, the ability to control the zone. I know Pavin was coming up from triple-A. There were some very good signs that we were seeing and hearing about that he was having solid at-bats.

That's what you are hedging on. That's the bet you're making. Who is going to have the better at-bat? Is it going to be Jace who had some quality at-bats, and I spoke about some mature at-bats that he had against the Astros, or is it Pavin who has been playing every day in a rhythm and he has had some successful moments here? Who is going to give us the better at-bat. We just felt like Pavin with where he was at at the end of the season was going to give us a more competitive at-bat.

It wasn't easy. You know, it is Affirmed and Alydar, right? One guy wins by a nose. That's kind of what it came down to. I tried to explain it to them, all the players that didn't make the roster. That's where it ended up. Whether we got it right or wrong, we don't know. If we advance, we can change it.

How about the Affirmed/Alydar? I don't know where I pulled that one out of. What's going on up here?

Q. What did you like about moving Gabi up in the lineup and kind of setting up the four righties in a row there?

TOREY LOVULLO: It's something I've been thinking about for a little while. I know that even with our team and following our team and he has had some really consistent at-bats, and I wanted to push guys up that were going to be able to compliment one another.

I think there's some patience to the at-bat. He drives the pitch count. It gives Walker the freedom to fire early in the at-bat. He is very dynamic and can hit in a lot of different counts. Walker is very unpredictable with what his approach will be and what his plan will be, but I think Gabi can be there to kind of complement him.

It's just a matter of pushing up the guys that will get the most at-bats during the course of the game, and I just like that combination there with Walker, Moreno, and then Gurriel being very stubborn and hopefully getting on base and protecting one another.

Q. Did you whip up anything special for what you say to the guys pregame today?

TOREY LOVULLO: No. I had some time with the majority of the group this morning in some of our pregame meetings. We spoke freely about some of our expectations, and I outlined a few of my thoughts there.

You know, I have said so much to this team, and they're motivated and they're hungry, and I don't need to get in the way of that. That's just my read. I've been battling whether or not I should say something or not.

My youngest sent me a great text today this morning. It was a great thing to wake up to. He is, like, just make sure you tell the guys how proud you are of them. That's what I was able to say. I'm proud of this group, the way they fought, they persevered and came together and committed. That's what I went over a little bit today.

As I said, post-game on Saturday, the journey is not over, and they know that. I just didn't want to get in front of them and make anything too formal because I feel like this team is in a really good spot.

Q. You're no stranger to postseason experience, back around for another trip. What feelings come within you? Are you excited? Are you nervous, butterflies? I'm curious your internal dialogue and those feelings associated with that?

TOREY LOVULLO: I'm, first of all, over the moon with excitement. Yeah, of course, I'm nervous. I think if you aren't, you're probably not ready.

I have the same excitement, anxiety, curiosity that every fan sitting in Arizona has right now, that every person in that clubhouse has, and most likely the opposing clubhouse has. So I just want to be as real as possible and admit what I'm feeling and thinking, but at some point, it's going to slow down and get very normal to me.

It's what we all play for. It's where we all want to be right now, and we've got to just be ourselves. For me to be the best leader inside much the dugout, I have to find that sweet spot. It will happen at some point. It will probably be after about the first five or six pitches. It will slow down and be very regular to me.

Q. Just curious, what do you like about Evan Longoria starting at third base in this game?

TOREY LOVULLO: I can't believe you guys didn't ask me that. I thought it was right in your honey hole. I thought it would happen right away. Yeah, check-minus for you guys. It's bad. Actually, you gave it to Jesse, right, the youngster, the new guy.

Once the decision was made with Jace, I had two choices, maybe three choices to pull from. I know I said it the other day when I started him against Verlander. I just like the stability of the human being and the stability of the at-bat, the heartbeat.

I know that he has faced Burnes before. He is going to know the shape of the pitch. We all will, but there's familiarity there, and he is going to know where he has to land a pitch to hit it.

I just think he's got the right make-up and, like I said, heartbeat for what this team is going to be walking through. I think we're young, and there is that curiosity that I mentioned. I think everybody is going to look at him and be, like, yeah, you know what, I'm going to watch what Longo is doing. He might help me out and help me relax a little bit.

Defensively solid. I told him last night before the workout, I just gave him a fly by and said, make sure you go out and get all your best reps today because I have you starting at third base tomorrow. Most people would be, like, awesome, high five, shake my hand, give me a hug, whatever. He is, like, gotcha. He was tying his shoe and didn't even pick up his head and said gotcha. That's why I like him.

Q. Tommy was in, and he mentioned his turf toe. Is that his left or right, and how concerned are you about that?

TOREY LOVULLO: Yeah, minimal concern because of the human being, because of the guy. I know you pay attention to what we do down the line between he and Gabi. We gave them the openness to shut it down when needed, and you can see. You can probably go back and start to calculate when it started and how it's been -- how much it's been bothering him.

Not only by him getting down the line, but where he has been playing. He has been DH'ing now for probably ten games. I don't know. Something like that. It's been bothering him around that long, but I think he is coming out the other side. He is ready to go out and compete.

It's a statement as to what he -- as to who he is and what he wants to do every time he steps on the field. There's a certain toughness to him, and I think he brings that to every one of his teammates as well.

Q. Left or right.

TOREY LOVULLO: I think it's his right. In fact, I know it's his right.

Q. Just how much rope do you think you can give to Pfaadt? What's your thinking here on handling your pitchers or today?

TOREY LOVULLO: I think there's an obvious thought and obvious plan with McGough and Merrill going. They typically go six, seven strong. Our bullpen is fully rested. We have a lot of really good pieces. I'll read and react. It will probably follow the same script that I've been using outside of maybe his last start where I think I got him in the mid 80s.

But I'll go and start it at 18, plus or minus 4, and just see where it goes from there. I believe in his ability to compete, but I just know we have a fully gassed-up bullpen with 1A and 1B right behind him tomorrow and the following day. I just have to be mindful of where we're at and how we can win a baseball game today.

I don't want to say what number, where it is, but I'll give you the 18, plus or minus 4.

Q. With Burnes you've had one tough outing against him and one where you tagged him for a bunch of runs. I know the theme is it's a new ball game with the playoffs, but what do you take from those outings against Burnes into this game?

TOREY LOVULLO: Yeah, throw everything out, right? You take the highest score out, and the lowest score, and it's probably somewhere right in the middle. We're not going to fall for that either. We're going to assume he is going to have his Chase Field stuff.

He came in that day with something to prove. I know that he didn't like what happened here. I'm not sure what it was, but I know there was a lot of slug involved and base runners involved. That was a total outlier. We know he is going to be at his absolute competitive best self.

It's about understanding where the cut fastball is going to be, where the breaking ball is going to land, what is his pitch sequencing, what's his pitch that's working. We need to be spot on and be present and make adjustments.

But he is an elite pitcher that is locked in right now. We're going to have our work cut out for us, but I believe in that group. They're going to be ready for this challenge.