NL DIVISION SERIES: DIAMONDBACKS VS DODGERS

October 9, 2023

Dave Roberts

Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles Dodgers

Pregame 2 Press Conference

Q. Any ramifications from Clayton's start? Was there any soreness in his shoulder, anything that has come up since that night?

DAVE ROBERTS: No. He feels great physically. Mentally obviously frustrated, but not surprising. Yesterday was a normal workday for him, coming to the ballpark, getting his cardio, his weights and playing catch. So nothing changed on that front.

Q. When you talked to Bobby just throughout this season, one of his biggest spaces of having pride what he's done this year how he's grown with his emotions on the mound. What are you looking to see from him today just in specific to the emotional side and knowing that it is the postseason, but also kind of watching how he harnesses some of those things?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think that's something that I'll be very watchful of. It's something that we've had a lot of conversations about that, and to his credit he's embraced it and has grown tremendously.

And one part of being a Major League pitcher is the stuff, the ability to get hitters out. The other part of it is managing stress and navigating lineups.

And this is going to be his biggest challenge, his biggest test that he's ever had. I think he's prepared for it. And just appreciating the fact that adrenaline, emotions, that's going to happen organically and naturally tonight and just trust that it will be there.

But once he makes that first throw, I think he'll be fine.

Q. Have you made any plans any decision on Game 3 and who might start for you guys?

DAVE ROBERTS: As I sit here right now, I don't see it being anyone outside of Lance. And so we'll see how tonight goes, but I think that's a pretty safe bet.

Q. If you're leaning that way, what was going into that decision to maybe give him the ball?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think for us it's a guy that's been there before and really just kind of trusting the fact that he's going to be there and pitch well and to have a group of arms behind him.

I don't know what that start's going to look like, but I feel very confident. And that's why we got him -- to come here and pitch big innings for us.

Q. We just heard from Torey who said that the entire National League has known Bobby was coming. Can you recall a certain time this season that he earned your confidence or has it been organically growing throughout?

DAVE ROBERTS: It's certainly been organically going throughout. I think for me the thing is as a coach to a player, you can have confidence in a player but it's not there until he believes in himself. And I think there's an intrinsic tough guy confidence in a guy, Bobby. Certainly helps when you throw 100 miles an hour.

But until you can have success at the Major League level consistently then it starts to really cement and be realized and true.

So, when did this happen? I don't recall when. I just know that his expectation to go out there and feel like he was the best option continued to grow. And the confidence managing stress, managing his emotions, all that stuff I've seen.

So like Torey said, yeah, Bobby's been on the come, but it was more of just stuff and not really harnessed emotionally and physically to be a Major League pitcher. But he's checked a lot of those boxes now.

Q. Just a follow-up on Game 3, will Pepiot be a part of that game plan?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, I can see Ryan pitching in that game.

Q. The other side is trying to embrace being the underdog, playing with house money. Can you feel that and the dynamics of that in the series? Is it harder for you guys if you're feeling the pressure to beat a team like that and moving on? How does the favorite/underdog dynamic play out?

DAVE ROBERTS: I don't think we look at it this way. When you're looking at Merrill Kelly, who had one of the best years in the National League, pitched for Team USA, and you're looking at Zac Gallen, who has been the Cy Young race the last few years, you're staring down those guys, that's a tall order for any team.

So I don't think that we were sitting here and expecting anything outside of going out there and playing good baseball.

So I don't think we expect it to be easy. We have a lot of respect for those guys. They played us tough all year long. Doesn't feel good being down 0-1, but I like our chances going forward. I can't speak to their mindset, though.

Q. I know you tried some new things last week to keep guys engaged for those five days, but would you rather have been playing than have the bye? Top two seeds in both leagues are 1-5 at this point?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, I think that I would rather -- it's nice to get into the Division Series, certainly. I don't think that five days is ideal, but that's the playoff structure. So the world's not perfect. But couple-day break would have been nice. But five's a little -- but there's nothing we can do about it.

And like I said yesterday, I hope the extra day cooled their bats off a little bit and we're back to level playing ground, hopefully.

Q. To follow up on Miller, what do you remember about the first time you saw him, maybe it was Spring Training, I'm not sure? But did he look polished, raw, did you see how much work had to be done what do you remember as to how close he was at that point?

DAVE ROBERTS: I saw Bobby, I don't remember the first time, but a vivid memory was Spring Training invite, and fireballer, confident, young kid who just had no command of the baseball.

And not wild, but it's like when you're talking about Major League-caliber pitching where people could have felt he was close where, in my eyes, he wasn't close.

And I think that now he understands what a quality fastball and command looks like and what gets Major League hitters out. And he understands what spin is supposed to look like and a breaking ball that doesn't pop and a changeup that stays on the same line as his fastball.

So those are things that make you a Major League pitcher, a really good Major League pitcher. So for me it was a really up-and-down emotional guy that didn't control his emotions very well. But then from this spring to this year to then getting up here with us, he's just grown so much and really proud of what he's done.

Q. Torey said they've been waiting for this moment. There's a familiarity between you and the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks. I'm wondering if you can take us into kind of the cat-and-mouse game. Max said the approach that Kelly took the other night was completely different than when they had seen him during the regular season.

DAVE ROBERTS: It was. He didn't throw as many change-ups as he typically does. He went more cutter to the lefties.

As far as Torey and what they've done, they've done a fantastic job of getting home-grown players. Locking up the right guys. I thought the Pham deal at the deadline was fantastic. They've got good starting pitching. So they've done a great job.

As far as waiting for this moment, they should. We've done a good job in the division, and so for them to be here says a lot about where they've come.

It's a big series for us, and we've been waiting for this moment, too. So the familiarity part, yeah, I think it's one of those things that because there's so much familiarity. There's a balance between doing something different that you might not be comfortable doing to then live with the result versus doing what you've always done.

So to Merrill's credit the other night, he went off sort of what he's done, his script. And that proved beneficial. So it is a cat-and-mouse, for sure.

Q. In regards to Miller, I'm guessing you guys have an idea how far you guys want to go in terms of maybe pitches or number of batters or whatever, but you and I -- we've also talked about kind of his ceiling and stuff. There have been times he's been completely dominant through five or six. If he's having one of those type of games how much would you consider letting him go beyond like the plan, and does maybe where the series lies right now, does it affect those plans at all?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think for me, there's no -- honestly, there's no number of hitters. There's no -- I mean, I think 80 to 90 pitches, 95 pitches, something like that would be a ceiling. I do know we've got four guys in the pen that are raring and anxious to pitch that are a big reason why we are here tonight. So to be able to use those guys tonight, I think, is of benefit.

So certainly a read-and-react situation. And I can't sit here right now and say that there is a plan because if there was I would love to know it. If it worked, that would be great. But I'm just going to sit here and watch Bobby and I trust Bobby. I expect him to take down a lot of outs tonight and then we'll see where we go from there.

Q. Considering where you guys are with your pitching, where you are in the series, do you need Bobby to be that kind of funnel rotation guy, to be that guy? I know it's obviously his first start but to be able to come --

DAVE ROBERTS: You have to have a guy or guys that can take down outs. You just can't survive ultimately to win 11 games in October by doing a bullpen every single -- it just can't happen. It's just not sustainable. You have to have a guy that can take down outs.

But as we sit here down 0-1, all games aren't created equal. And so I understand that. And so how we get through tonight is a different conversation than what it might look like for his potential next start.

So, to your question, yes, we do need Bobby to be Bobby. And I think he will do that. But as far as tonight, how we manage it, how I manage it remains to be seen.

Q. What did you think about Emmet Sheehan in Game 1, in that role he hasn't done a lot of this season? And when is the earliest you can envision him being back on the mound in the game?

DAVE ROBERTS: I can see Emmet being in the game probably in Game 4. And actually, I think Emmet has done it a dozen times coming out of the pen. He's a starter, but the role, his expectation, he came in and got, I think, a punch-out and a ground-out and went back in there. And Carroll hit a really good pitch down below.

But I thought he did what we needed to do to kind of stay away from some guys that we wanted to. So I was really impressed with what he did and expect him to be even better the next time.

Q. In case you haven't got enough Bobby Miller questions, you talked about his growth throughout the season, especially on the mental side of things. This is obviously the biggest start of his career and the stakes got even higher after the result of Saturday's game. So what makes you confident that a 24-year-old can face a bright shining spotlight like this one and perform the way you need him to?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think that the great ones, the great players just have a way of channelling energy, adrenaline and nerves into performance. And I've seen it enough that the trajectory has been headed in the right direction for quite some time.

I bet on the head a lot on players. For me, the preparation, the mindset, he doesn't scare off. So I think he's going to embrace this moment.