AL DIVISION SERIES: TWINS VS ASTROS

October 11, 2023

Dusty Baker

Target Field

Houston Astros

Pregame 4 Press Conference

Q. Diaz had a little bit of a rough day at the plate yesterday. How do you think he'll rebound from that? Is it going to be tough just because he doesn't play a lot and doesn't get a lot of at-bats to just put that behind him?

DUSTY BAKER: Looking at him today, you would think he got four hits, you know what I mean? He's a confident young man. They're pitching him tough. That's what the playoffs are all about. You've got to learn from this. He'll learn from this.

We'll hopefully get him another opportunity or so before it's over.

Q. How stretched out is Urquidy?

DUSTY BAKER: He went six last time, so I'll take six this time too or anything close. We've got a relatively fresh bullpen. We have -- J.P. France is fresh. So we'll just take him as far as we can take him and try to win this game.

Q. Have you guys discussed a potential Game 5 starter and who that would be?

DUSTY BAKER: No. We're trying to end this now; then we'll worry about that if we don't. Right now we're trying to end this, end this now, and we're in a position to do so. That's not being overly confident or cocky or anything. It's just that's the position that we're in, and if we can do that, then our Game 1 starter will be Verlander the next series.

But right now, this is the most important day on earth right now.

Q. Do you have any better idea about Graveman, whether he'd be able to help you if you continue on?

DUSTY BAKER: I don't know. I asked him how he feels, and he just told me, "Better." I don't know if he's thrown. I haven't seen him throw. We'll see.

Q. Dusty, you've talked a lot about energy in the ballpark and energy in the city. You guys clinched on the road twice last year. When you have a lead in a clinch situation on the road, can you kind of feel the tension? Is it palpable from the fans with the team up against the wall?

DUSTY BAKER: From the fans here, you mean?

Q. Like in the stadium.

DUSTY BAKER: I don't know. You don't really pay attention to that too much. What you try to do is, like yesterday, we can get an early lead and kind of take the fans out of it a little bit, and that happens. It happens at our place. It happens here. It happens everywhere.

No, you don't really think about that. You're just thinking about hopefully we can get the lead early, especially when you have that first at-bat. This is what the first at-bat's all about.

Q. I just wanted to check on something. It looked like Martín thought that Polanco fouled that ball off in the 3-2. Is that not reviewable?

DUSTY BAKER: No.