AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: RANGERS VS ASTROS

October 18, 2023

Dusty Baker

Globe Life Field

Houston Astros

Pregame 3 Press Conference

Q. Why is it that your team plays better on the road?

DUSTY BAKER: I don't know, they've been asking me that all year long. You're never glad to get away from home, but we have played better on the road. We won 50 games on the road, and you look at Texas, they won 51 at home. So something's got to shake here.

Q. Do you have any pitching plans for Game 4?

DUSTY BAKER: No. We'll see how Game 3 goes. We'll probably know after the game, hopefully.

Q. Dubon got nominated or I guess finalist for two Golden Gloves, what kind of surprise has he been this year overall with his defense? I guess there were some questions in San Francisco about his defense.

DUSTY BAKER: I know the people in San Francisco. The question about his defense was more on the left side of the infield, more short than in second. And he told me that they thought his best position was center field. And so it's rare that you see a utility guy with the ability to play center field and most infield positions. I've only known a couple of guys that can do both. There are more guys now than before because they're mixing and matching the guys, but he's done an outstanding job for us.

Q. I know you hinted at it yesterday, slide Tucker down. But just the decision on the lineup today, move Brantley up, slide Bregman down, slide Tucker down, just thought going into it?

DUSTY BAKER: Well, just through much deliberation, actually, with myself. Brantley is swinging pretty good, very well. And he's had some success against Scherzer. Tucker hasn't had that much success against Scherzer.

And, you know, down where he is, Abreu is hot. Alvarez is hot. Try to put as many guys on base in front of Alvarez as possible. And so that's what went into my decision. We'll see how it goes today. And depends on who is pitching tomorrow on what I do, but that was my thought process.

Q. You just mentioned Alvarez being hot. It seems like he's hot every October. Can you put into words the confidence level that you guys have in the dugout, all these postseasons, when he comes up in big situations?

DUSTY BAKER: He wasn't always hot. Last year he was so hot that the next series they stopped pitching to him. We've got a tremendous amount of confidence in him. He has confidence in himself. He doesn't clown, he doesn't showboat, he doesn't do anything but produce. So, yeah, he's -- he's fast becoming, if not the, one of the best hitters in this game.

Q. How do you feel, most important, and is everybody healthy in the clubhouse, and is Urquidy an option for tomorrow? In Spanish, please.

DUSTY BAKER: (Answers in Spanish.)