NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: DIAMONDBACKS VS PHILLIES

October 19, 2023

Torey Lovullo

Chase Field

Arizona Diamondbacks

Postgame 3 Press Conference

Diamondbacks 2, Phillies 1

THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with Torey.

Q. What's going on in the dugout with you, Strom, and Bani as you are deciding how far you're going to go with Pfaadt?

TOREY LOVULLO: Yeah, we're having conversations about it all day yesterday, all morning today, during the game. We're loving what we see. We just felt like once we got to a certain point in the game, he could hand it off to a bullpen that was able to match up and give us what I feel is a really good advantage against some really good hitters.

So the conversations are very typical. Am I an idiot if I take him out of the game with nine strikeouts at five and two-thirds? Those are the things that I'm asking, and try to keep it loose.

Q. You're asking them that?

TOREY LOVULLO: I'm asking them if the manager is an idiot after taking him out after five and two-thirds. I know it's a very unpopular decision, but we have great information about how we can -- and a plan and a roadmap that when there's limited emotion and limited stimulus, what's the best decision to move this thing forward and control a very, very potent offense. And we felt like we went in that direction today.

Q. So you are sitting there going, look, he's going between 40 and 50. Now he's pitching so well, let's give him another ten? How much more can we give him? What do you think?

TOREY LOVULLO: Yeah. That's typical. I talk to them. It's 18 hitters plus or minus 4, depending on the score, depending on the situation. We had a back-end bullpen that hadn't thrown, and they were going to pitch in this game no matter what.

I wanted to engage the entire team, and there's a portion of the bullpen that had several days off. I wanted to get them sharpened up as well.

Brandon was unbelievable. Brandon threw the baseball as good as you possibly could have hoped or imagined. Once again, it's a young kid stepping into a huge environment and executing at a very high level. That's what stands out more than anything.

Q. I was going to ask you are you an idiot taking out --

TOREY LOVULLO: I'm having the same conversations. Clearly you guys are having the same conversations too.

Q. Now, you spoke to Pfaadt. I was going to ask about that, but you spoke to that. I'm curious what you can say about Ketel? You moved him up to the lead-off spot. He came up huge in the final inning there. What can you say about Ketel?

TOREY LOVULLO: He has an unbelievable heartbeat. He loves to be in that moment. He is one of our best players for a reason. I thought the key to that inning was Perdomo walking and handing it off to Ketel. But Ketel thrives in that situation. He just has the heart of a lion. He wants to get the job done and be the main guy to and help his team win a baseball game.

Q. Just a couple of questions about Pfaadt. Was there anything else he could have done to stay in the game?

TOREY LOVULLO: Probably not at that point in time. I'm guessing he had 15 to 18 more pitches max. Why run him through that portion of the lineup?

I know what has happened the third time around to him at different points in time of the season. That's all discussed and talked about.

Yes, one thing could have happened. We could have been winning 9-0, and he would have probably thrown 15 to 18 more pitches. We felt like he got to that point, and it was unbelievable, and it was time to turn it over.

Q. Of the 18 plus or minus 4, why is that something that you believe in?

TOREY LOVULLO: I just know about where their lineup is and set up, and I'm probably going to put a lefty into the -- I'm guessing where that lefty is going to be hitting. Marsh somewhere in that area. That's where I'm starting to really lock in on when I'm going to use a lefty.

Q. Has a crowd ever booed you so loud making a pitching change?

TOREY LOVULLO: Yeah, I'm sure I was the most unpopular guy in the City of Phoenix, in the downtown area, and maybe in the entire state of Arizona, right?

I want everybody to know that is trying to think along with me that we have a strategy. I have a strategy for everything that's done. Everything that's done has been well talked about. It's not just analytics. I know how quickly playoff baseball can change, and I felt like Brandon kept the game under control, and it was time to turn it over.

So, yes, I am prepared to get booed. I am prepared to get second-guessed. It's my job. I sit in the seat, and that happens. I don't mind it. We won a baseball game, and that's all I care about.

Q. You spoke about your pitching roadmap today. What does that look like for you tomorrow, and who will start?

TOREY LOVULLO: Yeah, I know you guys probably want that answer. We were having that conversation as I was coming in here. We feel like we're in a really good position, and I'll get that name to you as soon as I go back in there. I'll get it to Casey, and then he'll spread it out.

It will be a little bit of the same. You know, we're going to get to certain points in the lineup and we have to see what happens once we announce our starter, and then just continue to match it up the best way we can.

Look, it's not a perfect science what we do here. We feel like we're very thorough when we discuss it. It's batters one, two, and three, who's got it? Batters two, three, and four, who's got it? Batters three, four, and five, who's got it. And when you just keep chunking it down, you want to maximize the potential to keep a very potent offense in check, and it worked very well today.

Q. If you were sitting in the stands, would you have booed yourself?

TOREY LOVULLO: Absolutely. The manager has lost his absolute mind. For sure. Yeah, I was booing myself as I walked out to the mound. I didn't need to be in the stands.

Q. You've got a lifetime in the game to know what starting pitchers in October used to do. Is there any part of you that looks at what you just did and thinks this worked for us, but is it working for the game?

TOREY LOVULLO: That's a pretty deep question, and I respect it. I love baseball, and I was taught the game by my parents, by my grandparents, and I am extremely traditional, but I've got to be able to change hats and help us win baseball games and make tough decisions.

Where the game is going, it might be trending in a different way from time to time, but it is all about starting pitching. If your starting pitcher can pitch into the sixth or seventh inning, which Pfaadt did, even though the pitch count was very manageable, he has done his job. And I felt like I would stand on that at any point in time.

October baseball is different. You're wearing long sleeves. It's a little bit chillier. Teams are just a little bit better. But you have to be very mindful of how to navigate very tough lineups.

Q. I know typically the buck stops with you. I know it's also a collaborative effort between the analytics team, your coaching staff, and yourself. As you're taking in all of their input, the final decision rests on their shoulders.

TOREY LOVULLO: It's my decision, but I trust my staff. My staff is hard working and very knowledgeable. When decisions are made, I have the veto power to do anything I choose to do, but I am seeking as much input as possible.

Q. Switching gears to the base path, did you say anything in particular to Alek before he got on? He was screaming when he scored, and there were a couple of other situations that there were some decisions made on going versus not. How do you feel like you guys did on the dirt today?

TOREY LOVULLO: Not great. We have to be better running the bases. We stole some bases in some very critical moments. I thought none more important than what Gurriel did in the bottom of the ninth inning. There were some inner workings of our base running that were not very, very good. I talked to the bench coach about that. I'm getting ready to hit up the base coaches. We have to tie some things down to be the team we are.

Q. Even in the ninth inning?

TOREY LOVULLO: Correct. Pavin should have been standing on first base. Should have been first and third with Perdomo up, correct.

The Phillies ran a very capable play first and third, and we ran into a double play. It's an advanced thought. They ran it to perfection on the first ground ball from Rivera where it took Turner to his right. I watched an extremely experienced shortstop make a great play, and they turned a double play on a situation where that should not have happened, so those are some things we have to tighten up.