NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: DIAMONDBACKS VS PHILLIES

October 22, 2023

Rob Thomson

Citizens Bank Park

Philadelphia Phillies

Workout Day Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Rob Thomson.

Q. Rob, you used pretty much a consistent lineup throughout the postseason. How do you keep from overreacting to the previous game's results, and how do you balance that against the urgency of having to win these games?

ROB THOMSON: I think it's just experience and knowing the ebbs and flows of what offense gives you. You never know who's going to perform and who's going to have a rough game.

So I like to stay consistent. I think the players like that. They like to know where they're going to hit the night before. They know that the next day they're going to hit in the two spot or three spot, and they know who is going to hit around them. I think it just makes them more comfortable.

Q. It's a quasi Eagles/Phillies-related question. We were talking to Nick Sirianni last week, and he's getting ready for the Dolphins game tonight. And he is so immersed in the game that him and his staff are in an office just like you're in, and all of a sudden, boom, fireworks start going off from across the street because Kyle had homered and then Bryce had homered. It literally wasn't in his mind. Can you give us a sense for what happens now for you schedule-wise? Obviously you're a win away from a World Series. So are you completely immersed in everything and lost in what's going on, or are you able to kind of follow what's happening beyond baseball at this moment?

ROB THOMSON: Yeah, I'm following the Eagles. I'll watch that game tonight. I'll be flipping back and forth between the Eagles and the Houston game.

I also follow the Flyers because I really like John Tortorella. I've got a friend of mine that played for him and just loved him. So I follow the Philly sports scene.

But I am immersed in what's going on here and not getting too far ahead of myself and making sure that we remain focused on Arizona and get this thing done.

Q. If I could just follow up with one other Eagles quasi-related question. There's a viral video that happened from Game 2, I believe it was, with a pair of Eagles who went to the game, D'Andre Swift and Terrell Edmunds, who had never been to a baseball game. There's really funny moments because they had never experienced it. What I'm wondering is if you recognize what your team and the atmosphere that you've created at Citizens Bank Park is doing nationally for the sport? Does that ever cross your mind, or are you just so locked in to what you're doing that that's the main focus? Because there are just people talking about the atmosphere at Citizens Bank Park that I've never heard talk about it this time of year. They're generally football people that are, like, that's like an SEC football atmosphere.

ROB THOMSON: We hear it, and we're happy about it, because I think the atmosphere comes from the passion of the people that are the sports fans in this town. But it also comes from the fact that we've had some success, so that's good.

But I love this city, and I love the fact that our fans are so passionate on both sides. You know, when you don't play well, they let you know about it, and when you play well, they really let you know about it.

So it's a great connection that we have with our fan base and what our fan base has with our players.

Q. At the beginning of the series, there was a lot of talk about slowing down the running game. J.T. said it's going to be hugely important. They've only attempted one stolen base so far. How have you guys been able to limit that, and how happy have you been with slowing them down a little bit?

ROB THOMSON: Oh, extremely happy, because that's part of their game. They create momentum and they create chaos, and we've limited that for the most part. I'm extremely happy about that.

We talked about it really for the last couple of weeks, maybe a month, at the end of the season, because we knew that we had some issues with holding runners. You can't hold the ball as long as you used to because of the pitch clock, but you still can mix your hold times, so: come-set-go, come-set-hold-hold-go, come-set-hold-go.

And also being quicker to the plate is a key element for us. I think that for the most part all of our pitchers have done a great job with that.

Q. Then just a quick follow-up. Any update on Rhys? I'm sure you're going to wait -- obviously not get ahead of yourself. But how has he been doing? Any updates on his base running or anything like that?

ROB THOMSON: He has been doing very well and feeling better. He's got another BP session tomorrow and, I believe, Tuesday. Whatever happens, we'll figure out where we go from there.

Q. For someone who hasn't been to Citizens Bank Park over the last couple years, how would you describe the atmosphere?

ROB THOMSON: As loud as I've ever heard it in a stadium. And it's not just how loud it is, but how long it goes. It goes from first pitch to the last pitch, and they're standing up the entire game. It's just an incredible atmosphere.

I would suggest that people if they've never been here before bring some earplugs, because it gets pretty loud.

Q. Just a quick follow-up on Rhys. Going from the injured list to facing Big League pitchers is a difficult thing to do. Going from the injured list to facing Big League pitchers in the World Series seems borderline impossible. How comfortable would you be if Rhys declares himself ready, if the doctors declare him ready, putting him right back onto the roster and into the lineup potentially?

ROB THOMSON: Well, we'll see. There's some history there. Schwarber did the same thing. He basically took the entire year off and went to the Arizona Fall League and got some at-bats and played in the World Series with the Cubs.

There is some precedent there, but I think the at-bats have been good. I think its just a matter of how he is running, how comfortable he is running, how comfortable -- you know, getting the doctor's clearance and also how comfortable our trainers are with him being able to run and not get reinjured.

Q. Just had a question about bullpen usage for Game 6. Would you look at using Ranger Suarez for Game 6 if needed, or would you hold him for a potential Game 7 if it were to push to that?

ROB THOMPSON: No, I think we'll hold him. That will be a decision we make tomorrow. But in my mind right now, I would say we would hold him off because I think we should have pretty close to a full bullpen tomorrow, so we should be covered.

Q. If a team came in here and their number one -- the only thing they wanted to do is keep you guys in the park, is that even possible? Or given the length of your lineup and how many guys can hit home runs, is that really not something that they could even think about?

ROB THOMPSON: I mean, I guess it's possible. I'm sure there's quite -- I don't know how many, but there's quite a few games where we haven't hit a home run here. So I think it's possible.

When you are dealing with a club that they rely on slug, for me, the key is to not give them free passes. Don't walk anybody. You know, if you hit solo home runs, you can handle that, but when you start putting up crooked numbers, then -- especially in a playoff game, then you're probably going to be in trouble.

Q. One other thing on a different subject, one of the greatest second-guessing things in the world I guess is managers and how they use their bullpens in the postseason. Could you just explain a little bit about how your philosophy changes in the postseason as opposed to the regular season?

ROB THOMPSON: Well, now it's a sprint. During the regular season, it's a marathon, so you are always thinking maybe two, three, four days ahead, and you want to make sure that your bullpen remains full. You could get -- not so much anymore because of the extra inning rule, but in theory, I guess, you could get a 15- or 16-inning game even with the new rules.

So, again, I stay with the starters a little bit longer during the course of the season. It may cost you some games, but I think it wins you games down the road because your bullpen is fresh or fresher, and you have available people down there.

During the playoffs, you've got all these days off, so you can be a little bit more aggressive to go to your bullpen. But I'm not a guy that scripts out a game. I'm reading it -- we're reading it constantly. Even in a playoff game it would be nice to get -- like Wheeler did yesterday, get seven innings out of a guy if he is really rolling.

It's just a little bit different. Less aggressive during the season with your bullpen, and a little bit more aggressive during the playoffs.

Q. Maybe this is a dumb question, Rob, but why don't you script it out? You know, you see that as being rather common around baseball now.

ROB THOMPSON: We have a general plan, but I don't think I've ever said, okay, we're going to go 13 hitters with this guy and then we're going to this guy and then we're going to that. Because things change and the game state changes. You get up six, seven runs, and maybe you want to let that starter roll past his 13 hitters or whatever you scripted out.

Also, the fact that if you, say, put a guy, okay, we're going to go two times through the lineup and that's it, and he is rolling. Now you might have to use four or five different pitchers to finish the game. And if one or two of those guys are off that night and your starter was rolling, I mean, it just doesn't make much sense to me to take that guy out.

So every game is a little bit different, but I try to stay away from true scripting a game and use more with my eyes and my feel and go by a general plan.

Q. Do you appreciate the autonomy that you're given to do that knowing that some managers don't have that? Do you think that the fact that you're here, that Dusty is here, that Boch is here, you know, veteran managers who have been around and have seen a lot in the game, that there may be a little swing back toward that perhaps because of the success you guys have had?

ROB THOMPSON: I don't know. I think that there's been success doing it the other way too. It's just not something that I'm comfortable with, so I think you can probably do it both ways. I'm not saying that by scripting it, it's not the right thing to do. It's just something that I don't feel really comfortable with.

I feel like you need some flexibility going into a game to be able to make some decisions and be able to pivot to the different pitcher or different game plan depending on the game state.