NL DIVISION SERIES: PADRES VS DODGERS

October 10, 2024

Mike Shildt

Dodger Stadium

San Diego Padres

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Is there value in the experiences you've had up here in the first two games? You had leads in Game 1, really close. Rout in Game 2; Yu threw well in Game 2. You had a lot to potentially draw from. I don't know if you feel you do draw from something like that.

MIKE SHILDT: I think you draw from your experiences throughout your career. I think you draw from experiences from previous games here during the season, which we've had success earlier in the series. I think you always draw from your experience if you're growing.

Q. This game being what it is, winner-take-all Game 5, would Michael King be available in relief, potentially?

MIKE SHILDT: We never say never. We'll leave it at that.

Q. You've always had a lot of success drawing the lineup the way it's been drawn up. There are some lanes for left and right if they were to go to a bullpen game. Given how much success you've had with the lineup, the way it's been, is that something you would consider tweaking for a single game? Or are you just sticking with what got you here?

MIKE SHILDT: We'll announce the lineup tomorrow. That's all I can tell you but the lineup. The question's fair. We actually have a lineup that, if you have lefties and righties, there's going to be lanes. We've been able to create a lineup that has been able to put our guys in a good position with those lanes. No lineup is fool-proof from a lane.

Q. You know who they're starting tomorrow? Do you have a feeling who you know it will be?

MIKE SHILDT: I flipped some coins and I couldn't get the answer. No, I don't know. Somebody's going to show up and we'll be ready for him. I don't know. At some point they're going to have to announce it, but we're not in any real hurry, quite honestly.

Q. Is there gamesmanship involved? Like, yesterday they knew that Freddie Freeman wasn't going to play. Saw him at breakfast, but then they put out a different lineup?

MIKE SHILDT: Everybody operates their own club the way they operate it. We're more like Vince Lombardi -- power sweep, here it is, Yu Darvish is going to start, here's our lineup.

Our lineup was pretty good for 10 runs, six runs, five runs. This is who we are and we're going to compete and execute. If we do that, we'll shake hands and pop champagne.