NL DIVISION SERIES: PADRES VS DODGERS

October 7, 2024

Dave Roberts

Petco Park

Los Angeles Dodgers

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. When you kind of just think about the emotions of yesterday, they were high, on the field, off the field, after the game. How do you hope to see your guys just turn that into something in tomorrow's game?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, I think certainly emotional last night. Didn't play a good baseball game. Things certainly transpired on the field. A lot of jawing back and forth.

It's good to be able to have a day off, reset, have a workout here shortly. And there's going to be a lot of emotions tomorrow.

I think there's -- one part of it is trying to drown out the noise. The other part of it is using it as fuel. So I think that collectively, we'll be ready to go. I don't want to speak individually for some people.

I mean, clearly that team over there, they like the villain-type kind of role and they field off of that. So whatever gets us going, the motivation is individually, collectively, to win a baseball game, to win a series.

So, again, it's going to be hostile. It's going to be noisy and rowdy. And it's up to us to still stay focused and compete and fight, like I've said time and time again.

Q. Just focusing on the offensive side, in Game 1 we saw how the bottom of the order set the table for the top of the order. When you look at yesterday's performances, how are you seeing how important it is for the top of the order to perform to be successful in this series?

DAVE ROBERTS: It's important. I thought obviously the first game I thought we did a nice job of setting the table. And Shohei had a nice game. I still think Tommy's taking good at-bats. I think Gavin is taking good at-bats. And Miggy Ro understands his role in the nine.

Yes, you need your best players to play well. It's a pretty simple formula. It's not easy to do. But it takes collectively all of us to take good at-bats and to score some runs.

Q. To follow up on that, what have you thought of Mookie's at-bats so far this series?

DAVE ROBERTS: I thought early they started well, and I can see the -- I don't know if it's angst -- or the pressure of past performances starting to kind of bleed in. That's something that I don't want to happen. I understand it.

I believe he's going to come to life. I know he has the talent. Obviously he's not afraid of the situation. So for me it's more of just go out there and compete your tail off.

So, yeah, I think, again, the last few, I think there was something that was bleeding into the mindset, which it's up to all of us to make sure that he's in a good head space to go out there and compete and not get too worried about each particular at-bat.

Q. Is that a thing where have you to pull him aside and reinforce that with him?

DAVE ROBERTS: I'll have a little conversation with him. The fact is you can't change the last X amount of postseason games. I understand the burden a player might have. But all anyone is concerned about is right now and how to best prepare yourself mentally for tomorrow night and the first at-bat. So that's going to be basically my message.

And the funny thing is that it's not about -- you look at postseason performers -- it's not that they over-performed their career stat line in the regular season. What they've done is that they do what they've done in the regular season. But on that stage they're considered postseason players.

So in this particular case, all we expect Mookie is to be the same player he is in the regular season. And that's it.

Q. Is there anything new on Freddie today?

DAVE ROBERTS: Still sore. He's getting treatment. Don't know anything else. Outside of that I think he's very grateful for a mental break today.

Q. How do you balance, obviously he played in Game 1 and then Game 2 started bothering him a little bit. As you look forward for 3 and 4, how do you balance maybe giving him a blow or whatever with him playing those two games in a row?

DAVE ROBERTS: The thought is he's going to play tomorrow. If he can't, then he won't. And then obviously, potentially, Perez will take down Game 4 or the bulk of it. That might be a day that we might give him an extra day.

But again, if he's able to play and post, he'll be in there.

Q. Obviously you've seen Walker in big stages in the past. What makes him the right guy for you guys tomorrow in a pivotal game?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think what makes him the right guy is his past performance in those spots. I think that everyone can say they're a big-game pitcher and loves that moment, but you aren't until you've done it and had success. And Walker's had success in some of the biggest games, certainly in my tenure.

Q. Obviously you guys talked about trying to match the Padres' intensity coming into this series. Does a game like last night, you think, fuel them any extra, just with everything that went on? And does that kind of become the challenge again going into tomorrow is finding your own response to the level that they're at?

DAVE ROBERTS: It's our own response. It's our own response. You know, and I think that we're not trying to hit Tatis as the lead-off hitter in a 3-1 game. Anyone that knows baseball knows that's the case.

But you use that as fuel. But for us individually and as a team, we need to find that fuel for ourselves. And so I'm not going to manufacture something that is not real.

But again, it needs to be found. And I do believe that we had it in Game 1, and Game 2 just got away from us. I do expect our guys to come out with that fight that I saw in Game 1.

Q. Follow-up on Freddie, was there anything specific that happened yesterday, like a certain play that aggravated it?

DAVE ROBERTS: It was a breaking ball against Darvish that he swung at, I think, in his second at-bat that kind of tweaked him a little bit. I think that's what it was.

Q. Getting back to Mookie, sounds like you're acknowledging that the narrative about his postgame struggles is getting to him a little bit. Is that fair? Is that accurate?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, I think so. I think so. But I think that's natural. But I think it's up to him, most important, myself, just to be himself. But I think, certainly, there's been a lot of talk of it. He's mentioned it himself.

For me it's two games and it's four or five official at-bats. So, for me, I just don't want to get too caught up, and, most importantly, for him to get caught up into that.

Q. Given that you don't know how much you might or might not get from Freddie, how essential is it, then, that Mookie turns this around?

DAVE ROBERTS: Well, I mean, he's got to be Mookie. Like I said, I don't expect any more than he's done over his eight- or nine-year career. And it's also up to the other players to chip in also.

And, so, again, all of my ask is for the guys to be what they have been, what they've shown throughout their careers.

Q. Obviously for Buehler it's been kind of an up and down road to get to this point. Where was kind of the low point do you think for him? And how do you think he kind of dug himself out of that to get himself to the point where he pitched as well as he did in that clincher?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think the low point -- I don't know where we were at, I don't know if it was Denver or wherever, and, I mean, I don't even think he got through two innings and that was the time that we ejected and he went to kind of figure some things out.

There was a lot of self-doubt. There was some physical things that were adding to that.

But then he worked his way back, and I do think that the last couple starts got the confidence. And he'll be the first to tell you he loves the big moment, the big game. And this is just an opportunity for him to basically wash away and make right or right this season that he's had.

So I think that that was probably -- again, I don't know exactly what game it was, but I've never seen him like that. But this is the most confidence I've seen Walker in a couple of years.

Q. Given just how important it is to get swing and miss in today's game, what problems does it pose when you are facing a Padres team that is so good at putting the ball in play, especially in this setting?

DAVE ROBERTS: That's fair. That's fair. It is important because it's a variable that you don't have to contend with as far as ball in play.

Just as short as yesterday, you can look at Darvish. There are a lot of balls in play. Not a lot of punch. Went seven innings. So I think the thing is, obviously, I think anyone would like punch, but I still welcome soft contact and being able to make the play.

When the ball gets out of the ballpark that's where it gets tough to defend, obviously.

I definitely think in the right moment, swing and miss is crucial. Is it really important. But I would still like to keep the ball in the ballpark and give ourselves a chance to convert some outs.

Q. Have you given any thought to moving Mookie back to the lead-off spot?

DAVE ROBERTS: No, I haven't. I haven't. I think that just I don't think that hitting first or second at this point is going to change much. I think Shohei's in a really good spot. We scored a lot of runs this year. And I just don't think that after two games or three games that it calls for that.

Q. Last night, did the ball that Machado threw into the dugout almost hit you? And did you feel that should have been an ejection because Tripp Gibson went over there right way to try to intervene. But that's what seemed to be what sparked the jawing between Flaherty and Machado. Did it almost hit you?

DAVE ROBERTS: I didn't notice it at the time. I really didn't. I didn't notice it. I did see the video. And it was unsettling. Obviously I have a relationship with Manny from years past. There was intent behind it. It didn't almost hit me because there was a net.

And that was very bothersome. If it was intended at me, I would be very -- it's pretty disrespectful.

So I don't know his intent. I don't want to speak for him. But I did see the video. And the ball was directed at me with something behind it.

But I don't know what led to that. I didn't see it in real time but I did see the video.

Q. Did you feel, after seeing the video, he should have been ejected for that?

DAVE ROBERTS: I don't think they should have had a little arm-around-each-other conversation. If players can throw balls at opposing managers, you know --

Q. You said that you felt the ball was directed at you.

DAVE ROBERTS: After I saw the video.

Q. Did you have any dialogue with Manny before that?

DAVE ROBERTS: The only dialogue I had was, he was chirping at Jack. And I looked at him and shook my head, making a point that we wouldn't hit him on purpose to lead off an inning being down two runs. And, again, the point being is I think he's using it as fuel.

As a baseball person, anyone understands that you don't do that, intentionally put the lead-off man on base, with three, four, five coming up behind. It just makes no sense.

Q. With the intensity of this rivalry, you're mentioning what you saw on the video. You mentioned the Padres like that villain role. How much pressure is on you and the team to make sure you guys win Game 3?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think there's pressure on both teams. It's a very important game. It's a very pivotal game. And so, I mean, it's nothing new. It's an important game. So we're both going to do everything we can to win this one.

Q. Getting back to Freddie, if he can't go tomorrow, would there be any thought of taking him off the roster and replacing him? I know then you lose him for the next series too.

DAVE ROBERTS: With that, there would be no thought of taking him off the roster for that reason.

Q. Wrapping up everything from yesterday, with Manny, with Tatis and Profar goading on the fans, a lot of this, the Padres kind of, like, promulgated. What do you think of all that? What's the place of that? And how should that be handled?

DAVE ROBERTS: Well, I thought that Al Garcia's team did the best they could kind of trying to keep these things in order. Again, like I said last night, it was an unfortunate situation. It's about emotions. And I do know the players just want to play baseball and the fans want to cheer for their team.

I've never seen anything like that in Dodger Stadium, and I'm looking forward to playing Game 3.