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NL DIVISION SERIES: GIANTS VS DODGERS


October 11, 2021


Gabe Kapler


Los Angeles, California, USA

Dodger Stadium

San Francisco Giants

Pregame 3 Press Conference


Q. How gratifying is it, even though you're competing against them, to look over there and see guys that you helped develop play for them and the prominent roles that they have? And also what types of things from the Dodger development system have you tried to implement in your role in this organization?

GABE KAPLER: Well, I would say I'm always happy to see success of players that I know and have some fondness for. So a guy like Matt Beaty getting to the big leagues and having success is obviously independent of the Dodgers and the Giants, but more just being happy for other people for working really hard and kind of grinding it out. So Beaty comes to mind and obviously seeing Cody Bellinger's success over the years, really happy for him as well.

But the list goes on and on. It's much more about the people and kind of the satisfaction you get from seeing a player at the low levels of the minor leagues advance through the minor leagues and then have success in the big leagues.

Q. (No microphone.)

GABE KAPLER: I actually think it's less specific to the Dodgers organization and less specific to the players in the Dodgers organization.

But what I will say is, when we were over there, we thought a lot about how people develop, obviously players and talent and athletes, but we did think a lot about how people develop, and I think now, with our Club, we're always thinking about how to put, how to help a player become as confident as he can be and what are the ways that sometimes we strip some of that confidence.

So, yeah, I think that's one thing that comes to mind.

Q. Do you have a Game 4 starter for us?

GABE KAPLER: Not yet.

Q. Obviously this is Kris Bryant's first appearance at first base for you. Is that something you considered at all in the final week, trying to get that out there so he could get some familiarity with your other infielders? What was the thinking for tonight versus maybe trying to do that a little bit earlier?

GABE KAPLER: Yeah, we've been talking about it now for several weeks. And I thought you framed it well in the article where you were kind of citing some of the FanGraph numbers that are out there. Probably more importantly, like the work that we have seen over there and just with our eyes, he looks very athletic. He's got great hands. He's a big strong target. We anticipate, based on what we have seen in the 30-plus games that he's played, that he can be pretty rangy over there.

With Longoria at third base, Craw at shortstop, Tommy playing as good of defense as he's been playing, and a rangier Kris at first base, and with Alex Wood, who is likely to see some ground balls, although the Dodgers hitters have done a nice job of getting up underneath the ball a little bit with Alex, we expect that this is the best defensive configuration to convert those ground balls into outs, all things considered.

But it's close, and I think there's a good case that LaMonte could play first base and Kris could play the outfield and, sorry, it's a little long-winded. What I wanted to share is that we've been talking about it for quite sometime, we've been talking to Kris about it for quite sometime, so nobody is caught off-guard or surprised in any way.

Q. Do you expect either Logan Webb or Kevin Gausman to be a part of your pitching plans over the next two days?

GABE KAPLER: Could be. Yeah.

Q. Just generally, what are your thoughts on pitchers who have been on a same schedule throughout the whole season coming back on short rest during the playoffs?

GABE KAPLER: I think it's been looked at and picked apart pretty well, and I do think there's some challenges with pitchers coming back on short rest, and I think there are some things that are notable that make you feel like they can do it.

So I always want to try to keep everything on the table. Anything's possible. And I do think that both Gausman and Webb have been pretty durable pitchers for us, and Webb in particular has been especially durable since he came back off the IL and has been bouncing back very well.

Neither one of them have been especially taxed from a pitch count perspective. I just want to kind of stay open to any possibilities. The postseason is a different animal than the regular season and you probably wouldn't consider it, the short rest scenario, unless you're like trying to win a Division. I guess we were at times, but, yeah, I think you just try to keep everything on the table and consider all options.

Q. Is DeSclafani healthy, and if so, what's the thinking about where you might use him in the series?

GABE KAPLER: Tony is a great option for us to start tomorrow's game. That's number one.

Number two, we are in a position where we're always asking our pitchers who are available to stay ready for anything that could happen in tonight's game, by way of example.

So Tony will be ready tonight, if needed. I don't think that's the highest likelihood or the best possibility, but he's going to be ready for that. He's also a great candidate to start tomorrow's game for us.

Q. Following up on that question, have you guys held off on any bullpen sessions with Gausman or Webb just to have them potentially available for an inning?

GABE KAPLER: We're thinking about it, yeah. Something that we continue to discuss.

Q. Theoretically, you would want to hold Webb for Game 5, wouldn't you? So, I mean, Gausman, you're probably not going to, he's not going to get another start in this series. So, I mean, he would be the guy who you would fit in if you needed him somewhere tonight or tomorrow, right?

GABE KAPLER: Gausman?

Q. Yeah.

GABE KAPLER: I mean --

Q. Because you don't need Webb for Game 5?

GABE KAPLER: I just maintain that everything's on the table, right? I mean, I think it makes a lot of sense for us to be prepared in many different ways, and one of those ways is to think about guys who haven't had as much rest as they normally would, but they're always possibilities. And also like obviously strategically we want to share some, not too much, right? I mean, we still can't see everything here. Sorry, I can be even more direct and clear than that. That's not something that I want to completely disclose.

Q. We're maybe a belaboring this. But would a bullpen game at all be a potential for you guys here in the next couple of days?

GABE KAPLER: I think everything's on the table, bullpen game included.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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