NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: DODGERS VS BREWERS

October 16, 2025

Dave Roberts

Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles Dodgers

Pregame 3 Press Conference

Q. We've talked a lot about Tyler Glasnow, how he's evolved this season. Even when Mark Prior was talking about him, he's noticed he's gotten away from forcing himself to be perfect in his outings, just kind of locking in early. What stood out to you in his Phillies outing that you're hoping to see from him today in this one?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think what stood out most he's in compete mode. I think trying to be perfect, worrying about things that are, you know, out of your control, I think that those are things that he's stayed away from and focused on making pitches, staying in the moment and being in compete mode.

When you're like that, I think you're going to get the best of Tyler. And I think he's done that and gotten considerably better, and the performance has reflected that.

Q. Defense is a big part of the postseason. How critical is a clean execution in a match-up like this?

DAVE ROBERTS: Very important. I think certainly in the postseason, everything is more magnified. You get 27 outs. The other team gets 27 outs. And for the most part, when you don't give up extra outs, extra bases, certainly you give yourself the best chance to win.

And that's an opportunistic team over there, and so when you give them extra outs, give them extra bases, it just increases their chances. So, up to this point we've done a really nice job of that.

Q. How much do moments like this define the identity of a team?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, this is our identity. This is who we are. We pride ourselves on not beating ourselves, minding the little things. Because, like I said, in the postseason things get magnified. So the little things turn out to be big things.

I feel like this is what we do all year long, and it's kind of showing itself in the postseason.

Q. To ask you the story of the day yesterday, what did you think of Shohei taking BP on the field, and how did he look?

DAVE ROBERTS: He looked great. I like that. Shohei doesn't take BP on the field virtually ever, which I understand in the sense that a lot of times, in the cage, your focus is more narrowed because of the cage and you're more line-drive driven.

But to kind of change things up, to get on the field, to see the flight of the baseball is also important. I appreciate him kind of changing up his routine.

And we got his walk-up song played. There's some fun, some laughs, and all the while him getting his work in. I thought that was a good thing. It was great.

Q. Do you think there's something visually just seeing a ball hit the roof of the pavilion that even that part of it can help him as he's working through this right now?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, but also I think, like I said, seeing the flight of the ball, seeing the ball back-spun and seeing what it's doing and see it land on the roof in right field, that's certainly not a bad thing.

Q. Following up on Ohtani, do you feel like this is a product of him kind of feeling the urgency of not being able to get results in the postseason, to be able to change up his routine and do something that he hasn't done all season?

DAVE ROBERTS: Absolutely. We talk about, the postseason is like a street fight and not like a boxing match. And with that, there's urgency.

And I think that if this was a regular-season situation and you're looking at an expanse of small sample -- eight, nine games, whatever it might be -- he probably wouldn't be out on the field.

So with the urgency, the postseason, then he needs to make an adjustment, wanted to make an adjustment on his own. And that adjustment was getting on the field. So I think that's a great thing in his understanding and appreciation for playing with urgency.

Q. You've already gotten pretty deep into this Brewers bullpen the last two games. You'll be seeing Aaron Ashby for the third time. How do you take from what you've seen from him in the first two and use that information?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think it's information that we're gathering. We've put them in a position where they have to really play with urgency. When you're speaking to the pitching, they've got to continue to use their high-leverage guys as much as they can.

And for us it's important to continue to apply pressure and put the onus on them, on Murph to continue to keep running his high-leverage guys out there.

So, yeah, getting another look at Ashby is important for us. And I just expect us to keep taking at-bats. And whoever they go to next, be ready for them.

Q. You were kind of on the other side of that with the bullpen last year. Does having pieced that together in the past make you better prepared to kind of anticipate what they do and get to their pen when they have to use pitching creatively this year?

DAVE ROBERTS: I wouldn't say it prepares me more, because that's a managing decision on, at what point do you go with lower-leverage guys to not give the opponent similar looks? And so that's a decision each manager has to make.

Again, it just goes to us continuing to make that decision difficult for them. We've got to pitch well. We've got to convert outs when given the opportunity, and then take good at-bats. And I like our chances if we do that.

Q. Obviously all your starters except for Yamamoto spent time on the injured list. That would include Sasaki. When that happened, when they were all out, did you look at that moment in time as trying to prepare them for this moment, for the postseason and try to ramp them up for this? And did you use that time to maybe hit the reset button with anybody and make some tweaks?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yes. I think it's kind of layered in the sense of our goal was to win the World Series. None of those injuries at that point in time -- whether it's Blake, Snell, whether it's Tyler, whether it was Clayton, anyone -- where it was going to be longer term. So we felt that we have to make sure that the ramp-up process was sound, not rushed, to make sure that they could be ready for the postseason.

So I think our training staff, coaches did a fantastic job.

And the other part was, it gave opportunities to guys like Sheehan, Wrobleski and others to then help their development. So I think that with that, we've done a great job of the kind of now getting the younger players, they're cutting their teeth as starters, getting innings. And then also having our other guys save bullets and getting ready to go throughout the postseason.

So, I don't think you could have lined it up any better.

Q. The Gold Glove finalists were announced yesterday, and Mookie Betts is a finalist at shortstop. We've talked about his position switch throughout the year. But how much of an achievement is that for a guy, first full season at a position?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think the only person on this planet that believed that Mookie Betts would be in this conversation was Mookie Betts. And it's just something that has never been done. I can't even -- it's incredible. Obviously I'm at a loss for words that he's in this position, where last year the confidence wasn't there playing shortstop and kicking him out to right field to help our ballclub, to wondering if it was the right decision to put him at short, to now being a Gold Glove finalist, being so trustworthy.

And I feel he's very, very warranted in winning a Gold Glove. So to kind of add to his hardware. It's pretty amazing. Hats off to Mookie.

And also Miggy Ro is a finalist. And I think Miggy Ro undoubtedly should get this Gold Glove Award. His ability to catch the ball at any position, sure-handed, the spectacular plays.

I think they both deserve it, yeah.

Q. At this stage of the season, are you more inclined to stay with a starting pitcher rather than go to the bullpen in, like, the sixth or seventh? Or does it depend on situations and what's happening in the game?

DAVE ROBERTS: I am. I think I've shown that. But, again, it still depends on each individual game -- how the pitcher's throwing, efficiency, how the hitters are taking at-bats versus that particular pitcher.

I'm in read-and-react mode, but I think I've shown if they earn it, then I'll run them out there deeper.