NL DIVISION SERIES: BRAVES VS DODGERS

October 2, 2026

Walt Weiss

Dodger Stadium

Atlanta Braves

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Congrats again. How was the meetings with the guys before you head on the plane and the overall confidence and the thoughts as you guys get set to travel west?

WALT WEISS: There's a lot going on right now. We don't have a lot of time. We've got to make up rosters, try to put together a pitching staff and all that stuff. We're doing some of that. Some of that will be done in the air and some of it in L.A. tonight.

My world is spinning right now, but thank you.

Q. How did those conversations go? Did you guys get together on the plane, in the hotel? In the best-case scenario, when do you hope to make a decision and inform the guys that are going through for Game 1 and 2?

WALT WEISS: That will happen tonight in L.A. We had some preliminary talks this morning. It was a short night. Then probably wrap things up tonight.

Q. The next step obviously is the Dodgers, a team you know really well. You played a couple series this year and obviously have seen in the postseason before. Having known them and knowing what's at stake here, what's the preparation like for getting ready for this series, especially starting out in L.A.?

WALT WEISS: Everyone knows the Dodgers have a juggernaut, but we played well against them this year. I know that doesn't carry a whole lot of stock. Once the playoffs begin, like I say, everybody starts at zero. The Dodgers are healthier now than they were when we saw them.

Obviously it's a complete team. You've got to play well, you've got to pitch well. It all starts from the mound. We're trying to put together some pitching plans this morning, and there's a lot of different options. We'll end up probably adding a couple arms for this round.

We'll see what that looks like, but like I said, probably tonight. Just in the preliminary stages of preparing for the Dodgers, there's a lot to prepare for there.

Q. A lot of people always talk about experience and it plays a big factor, but when it comes to playing the actual game with the players, how does experience become a difference for a team, or does it?

WALT WEISS: Yeah, it can in these environments. We've got a team, the core group has played in a lot of postseason games. So I think that helps, I do. I think it helps to slow the game down a little bit in that environment.

Postseason's different. You've got a very young, inexperienced club, that could be a factor. We've still got to go out and perform, but I think it's a little easier for the guys with postseason experience to control those emotions in the moment.

Q. Just wanted to ask obviously this is the first time you guys are facing Freddie in a postseason series. Just five years later, how do you feel Matt has taken on that task of kind of taking on what Freddie's role was?

WALT WEISS: Matt had a lot on his plate when he first got here. He was replacing an icon. I think we got the only guy that could do it, the only guy that could step in in that role at that time, and Matt's been a superstar for us.

Freddie, obviously, he's a Hall of Famer. I still stay in touch with Freddie quite often. It will be -- it's always good to see him, but tough facing him when he's on the other side because he's such a good player. Like I said, I think Matt's the only guy that could have pulled this off to replace that guy. He's done it very well.

Q. What do you respect most about your counterpart in the other dugout, Dave Roberts?

WALT WEISS: Dave has been around a lot of winning. He's had a lot of success. That certainly stands for something to have that kind of experience, and that kind of experience winning. This is kind of old hat for them. They do this virtually every year. So there's something to be said for that.

Dave's a good man, good relationship with Doc. It's not easy -- I know people say he's got a great team, but to keep a great team at the top takes a lot of hard work and energy, and Doc's been able to do that.

Q. You talked a lot about the contributors to a team and the success and the unsung heroes that can be born in October. I thought a couple of them showed up last night in Ray Kerr and Grant Holmes. How much can they factor in your pitching plans as you get ready for the Dodgers?

WALT WEISS: Yeah, they're both going to factor in quite a bit. I think Ray Kerr put himself on the map last night. Like you said, that tends to happen in the postseason, where at times there's guys that maybe fans have never heard of that become heroes.

We've had a lot of that this year, a lot of unsung heroes, a lot of guys taking advantage of opportunities that they got. Yeah, you asked specifically about Ray Kerr and Holmes, they're both going to be, I would imagine, heavily involved in the next round.

Q. Looking and seeing the series expand in the five games, along with specifically adding more arms, what goes into the science of who gets added into the mix?

WALT WEISS: There's a chance we're going to have to pitch a lot of innings out of our bullpen, especially the first couple games. So you're going to need some guys that could put down some innings, multiple innings, if needed. So that's certainly a prevailing thought there.

Also, guys that might make starts. We had to -- the Phillies series took a lot out of us as far as our pitching. We had to empty the tank really to win that series, and it was certainly worth doing it because we needed to win that series.

But now it's on to the next step, and we'll have to make those adjustments and prepare for the Dodgers. We'll have to, like I said, add some arms to the roster.

Q. What's the most exciting part about this challenge of facing the two-time defending World Series champions?

WALT WEISS: You call David and Goliath and all that stuff, but you've got to go through the Dodgers if you want to get to the top of the mountain. You've got to go through them at some point. So it's going to be a great challenge for us.

Like I said all along, your guys have responded really well to some really tough challenges this year. This will just be another one. I'm expecting our guys are going to step up again.

Q. Just curious how Lane Thomas is looking? I know you said you'll figure out roster decisions later on, but what do you think the likelihood is that he could be on this roster?

WALT WEISS: There's a chance for Lane. He's responded very well to treatment. We've upped his workload, and he's passed all the tests. He's certainly in the conversation for this next round, which would be great because he's a threat against left-handed pitching, and the Dodgers are loaded with left-handed pitching in the rotation and in the bullpen.

Q. With Sale pitching, I think it was 21 yesterday, how does that kind of -- he was set to be on regular rest from Tuesday to Sunday. Do you think he's still in line for that to start Sunday, or how do you see yesterday maybe playing a factor in that?

WALT WEISS: Not sure. That's on the table. That's one of the topics of discussion this morning before we leave. A lot of it's going to depend on how Chris feels. Certainly don't want to jeopardize him and his health. He just happened to feel great yesterday when he got to the park, and that's why he was in play.

He's had to grind here recently. So we're going to err on the side of giving him more rest, if it's even close. Yeah, just an amazing performance in this round for sure.

Q. Bryce Elder threw a live BP earlier this week. Any update on his status?

WALT WEISS: Bryce won't be eligible for this round. We're hoping, if we advance, that Bryce is in that conversation. He looks really good. It's pretty amazing how far along he is after his surgery.

Hoping to get through this round, and that will be a topic of discussion.

Q. Another day removed from Tyler's start. How is he holding up another day towards resting?

WALT WEISS: Tyler's doing well. The fact that he felt that thing in the first inning and ended up throwing seven innings that day and seven really, really good innings makes me feel good about the abdominal thing that he felt.

Getting treatment for it and all that stuff, but we feel pretty good about Tyler.

Q. Being this is your first go-around, is there anybody you've leaned on or had some advice? If you're able to share, is there anything you could share about that, what they said?

WALT WEISS: I've mentioned Tony La Russa. He's been a sounding board for me for a long time, back to the first time I managed. Of course I played for Tony first six years of my career. He's a close friend now. He's just a wealth of knowledge there and always has some nuggets of wisdom for me. So he's a guy that I lean on.

Yeah, I've been around a lot of good ones and a lot of smart people in this game. I paid attention every once in a while, and I've taken a little bit from all of them.

Q. Martin Perez was also a guy that you were looking to see his possible return. When would that be? Is he kind of in the discussion for this round?

WALT WEISS: No, not for this round. Not for this round. I think he's in the same category as Bryce where, if we advance, there's a chance there.