NL DIVISION SERIES: BRAVES VS DODGERS

October 6, 2026

Dave Roberts

Truist Park

Los Angeles Dodgers

Pregame 3 Press Conference

Q. Looking at the lineup today, we know runs will be at a premium. What do you like with how you have set things up adjusting the top of the order and then having Shohei Ohtani batting fifth?

DAVE ROBERTS: I like the fact that -- runs are going to be hard to come by. We all understand that. Sale's gonna be tough. But the guys I feel at the top have a good chance to get on base, and I do think that there's going to be opportunities where the game, the situation, bleeds into Shohei's at-bat.

So I had a good conversation with him last night, told him my thoughts. And he completely understood and said, in all honesty, he said I was going to come to you in September and say, why don't you hit me seventh.

My point being, he wants to do whatever will help the team. So I feel good about this today. And it's nothing as a sign of what's more to come. It's just for today specifically.

Q. How difficult is that decision to make with somebody just like him, his stature, what he means to your guys' lineup. And were you surprised he was as kind of as receptive to that as he was?

DAVE ROBERTS: Not surprised at all. And I think that from day one I've always said that my job is to do whatever is best for the team. And so I know I've built the equity and the trust in the players.

And so today I just feel this gives us the best chance to beat the Braves today and combat Sale, to combat what they're going to throw after Sale. And I feel good about it.

Q. Are you hoping moving him down might help with the approach part, too? If maybe he feels a little less pressure at the top of the lineup to provide the kind of pop and slug he's been missing?

DAVE ROBERTS: I certainly don't think it's something that -- I use that a lot where it might give him a different look, let the game come to him a little bit later.

I don't think it's a pressure thing. I do think it's something where he wants to do more. But in that same breath, I do think that there's going to be a couple big spots today where he's going to be at-bat.

Q. What do you feel like Shohei's confidence is at right now offensively, especially for him to be able to say, hey, I was going to come to you tell you I'm not producing like I'm used to either?

DAVE ROBERTS: He's a very good self-evaluator, a very extremely high competitor and expects a lot from himself. I still think he's very confident.

But Sale's a different monster. He's tough certainly against lefties. But I still think he's confident. So now with that, just getting him back in the zone, and that's easier said than done, I understand that.

But there's going to be high velocity trying to crowd him in to then spin him off. And that's -- is Shohei willing to take the knock to left field as he did against Dodd. So those are the things you're looking for tonight.

Q. Taking Tommy out of the lineup, obviously, he's usually been better against left. What have you been seeing out of him lately to sort of obviously go with Kiké at third and Rojas at second?

DAVE ROBERTS: Tommy, he's been going through it in the last couple of months. And it's been a grind for him on both sides of the plate. Hasn't had a whole lot of success against Sale, the heater up, the ball down below with a flat swing, it just hasn't.

I think for me getting Kiké involved right now, I think it's added intensity, urgency, I just think he's going to put forth some good at-bats, and you're not giving up anything on the defensive side.

Q. You alluded to a couple times, this is the best thing for today. Do you expect to do this again against other lefties, or is it really just a Sale thing?

DAVE ROBERTS: This is just a Sale thing. And also who I feel is going to come out of the bullpen tonight. So tomorrow versus Mahle, it will look different.

Q. You talked yesterday about what the bullpen, needing to read and react and make decisions quicker. Is this an example of that on the other side of the lineup side?

DAVE ROBERTS: Absolutely. I think it's one of those things that it's not a lack of confidence in any player. It's more of what I feel gives us the best chance to win today. And then that's, in a short series, that's the mindset that everyone has to have.

Q. To clarify, when Shohei came up to in September?

DAVE ROBERTS: He didn't come up to me. He said I was thinking about coming up to you, making a joke because he was scuffling a little bit, and so more of, like, I'm surprised you didn't come to me earlier.

Q. A tongue-in-cheek comment?

DAVE ROBERTS: Tongue-in-cheek comment, yes.

Q. With Muncy and Josue on the bench and the added flexibility of Tommy Edman, how can you -- are you comfortable making aggressive moves and deploying them especially against the right-handed relievers?

DAVE ROBERTS: Absolutely, yes. I feel obviously Muncy will be first off and I feel deploying Josue and/or Tommy at any point gives me ultimate flexibility, certainly, yeah.

Q. Dave, going back to Shohei, but how have you addressed some of the swing decisions that you've been seeing from him and the chase this series?

DAVE ROBERTS: It's more of Shohei talking to hitting guys and trying to really understand what the Braves are going to do. Like I said yesterday, they're going to expand as much as you're going to let them.

So I think, for me, it's just clear that they're trying to stay away until he kind of shows some more restraint. So I think he understands that it's more of once you get in the box and how you're going to be able to control your emotions and check down.

And we saw that one time yesterday or two days ago. And so that's kind of the plan today.

Q. And for you knowing that whoever loses tonight is playing an elimination game tomorrow, how does that kind of change the calculus of how you're managing and how much are you looking forward to how the decisions you make tonight could affect tomorrow?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think it's more of -- it's certainly an important game. It's a three-game series. So winning this one is crucial. It's more of responding, reacting to whatever game situation. Obviously there might be some pressure points early that I've got to make a decision on as far as hitting for somebody or a pitching decision.

I trust Yamamoto undoubtedly. So I'm going to give him every opportunity to do what he does and has done.

But, yeah, it's important. You've still got to win two. So I think for me, it's harder to answer. I know it's an important game. And I know Walt realizes that as well, too.

Q. The Braves will be starting a right-hander tomorrow. Does that mean Ohtani goes back to lead-off?

DAVE ROBERTS: Not necessarily. Mahle is certainly a neutral, you could argue a reverse. So I don't know that answer. Yes, he does throw with his right hand, but I haven't made that decision quite yet.

Q. Could Shohei's at-bats tonight tip it one way or the other?

DAVE ROBERTS: I don't see him hitting in the 5 tomorrow, I know that, regardless.

Q. How did you settle on 5 and that look?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think it was just more of spreading out the left-hand hitters. Kyle's been very good versus left. You could argue neutral. So to hit him eighth, the thought was just lineup construction and to kind of make it a little bit more difficult for Walt to navigate deploying the pen. That's kind of the thought. And having 2, 5, 8.

Q. A second ago you had talked about Yoshinobu and how, of course, you trust him completely when he's on the mound. We've seen him go toe to toe with the best. We've seen him outshine the best. What stands out to you in these moments, whether it's the postseason, or even in a match-up like we've seen in this one specifically?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think with Yamamoto, it's the ability to -- he's got a wide array of pitches. He's got fantastic command. And his ability to make pitches, get miss when he needs to is elite. So that's why I just feel confident with Yoshinobu against any hitter in any spot.

Q. Shohei joked about why didn't you guys think about this earlier. Had you at any point considered moving him down before?

DAVE ROBERTS: No, no. The only thing I considered, which I did, is against a tough lefty, where Mookie started swinging the bat, to put him in the 2.

And, again, this is really specific to Sale. The guys that I think that they want to run out there tonight and Shohei's history versus Chris.