Q. What did you guys see when you faced Shohei a few weeks ago, and how can you use that going into this game?
J.T. REALMUTO: I might not be the right guy to ask because I didn't play that game. But just hearing the other guys talk, obviously the stuff is really good. He was able to mix on us really well, kept our guys off balance.
And they all just mentioned how good the stuff is -- the fastball plays up, the breaking balls are sharp. So he's obviously going to be a challenge for us, but I do think, hopefully seeing him a second time, will help our guys.
Q. What do you think is the biggest area of growth you've seen in Sanchez since you first started working with him?
J.T. REALMUTO: I think one area is his confidence. I think just from watching him the last few years, he just continues to get more and more confident and believe in himself. His stuff has always been really good, but I think his command over the last couple of years has also gotten better and that in turn has given him even more confidence.
I would say just having confidence in his stuff and being able to pound the strike zone, and then actually being able to execute that and throw the ball where he wants and command all three pitches, throw the fastball, inside, outside. Just his ability to mix speeds and locations is something that's just made him take another step the last few years.
Q. What has made Sanchez so good at home, specifically the change-up at home? Is there something about here that has made it better?
J.T. REALMUTO: I don't know metrically if it's any different here. I do know he loves pitching here. He loves the atmosphere. What the crowd brings to him, I think, is something that can't be overstated. Obviously his numbers here have been really good the last few years. There's something he feels in this ballpark where he just feels at home, he feels confident and he enjoys dominating here.
Q. Obviously you guys haven't announced the rotation for the first three games, but if it's three straight lefties what challenges does it present for game planning? Or is there some benefits to seeing what does or doesn't work in those first couple of games when you have a third straight lefty potentially?
J.T. REALMUTO: It can play both sides of it. I think our lefties are pretty drastically different in the way they pitch and the stuff. They all use different pitches. They all throw different velos.
I know they're three lefties but we'll be attacking their hilt terse all differently with all three of them. I don't think that's a challenge.
But it's nice for us to make adjustments as the series go. And obviously their business hitter. Two of their best hitters are left-handed -- they're very good against lefties, but they're elite, elite against right-handed pitching.
I don't see it -- if we do end up throwing three lefties out there -- I don't see it as a problem, but it will definitely be something as the series go we'll have to paying attention to making adjustments to what's working and what's not.
Q. We know Zack in the pregame meetings, he's pretty relaxed. I know Nola said he's more vocal. What's Sanchez like in those pregame meetings when you're going over hitters for that night's game?
J.T. REALMUTO: Sanchy, he's definitely relaxed, maybe not quite as relaxed as Wheels is. But he's really just -- he has like an aura of confidence about him.
He goes into the meeting not necessarily worrying about what the opposing team does well. He just talks about himself and how he wants to attack and what works for him. And that's something I think is really cool to see the last few years him grow in that way. He's just has so much confidence in what he does that he's not too worried about the opposing team.
Q. Obviously the full rotation hasn't been announced yet, but when you look at Luzardo his past month or so, what has allowed him to move past the struggles he dealt with in the middle of the season?
J.T. REALMUTO: I think just getting back to himself. I'm not sure if earlier in the year there was some talk about him tipping or not tipping. I don't know necessarily that that's what was going on in those couple of games. But if it was, he's seemed to address that.
Also, just him being able to command the strike zone. His sweeper throughout the season has gotten better and better and he's gotten a better feel for it. I think that pitch has been something that he's been able to elevate his game with and keep the right-handed and left-handed batters off balance with.
But for the most part, it's getting in the strike zone and staying in it and beating guys with his stuff.
Q. Both teams are able to be so explosive offensively. Dodgers, as you know, just in the Wild Card series put up 18 runs. With that, how important is it to be able to score runs in different ways between getting those big hits for homers and manufacturing runs if necessary?
J.T. REALMUTO: I think that's what this series is going to be all about. In my opinion, the talent is pretty evenly matched across both teams. They're extremely talented over in that clubhouse. And we obviously have confidence in the guys we have.
The series is going to come down to who's able to get the big hits in the big moments and command the strike zone, both pitching and hitting, and then not trying to do too much when the runners are on base and being able to shorten up, put the ball in play, find the holes.
It's going to be a very evenly matched series. Whoever comes up in those big spots and is able to put the ball in play, find the gap -- it might not necessarily be the big home run that wins the series; I think it's going to be doing the little things correctly.
Q. Is there a little bit more umpf in this because you're playing the defending champions?
J.T. REALMUTO: I think so, absolutely. Obviously any team you play in the postseason is going to be a challenge, and you're going to be excited to play. But playing a team like this -- in my opinion, they're the epitome of what Major League should be; they go out every year and try to win, their ownership is awesome, their front office is great. It's an organization that the other teams look up to.
And I see us as the same way. I feel this match-up is going to be a lot of fun. And it's good for the game to have these two teams going at it.
Q. J.T., is there anything that you personally have done differently this week with the bye as opposed to last year to prep? And collectively, what do you sense you guys have learned from last year's experience that you take into this year's prep?
J.T. REALMUTO: I think just -- I don't necessarily know that I've done anything differently prep-wise. I know the rest has been good for myself and I'm sure others.
As far as what we have to do differently, we just have to play better. I think last year there was too much made about the days-off situation. I think, honestly, we weren't playing good baseball going into the postseason.
I don't necessarily think it was the days off that slowed us down. I think this year we've been playing better baseball the last few weeks than we were at this point last year.
We just have to continue what we're doing. And it's going to be important this first game to have a spark and get us going in the right direction and carry that momentum through the series.
Q. Year in, year out this is a ballclub with championship aspirations. What about this year's squad separates you guys from years past?
J.T. REALMUTO: In my opinion, this is probably the deepest team we've had. I think the lineup is as deep as we've had it. I think our bullpen, in my opinion, is the best, top to bottom, that we've had since I've been here.
Obviously it's tough losing Wheeler. You can't replace a guy like that. Our starting lineup is very deep. We've got guys that throw the ball really well and have had success at this stage. Obviously we've had some good teams here, but I do feel like this is our deepest team we've had.
Q. Over the last three playoffs, what, if anything, have you seen out of attitude or adjustments that have allowed Bryce to take an already high level up another level in the playoffs?
J.T. REALMUTO: Bryce, he lives for these moments. It's something that he has a lot of confidence in himself all the time, but in the postseason, he wants to be a guy to be in that spot and step up for the team. And that's just the way he's wired. He's had success in postseasons for a long time now. So I just think he really enjoys and craves this moment, and he loves doing it for the city.
Q. I saw on social media that there was a birthday party for Sanchez's one-year-old son earlier in the week. How was that? Does a gathering like that tell you how the room admires Sanchez how he's become one of the guys?
J.T. REALMUTO: Yeah, we love Sanchy. His family's great. My wife and his wife are actually really close. We wouldn't have missed that for the world. That's just kind of how this team is. We enjoy hanging out. We like to go to each other's houses on the off days, enjoy each other's company. I think that's one thing that makes us successful, is that we enjoy each other on and off the field.
In this game, you spend so much time together, it's really important to like your teammates and actually get along with them. I think that's something special that we have here.
Q. So given how close you guys are, how long you guys have been playing together for, there are a couple of you part of the core that are on expiring contracts. What is the level of urgency going into the postseason to get the job done given those situations?
J.T. REALMUTO: I mean, for me it doesn't -- I don't think any of our contracts really necessarily changes the way we feel about this postseason compared to others. We've always had a sense of urgency here, and every year you go into the ultimate goal is to win a World Series. At the end of the day, that's all that matters.
There's different contracts expiring every season. I don't look at this one any differently as far as seasons in the past. From the start of this year, we wanted to win a World Series, and that's the only thing we're thinking about.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports