Dodgers - 10, Reds - 5
Q. In terms of Blake pitching seven tonight, what does that do, not only for tonight's game, but in terms of setting up not only the rest of the series but if you guys are fortunate enough to get to the next one?
DAVE ROBERTS: It sets us up really well. Blake was fantastic tonight. You could see he was in complete control. The fastball was great. The change-up was plus. Kind of mixing and matching and really was in control the entire game.
So I feel good him going through, giving seven innings and getting him on line. We got some work to do for this series, but he'll be ready to go.
Q. Eight-run lead, you go to three different relievers in the eighth inning, took 59 pitching. What are you thinking as that plays out?
DAVE ROBERTS: Well, Alex wasn't sharp tonight. And obviously Henriquez wasn't, didn't have any command. So with that lane right there, three right-handers, four right-handers, I felt good about where we were at to kind of shorten Alex a little bit. Still got 20-something pitches to get one out.
And then you follow up in a 10-2 ball game with Edgardo in a lane that I feel very confident in, and he just wasn't good tonight.
At that point in time you've got to get somebody else to stop the momentum. So I felt having Dreyer on Elly was a good spot for him, and fortunately he made pitches when he needed to and ultimately we got Ke'Bryan to pop up.
Q. You are not going to score 10 runs a night, but how was it seeing the offense continue the momentum from the last month?
DAVE ROBERTS: It was great. It was a well-executed game plan. Teo was big tonight. Obviously Shohei had a huge night. Kiké does what he does in October. And just across the board we just took good at-bats.
I still think Hunter is one of the really, really talented pitchers in the game. And for us to get to him like we did, pretty impressive.
Q. Kiké left the game with back tightness. Any update for him, and will he be available for Game 2?
DAVE ROBERTS: He's playing tomorrow. He has some back tightness. Just trying to take care in this particular game, getting him ready for tomorrow and beyond. But he'll be in there tomorrow.
Q. We saw Shohei, two home runs last year, Game 1, he hit a home run against Dylan Cease. How much does he live for the postseason, these moments?
DAVE ROBERTS: He does. His focus gets more keen and the at-bat quality is better. And, again, that's the reason why he signed to be with this ballclub, this organization, to play in games like this to showcase his other-worldly talent. I expect really fun things this postseason out of Shohei.
Q. If there's no Game 3, when do you expect Shohei to pitch?
DAVE ROBERTS: You're getting ahead, but one of the first two games, probably.
Q. One of the first two games?
DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah.
Q. In that eighth inning, is that an example of, you talk about guys just not attacking as much as they need to, especially when you have an eight-run lead right there?
DAVE ROBERTS: That's exactly right. It's very clear to me, when you're on the attack, those guys are on their heels with the lead we have. When you start being too fine and getting behind, you start giving them free bases. And that's how you can build innings and get momentum. So that's what I saw in that inning there for sure.
Q. With Edgardo, trying to use some of those guys when you have a big cushion maybe staying away from some high-leverage guys?
DAVE ROBERTS: Absolutely. If we don't feel comfortable using certain guys with an eight-run lead, then we've got to think through some things. But as you pitch guys, you start to learn more about guys. And that's kind of how it goes.
Q. We saw Emmet throwing in the bullpen a while. Should we still expect to see him tomorrow or Tyler if necessary now that you have the advantage?
DAVE ROBERTS: Emmet will be available tomorrow, absolutely. And so will Tyler, yes.
Q. Getting Edman out of there, was he dealing with something or was that the score?
DAVE ROBERTS: It was just the ankle. It's something that's going to be ongoing. Whenever we can get him off of it to get him ready to the next day, that's what we're going to do. So that was kind of the thought.
Q. Is he kind of limited to infield at this point just given the ankle?
DAVE ROBERTS: At this point, yes.
Q. Offenses can be tight or tentative in a Game 1. Your offense wasn't. What was the reason for the offense being so potent tonight?
DAVE ROBERTS: I think that the lead-off homer from Shohei was big. I think that the shutdown inning from Blake was big. And I just thought from the outset we had a really good game plan against Hunter, and we just didn't miss pitches when he made mistakes. And Teo's hit was huge, yeah.
Q. Teo and Kiké just seemed to step up every single time in these moments. Other than the clutch gene, what is that? How are they so good in those moments?
DAVE ROBERTS: I think it's the clutch gene. I think they're not afraid to fail. They like the spotlight. And it's just a really good heartbeat for those guys in those big moments. And Kiké certainly likes the spotlight for sure.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports