Dodgers Interview: Smith’s Playing the NLCS “one inning at a time”
LOS ANGELES — The NLCS resumes tonight at Chavez Ravine, and the Dodgers will lean on the rhythm that’s carried them through October. Will Smith sounded steady as ever, focused on Tyler Glasnow’s start and the way this pitching staff has evolved. Smith talked through what he’s seeing, how he plans to guide it, and why he trusts the arms behind him.
“His last one was really good against Philly,” Smith said of Glasnow. “Six zeros, that’s what we needed.” He acknowledged the winding road that got the right-hander here. “It’s been a year of ups and downs with him, with injuries and stuff,” Smith said, adding that “missing last year hurt him a lot, missing the playoffs,” and that Glasnow is “happy to be out there this year helping us win ballgames.”
The catcher contrasted this October with the scramble of a year ago. “Last year was definitely different than this year,” he said. “Piecing together with more bullpen guys and stuff. This year we’ve got the luxury of some really good starters. We have basically four number ones and then some guys in the pen that are starters that are coming in.” He kept the approach simple: “It’s just different, but you’re just going one pitch at a time, one inning at a time, and trying to win a ball game that day.”
Asked how Glasnow handles turbulence within a game, Smith pointed to conviction in the zone. “He’s in a really good spot right now. He looked really good his last outing against Philly,” Smith said. “He’s at his best when he’s just attacking the zone, getting ahead of guys, just like all the great pitchers do. That’s what I expect him to do today.”
Smith also walked through the difference between catching a true reliever and a starter being used in relief, and how he adjusts on the fly. “Not really,” he said when asked if he changes much. “Just more depends on the guy. Knowing who they are. Trying to get them in the zone as quickly as possible because it is a change. Trying to figure out what’s working right then and right now.” Starters have a touch more runway to find it. “As a starter they can kind of ease in a little bit more,” he said. “Where bullpen, they’re coming in seventh, eighth, ninth inning. You’re trying to figure out what’s working that day.” The plan never strays far from fundamentals. “Attack the zone and kind of be themselves.”
One other box got checked. Smith’s right hand, which took a beating earlier this postseason, isn’t an issue once the lights flip on. “I still do treatment on it every day,” he said. “But once the game starts, it’s feeling good. Don’t have to worry about it at all.”
So that’s the shape of tonight for the Dodgers’ backstop. Glasnow on the attack. Smith steering pitch to pitch. Starters setting the tone, bullpen ready to slam the door. “One pitch at a time,” he said, “one inning at a time.” Simple enough. And plenty good when the calendar says October.
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