Dodgers' young players coming up big in series finale

LOS ANGELES --- Manager Dave Roberts has said for a few days since right-handed pitcher Brock Stewart was recalled that the Dodgers believed Stewart gave the Dodgers the best chance to win on Sunday.

That belief was justified after Stewart pitched five scoreless innings and had a career high eight strikeouts against the Cubs.  The Dodgers would eventually score the game's only run as a result of big play made by Corey Seager in the eighth inning and Kenley Jansen got his 39th save to preserve the 1-0 win.

Brock Stewart had been up and down with the Dodgers a few times this season as well as had pitched on three minor league teams and Roberts said all of that played into why he and the Dodgers made him the starter on Sunday.

"I'm very excited for Brock, for us, we believed in Brock," Roberts said, "sometimes people have to look outside the numbers and understand that what this kid has gone through this year."

"We felt he'd go out there and compete, and that's exactly what he did, against a very good club."

Roberts praised his three rookie starters and how they each have grown this season to be important parts on this team.

"When you look at the young players that we've got, Stripling, Julio, and Brock," Roberts said, "these guys have come up in big spots for us., executing pitches and Brock, I can't say enough about him, they were getting bad swings at points."

It is the last weekend in August but Roberts was proud of what the Dodgers accomplished against the Giants and Cubs.

"This homestand for us," Roberts said, "to win a couple of series against a couple of good ballclubs says a lot about our guys."

Trusting his stuff was key for Brock Stewart

Brock Stewart has traveled to a lot of places to pitch for the Dodger organization this year so he has gotten more comfortable after each time he's been called on to move this year.

This time, the Dodgers gave Stewart a few days to get ready and be with the team before starting today against the Cubs and Stewart thought that made a difference.

"I really liked being around the guys," Stewart said, "going through the pre-game plan, getting here and settling in."

Stewart credited believing in his stuff is a key to success at the major league level.

"Overall I was basically just trusting the stuff," Stewart said, "fastball was good I was able to go out, I was able to go in, threw a few change ups, decent slider."

Stewart said that he was happy about the success he and Julio Urias had this weekend and how they are making contributions to the big league team right now.

"Yeah, the future is bright," Stewart said,  "I'm glad that we have guys that can help this team down the stretch."

Stewart also said that the success he has had thsi season was a product of all the hard work he put in this past off-season.

"I credit a lot to the off-season preparation, I worked my butt off, really focused," Stewart said, "I haven't been pitching that long so I really honed in on what it takes to get guys at every level and at the highest level."

Seager says Utley's style of play "rubbing off" on him

Corey Seager has said that he has learned so much watching how Chase Utley plays baseball hard at every moment of the game.  When it came to the key play of the eighth inning, Seager said his model is Utley.

Seager saw that he could beat the throw to second and beat the force play which what he did and that provided the only run in the Dodgers' 1-0 win.

"It was one of those plays, you watch Chase [Utley] run hard every time," Seager said, "than that's what are you doing, running hard."

"It was one of those things that you've watched him do it over and over and over again," Seager said, "to where something rubbed off, and luckily it got us the win."

"That is kind of difference between what [Utley] does for teams and what he can brings to our team and that won us the game today."