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NL DIVISION SERIES: GIANTS v NATIONALSOctober 3, 2014Matt WilliamsWASHINGTON, D.C.: Game One Q. Matt, we saw your roster, can you explain why Detwiler and Hairston are off the roster and Soriano is on? MATT WILLIAMS: Well, Sori is on. Tanner Roark is on. There's a lot of guys on. It is what it is. With regard to Det, for the last month of the season we had three lefties in the bullpen. We decided to go with two. And certainly, Matt has been throwing the ball well. Jerry, over the last month has thrown the ball exceptionally well. It is not an easy decision by any stretch. We decided to go with two lefties and had to make that one. With regard to Scott, Zim being back, and the way that our team was constructed as it stands, Zim will be coming off the bench a little bit for us. That is kind of our option, our first option, right‑handed off the bench in that regard. We wanted a lefty, unfortunately, it doesn't leave room for Scott. He was really good about it. He understands the situation, and will continue to stay ready in case something happens. Q. (No microphone.)       MATT WILLIAMS: He is fine. It is disappointing for anybody, for sure, especially being here the whole season. He will also stand at the ready in case he is needed. Q. Back to Soriano, I know he struggled the second half of the year, and worked with McCatty of late. What was it specifically that he has shown you to regain your confidence to make the roster? MATT WILLIAMS: He has everybody's confidence. It never wavered. Our options at the back of the bullpen, we have multiple guys who has closed games. Sori is one of them; 200 saves is a lot. He is one of the reasons why we are here. Was the premier closer in the first half of the season. Went through mechanical issues, and has worked diligently to resolve those. I think he is where he needs to be. Gave him opportunities late in the season to pitch and he pitched well. Q. When it came to bullpen construction, do you consider guys you can get a quick one, two outs, as opposed to more long men? MATT WILLIAMS: Yes, well, with the days off, especially in the first round with the days off, you have those options. Nobody is going to ever have to go three days in a row. That is part of the construction process. We want to make sure that we construct it in a way that serves our team the best. We have options right‑handed and options left‑handed. With regard to the long guy, Tanner is available. He is as long as you can possibly get. Those are the reasons for those decisions. Q. Given how left‑handed the Giants' lineup is, was there any consideration to go to three lefties in the bullpen? What was the factor to only go with two? MATT WILLIAMS: If we looked at the lefties in the bullpen, in getting in that situation, we hope that there wouldn't be need for that. We hope that our starters go out there and pitch well, and get deep in games, and it isn't a factor. If we do get into a situation where we have to go to the bullpen early, it wouldn't be either one of those lefties anyway. It would be more of our long guys. Both those long guys are right‑handed. I don't know how you can argue with either one of them. That is the way we decided to construct it. Q. Matt, Jordan's is a pretty even‑keeled guy. Obviously had a big day there with the no‑hitter. How have you seen him react since then, and go about preparing for this start? MATT WILLIAMS: I don't think he is any different than he always is. He wasn't that different that day. You saw him after the game. He talked about how his emotions going through it. He is always going to be the same guy. He will go out there, he will be aggressive, he will challenge the strike zone. Throw the balls in the strike zone, and work quickly. He is not going to change that. The secret to his success is what he showed on the final game of the season. That's balls in the strike zone, pound the zone, work quickly, get us back in the dugout. He is not going to change. He will be the same guy. Q. I know Roark has experience as a reliever before. In a situation like this, how comfortable are you with putting him in a situation with men on base, being mainly a starter? MATT WILLIAMS: He will be fine. He has done it all year long. He has been in situations, where guys have been out there, he has been in a bases‑loaded situation, from a starting position anyway. I am comfortable with it. He doesn't get too high or too low in any stretch. If he comes into a game, he is simply there to throw the ball where he wants to throw it, and get outs. For him, a situation doesn't matter. Q. Matt, you talked about Zim coming off the bench. Is he coming off the bench today? MATT WILLIAMS: Yes, he is coming off the bench today. We may look at matchups. You know, we get Bumgarner Game 3, unless they have some type of issue. We will look at that. We will look at possible scenarios where he is coming in to face a late‑inning guy with men on base. You know, he is certainly a great option for us. But from a starting perspective, we will look at the matchups that we could possibly get him out there, to start a game as well. Q. With Tanner, do you see him as a guy who can work multiple innings? Can you use him in a matchup situation, or get one inning in a big spot? MATT WILLIAMS: We could use him for one hitter, if we wanted to. He does have numbers. The good thing about him starting all year is that he has developed some history against a lot of guys. So, we do have those numbers, and he is available to do that if we need it. Again, we have to get to the game and find out how it goes and make the adjustments accordingly. He is available in all of those different situations, yes. Q. So many games have turned with a guy coming off the bench to steal a base. Could Espinosa be that guy for you? MATT WILLIAMS: Yeah. Nate Schierholtz would be that guy. They both have good speed. Both have the ability to steal a base. The pinch‑running situations often times are dictated by where you are at in the game. We will have to adjust to that as we get through and as we are trying to do things we can to win. Both of those guys have that capability, for sure. Q. One more quick roster question: With Frandsen, how many positions on the diamond are you happy with him defensively? Where late in the game do you feel comfortable with him? MATT WILLIAMS: He could play left. Certainly he's done that for us. Third, second, first, he is our emergency catcher. He has begged to pitch; I am not going to allow him to do that. He is more than capable at all of those. Played well for us in all of those. He is a gamer. He loves to play. If we get an opportunity to get him in there, we would like to do that. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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