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NL DIVISION SERIES: GIANTS v NATIONALSOctober 5, 2014Matt WilliamsSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Workout Day Q. How do you bounce back from being 0‑2 and do you plan to make any lineup changes? MATT WILLIAMS: Well, first part of the question is, we don't have a choice. We're in a must‑win situation. So we have to go out there and play and win the game. And as far as lineup changes, we'll have a workout today and see how everybody is and have a team meeting after that, coaches meeting, anyway, and go through our matchups and see what we can come up with. And nothing on that yet, though. But got to win tomorrow. Q. Speaking of, I guess you still want to try to get Ryan Zimmerman in the game tomorrow, and where do you think you could put him in? MATT WILLIAMS: We want to certainly look at those options. So we'll go over that. There's nothing as of right now as far as getting Zimm in the game in any certain position. But there's opportunity for that, so we'll look at it, we'll look at the matchups that we have again Madison and see how guys have done. We have some sense of that, of course, already. So we'll see how it goes today, make a decision and we'll have that for everybody in the morning. Q. Across the board now, what have you seen from your hitters over the first two games, and is there anything that stands out that's been markedly different in their approach than it was in the regular season? MATT WILLIAMS: No, I just think that it's a little bit of impatience. There's been some‑‑ both guys have pitched against us live down in the strike zone and below the strike zone. So the key is to be patient. And I think that we have swung at some pitches that have been down and out of the strike zone, which has resulted in some early outs and not being able to string things together. So doesn't get any easier tomorrow for sure, so we have to get back to what we do and relax and go about our business. We have some history against Bumgarner and matched up here earlier in the season. So, you know, we have got to do a better job at‑bat certainly, getting good pitches to hit and being a little more patient. Q. After a game like that, long flight, are you the type that sits there and dissects everything, or do you just move on? MATT WILLIAMS: You have to move on. There's certain decisions you make during the game and you put the guys in positions that they are accustomed to and asked to do well in. Sometimes it doesn't happen. And then you play 18 innings (smiles wryly). And it ends on, for all intents and purposes, one swing of the bat. But we have the chance to do the same thing Brandon did. The game‑‑ it will do us no good to think about the last one other than to say, you know, we didn't get it done and going to try to get it done tomorrow. Q. Do you look at history and see that there are some teams who have comeback 0‑2 to win, like the 2012 Giants and the 2001 Yankees, do you think about that? MATT WILLIAMS: It can be done. It can certainly be done. But you have to start with the first one. So we have to start with that game tomorrow, tomorrow afternoon at some point, we don't quite know yet. But have to be ready for that and make sure that we're doing things out there on the field that would give us a chance to win. That's where you start, and once that one's over, if you're fortunate enough to win it, then you move on to the next. Q. Specifically with Denard, he's been kind of rolling over on some balls that are inside like we saw in 2013 and early on this season. Have you seen anything different from him in terms of his approach or anything with his swing or is he just not getting maybe the patience that you were talking about? MATT WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think it's a little bit impatient. You know, when Denard has success, he gets the ball back through the middle a lot. He's also leaned on a couple of baseballs, too. He lined out to first. He lined out to right in the first game. He's also squared them up, too. But the results aren't there, but his success, his middle of the diamond, keeps him on the breaking ball, and certainly Pablo plays him in in an effort to take away the bunt. So that side of the field is open. He just hasn't quite stayed back enough to get it over there yet. Again, potentially against a left‑hander, sometimes lefty/lefty matchups get guys back online a little bit. So we'll see how the lineup shakes out and if he's in there, hopefully that can get him back online, and we hope ready for a Game4 and beyond. Q. What sort of challenges does Bumgarner present specifically? MATT WILLIAMS: Crossfire fastballs to the right‑handers. He pitches in effectively. He's a big guy. He throws the ball, you know, low to mid nine tees but it's even better than that because the ball jumps on you. And he rakes. Those are challenges in and of itself. Q. Just in general, how is your team doing right now, on the flight, on the way back, obviously a really tough loss, but you know what's at stake. How are they handling it? MATT WILLIAMS: They are fine. They are all here. We have an optional workout today, but the buses are full and they are itching to get back out there and work today. Last night's flight was a long one but there was a lot of conversation going. Guys were talking about the previous two games and what we must do to get back in this thing and win tomorrow. So it's normal, as it would be in any situation. There was a time we got swept this last summer and the same thing happened. So they don't panic for sure. So that's a good thing. They are all getting together. They are all ready to go today and we'll be ready to go tomorrow, as well. Q. You've had a lot of opportunity to watch Bruce Bochy as a player, as a coach and as a manager. What's it like as a first‑year manager going against a guy with this much experience, 20 years, and all the games that he's managed? Give me your assessment of Bruce. MATT WILLIAMS: I think Boch is one of the best in our game. He knows his players. It's funny, you talk about the giants and you say to yourself, well, they are battle‑tested, right. They have been here and they have done that. And you don't get battle‑tested unless you get into battle. So he's been there. Bruce has been through those. Like I said, he's one of the best in our game. He knows his guys, knows what they can and can't do, puts them in position to succeed, and they respond. And you know, all of that experience that they call carry helps. Yeah, he certainly is calm and cool and collected. I've never been on one of his teams and know whether he yells at them in the clubhouse or not, which I doubt he does. But he's just‑‑ he's been there and he understands the whole thing. He understands how to get his team to the World Series, and they all know that and they respect that. Q. Looking back at Storen last night, as you evaluate that, do you see anything different about the way he pitched last night or a couple good hitters beat him? MATT WILLIAMS: Again, we go back to it, and he's ready for Buster. It wasn't a bad pitch to Buster but Buster hit it off the end of the bat for a single. The pitch to Pablo, he missed location, the ball was in the middle of the plate, up too much, and he got ahead of him throwing a fastball and had him where he wanted him. He just missed location on a pitch. That happens. The good thing about the whole thing was Bryce made a nice relay throw, so did Desi, and we got the out at the plate and we had the opportunity as the home team to put the game away and we just didn't do it. Unfortunately it took 18 innings to lose. I think he made the pitches. He just missed location on one. That's what it is. He's our closer. He's been perfect in every situation we put him in since he's been in that role with the exception of the last game he pitched. So we get in the situation tomorrow where we have opportunity for him, we want him to get back out there and do what he does. Q. Fister's experience pitching here in a World Series Game2 years ago, does that help him? MATT WILLIAMS: Not with Doug. Doesn't matter where he pitches. It could be here, it could be D.C., it could be the moon, doesn't matter. He's going to work fast and change speeds and throw strikes. That doesn't‑‑ it never changes with him. Certainly experience within the playoffs and World Series helps everybody, and has a chance to experience it, but he's unfazed. Q. You've been consistent all year talking about how you play this game and tomorrow you have another one and you take another shot at it, but you've never been in a position where if you lose tomorrow, the season is over. How do you deep your guys from getting swallowed up by the moment and just play? MATT WILLIAMS: Well, it's a question of us doing what we do best. And if you look at our team, what we have done best this year is grind at‑bats. We have got guys that get on base. So it will be a question of going back to knowing what you do, do what you do, and that test is huge tomorrow. This is one of the premiere lefties in the game, and so‑‑ but you know what, we have answered tests like that before. You never know, a bounce may go our way. Maybe a ball hits the bag and we can overcome. But we have to play the game, so we might as well go out and let it fly and do what we do and be who we are. If we're fortunate enough to win it, then we'll do it again the next day. That's all we can say about it. Q. On the plane ride back and looking back at the game, are you comfortable with the reasoning behind like bringing Storen in in that situation, do you think back and think about it or in hindsight, it's so much easier now? MATT WILLIAMS: Well, any time you make a decision on something and it doesn't work, you kick yourself. I kicked myself on that. That's human nature. But, we also have a reason for that move. The reason for that move, as I explained last night, was Buster missed a breaking ball on him, hit a deep fly ball to right field on a fast ball, hit a first pitch slider and lined it to third base that Anthony made a great play on. All of those things go into the decision. To say, okay, we need Drew ready for Buster. If we get there, one, we gave‑‑ we gave Jordan the opportunity to go out there and complete the game. But knowing that if he gets in trouble, that we have our closer up and available and ready. That's standard practice. You kick yourself any time it doesn't work. However, you have to put your guys in position to do their jobs and what they do. So that being said, I don't have a problem with it. It didn't work out. But we've got our best guy who is the closer coming in to pick up the guy that just gave us all he had for eight and two‑thirds. Now, could you say that it was the wrong move? Of course you can. You could say that. Could you say it was the right move? Yes, you could say that, as well. It didn't work out. That being said, it's, yeah, I kick myself for bringing Drew in and having him tie the game. Beyond that, we had nine more innings to win it. So that's how I look at it. Yeah, could it have been over if one of those two guys makes an out? Yeah, it would have been over. Beyond that, I don't want Drew coming into the game with first and second and two out. I want to give him opportunity to get Posey. And he didn't. And Sandoval hit a ball down the line so, it happened, that's baseball. What can you do about it except adjust from there and go on. Q. Obviously you saw the giants a lot in the regular season when you were with Arizona. Now seeing them in the playoffs, are there ways in which they seem to be an even better post‑season team than during the regular season because of how well they execute in the big moments? MATT WILLIAMS: Last night they did a good job of executing. Brandon hit a ball to the right side with a guy on second base with the first pitch, executed that perfectly. Yeah, they don't beat themselves too much. They have got good guys in the bullpen with defined roles. Pettitte as an example last night. We knew he was going to go long. I've seen them a lot, played them a lot over the last four years. They play play well here. They don't beat themselves. They have got power, they have got some speed. Certainly they know how to pitch and defend. All of those things combined to get them where they are at right now, with an opportunity to win. So we hope to derail that if we can in the next three. Q. I know you addressed how you want Storen to be as your closer; was there any thought about perhaps turning Sandoval around, considering his numbers, right‑handed, as opposed to left‑handed? MATT WILLIAMS: No, in that situation we would have called on somebody else that's not our closer to pitch end of the game. If we were in a different situation in a different inning, maybe. We did it later in the game. But no, our closer is our closer and that's no different than any other club. That's why they are in that role because they are able to shut down righties, lefties, it doesn't matter. No, Drew is our guy. He's been our closer and he's been perfect up until last night and the time he's been there since the second half started, essentially. So no, no thoughts about that at all. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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