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NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: GIANTS v CARDINALSOctober 15, 2014Mike MathenySAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Game Four THE MODERATOR: Questions for Mike. Q. How easy is it to keep the lineup the same today? MIKE MATHENY: Well, I like, as you go down individually go through that order, I like the things that we saw yesterday. The guys at the top put together tough at‑bats, and Holliday was a couple inches from changing that game late, right down to what the guys at the bottom did. They all did their part. I thought A.J. did a nice job behind the plate. Q. Yadi told a couple of us yesterday he hoped to start swinging today. Has he done so and is he going to and is there any update on his status? MIKE MATHENY: He tried taking a few swings and it didn't feel real great, as expected. Still continuing to feel good as he goes out and plays catch and throwing, receiving, doing the things he needs to behind the plate are all fine. Q. Adam was in here a little bit ago and said he's very encouraged by what he got out of his session in terms of delivery. How tricky is it this time of year after a long season to make those little tweaks in October? MIKE MATHENY: I think it's real difficult for most guys, but not for him. He has just impressed us so much how he can make those minor alterations and just how aware he is of himself and his own mechanics and what it feels like. He's been the kind of example that you need, especially for such a young staff. We have all these young starters coming up through to watch how he's always making just these little minor changes, and they are seeing it turns into big results. He's been able to go out one day and not quite look himself and just make a couple small changes and be right back on time, and the results follow. Q. What's most unique thing about managing in this ballpark? You're obviously familiar with in from your playing days as well. The wind obviously was a big factor yesterday. What do you have to account for as you manage a game here? MIKE MATHENY: I think we are always aware of the fact that the elements can play into any game, just about anywhere you are. It was very atypical yesterday. I don't remember a right‑to‑left wind being quite like that before. And when you watch Grichuk try to run down the first ball Ishikawa hit, you realize once the same thing happened to Pence, it was odd in general for this field. That was one of the Candlestick moments, almost. I thought the guys did a nice job. The wind and the elements worked for us just as much against. Panik hit a ball really well the first at‑bat that came back to Jon Jay. Made a nice play. If that wind wasn't blowing, that was probably pretty easily a triple. We take the good with the bad, try to prepare the guys in our workouts. Hit the balls high in the air and just seeing. And that's just hopeful that the elements are the same game time as they are in our pregame. Q. When you look at the Giants, do you see in some ways a reflection of your own ballclub? MIKE MATHENY: Yeah, that's a very fair statement. I see a team that takes a lot of pride in trying to do the little things right and capitalizing and manufacturing and playing good defense and takes pride in the pitching. And just I think that's kind of playing itself out through this series. I don't think anybody's been surprised or let down. It's been a very hard‑fought series so far, and imagine it's going to be the same way all the way through. Q. With what you said about Yadi, did that mean that he had to stop swinging, that it was too painful to finish a workout, or did he take swings off the tee and just not feel right and is going to try again tomorrow? Where is the stage of what he can do? MIKE MATHENY: Yeah, I don't have the whole break down. I know the training staff and Yadi went down and just did some preliminary swings and just enough to realize it wasn't worth pushing forward. Q. If I can follow‑up with Wainwright, he was saying he doesn't want to be the guy who is not producing in October. I mean, he's had such a stellar postseason resumé. Is that just another example of how this guy maybe fuels himself between starts? MIKE MATHENY: He's just one of the very few that is so talented, but so motivated, too, to constantly find that next gear, that next level. I use the example a lot this year, he shows up into Spring Training after being in consideration for the Cy Young, he shows up with a couple new pitches and not content with what he's done in the past, and thinking, I've got to do more. I know how valuable that is for him individually, but I'll again reflect on what that means to the young guys in our staff who have maybe got to this level by being a certain style of pitcher. They see a guy who has had all the accolades and is still figuring out how to make those minor changes and learning himself even better. That's just a rare leadership quality. And then of course, you take a competitor like that and someone who has had success and you put them on this stage, and they can't wait to go out there and then be the ace of our staff, and he is. It's just right now, he's working hard to get that real good feel. But can't wait to watch him pitch again. Q. Choate has had some trouble throwing strikes to Crawford throughout his career, not just yesterday. Is there anything that he's not doing when he's facing Crawford, and if any of that gave you any pause yesterday? MIKE MATHENY: None. He's actually gotten Crawford out quite a few times and that's what we need him to do. He threw some good pitches and you saw some balls fouled off. He's the pitcher we want on the mound in that spot. Q. If Perez was up in a situation where he's going to be swinging, would Choate have stayed in the game? MIKE MATHENY: Yes. You look at a number of things there. The main factor is you've got the top of the lineup right behind with two left‑handed hitters. You also look at Perez's history who has not necessarily had that much success against a left‑handed pitcher. All of these things lead to the direction that we want Randy on the mound there. Q. One of the reasons you're successful in close games is how well the defense has played throughout the year. What have you seen from the defense in this series and what does that say about how close the series has been? The defense has changed some of these games, or the level of play that you need to get to to get back in or tie the series. MIKE MATHENY: We are talking about three plays over these three games. We are talking about a ball that you have not seen very often getting under Matt Carpenter, you've seen a double play that could have been turned by Kolten Wong, and then the play yesterday from one of our pitchers. Overall our defense has done a nice job and been as consistent as we've been all year. But on this stage, this time of year, every mistake is magnified, whether it's a pitch made or not or whether it's a play made or not or whether it's a decision from the bench that's made or not. That's just part of the beauty and challenge of being in October baseball and that's what makes us so special. You realize that we have got a great opportunity, but we're going to have to be clicking on all cylinders. We've got to all do what we do and do it well or else another team that's very equally talented is going to take advantage. And so far, when we've made mistakes, they have capitalized. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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