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NL DIVISION SERIES: DODGERS VS METS

October 10, 2015

Terry Collins

Los Angeles, California - Postgame two

Dodgers - 5 Mets - 2

Q. You've been around baseball for a long time. What did you think about that slide in the 7th inning by Chase Utley?
TERRY COLLINS: Broke my shortstop's leg, that's all I know.

Q. Would you say that was a clean slide or not, and why?
TERRY COLLINS: I'm not going to get into it. It's over. It's done. Not much we can do about it except come out in a couple days and get after it.

Q. When you were speaking to the official, the umpires after the review was overturned, what were you saying, what did they tell you why?
TERRY COLLINS: No, they never explain why. They just said he didn't touch the bag. But certainly my argument is, you know, the road block. You go to all your available arguments. The road block, is it a neighborhood play? He didn't touch the bag. All the things that -- the umpires handled it great. They said we reviewed the whole thing, and obviously we didn't think it was a good throw. So the neighborhood play was out. They thought that it's pretty hard to rule that he didn't touch the bag when he hit the shortstop and nobody was tagged, so they have no other call. So they handled it right.

Q. Considering now we have a controversy here, what do you think this means for Matt pitching the next guy out who controls the game for you, and do you think he'll handle what is now probably another layer of pressure in that game?
TERRY COLLINS: Well, first of all, we set this up a long time ago as you know coming into the series. Certainly we were hoping to get in, and the postseason was going to be in our plans and we had Matt in Game 3 because I thought it was going to be a pivotal game, which it is now going to be. So I think we have the right guy going. I think he's handled it great. He's fired up about it. You know, certainly there are no limits, obviously, outside of we'll be very cautious of the pitch counts because he really hasn't thrown a lot of pitches in the last month. But I think we have the right guy on the mound for us on Monday.

Q. Why?
TERRY COLLINS: Well, he's the ace. This guy loves pressure. He loves the big stage. He's shown he's pitched great when he's had to pitch on the big stage in a big game. You go back two years ago when he was just the rookie, and I mean the games he pitched that season that meant a lot, he stepped up and was outstanding, and we need him to step up and give us another one.

Q. Whenever you think of the slide, do you expect your team to just add emotion to your series and the team?
TERRY COLLINS: I believe it will help, yes.

Q. Is there an issue with controlling that emotion?
TERRY COLLINS: Well, you've got to take the emotion and keep your focus. You can't lose control. So we'll show up. I think that our guys will certainly be very, very anxious to get back on the field on Monday.

Q. You saw a lot of Utley when he was in your division. Is it surprising to you he's in the nexus of this whole thing?
TERRY COLLINS: Well, we've seen a lot of him, obviously, and we've seen him play, very, very hard. We know that he plays with great passion and great aggression. So unfortunately somebody got hurt.

Q. It's obviously right after the situation. Have you decided how you're going to replace him, and is Juan a possibility there moving forward in the series?
TERRY COLLINS: Juan Uribe?

Q. Yes.
TERRY COLLINS: No, he's not ready to play. He hasn't done any baseball activities in two weeks, so he's not going to be a possibility. Well, I mean, it will be Wilmer.

Q. Are your players angry about this, and is that going to be a problem on Monday?
TERRY COLLINS: Well, we'll control it, but, yeah, they're angry. You lose in a playoff series to that serious of an injury, yeah, they're not very happy about it.

Q. When you entered the series, did you plan for Bartolo to enter a similar situation, and should we expect to see him do the same?
TERRY COLLINS: Well, again, going into that inning, Dan and I had talked, and we said if Kendrick gets up, we want him to face Bartolo. You guys know why, and we got the ground ball. It was a tough play. Dan had a tough flip and really didn't get it to where he wanted it to, otherwise we're out of the inning. So everything worked out except we didn't make the play. Like I said, Dan was at a tough angle, and Ruben really didn't have a play after -- even though Chase hit, I don't think he had a a play at first base. And Bartolo gave us what we wanted. If we go down the road, if we need a groundball, he's the guy to give it. No other guys in that bullpen are groundball pitchers except for Familia, and in that situation, I said we need a groundball here, and he got us that groundball.

Q. Can you explain what Wilmer means to your team?
TERRY COLLINS: You mean Ruben?

Q. Ruben, I'm sorry. Losing Ruben going forward?
TERRY COLLINS: Ruben Tejada's been here and started the year in a tough spot because Wilmer basically lost the job. Ruben stepped up and said entering this series defense is going to be important, very important. So we thought he would be the guy. Now we're going to have to ask Wilmer to step up. Relax, play with a little relaxation that I don't think there is any pressure on him. Just play the game the way he knows how. And I think he will.

Q. You mentioned playing with aggression and passion. Tejada's back was turned on the play. It's a defenseless player. Is there a line to be drawn?
TERRY COLLINS: I don't -- you're going in hard, you're sliding, you really don't have a chance to make an adjustment when all of a sudden he starts to turn his back to make a throw. Where he was at in the play, he just continues. He can't make a change.

Q. When you got out there to second base, what did he say, and how quickly did you guys know that was a possibility that he had broken his leg?
TERRY COLLINS: Well, when Ray got out there and grabbed it he said there was no feeling in his foot. And when Ray stood him up, he said, I can't move my foot. And Ray said, I think he broke his ankle. So we said we need the cart. That was it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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