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AL DIVISION SERIES: BLUE JAYS VS RANGERS

October 7, 2016

Elvis Andrus

Arlington, Texas - Pregame two

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with Elvis Andrus.

Q. Did you feel like you guys were pressing collectively at all yesterday, maybe trying to do a little too much? Cole mentioned maybe he was trying to be a little too fine. Do you think maybe you all were pushing or pressing just a little bit?
ELVIS ANDRUS: I think the first game, it's always, at some point, kind of tricky. Like I said yesterday, sometimes there's so many emotions and we're so anxious of being on the field and performing well. And when things don't go the way you want, you're trying to put a little more pressure, trying to do more.

But like I said, yesterday is a game that I think as a team we put it in the past and turn the page and it's all about winning today.

Q. Banny talked about just the consistency, coming in today, just as he did every day throughout the course of the season. Is that at all difficult for you guys to do that and just be, treat this day just like any other sort of day game that you would be coming in for?
ELVIS ANDRUS: I don't think so. I think we have the right guys on the team to put that in the past, like I said. There's too many guys with a lot of experience here, and we know what we need to do today.

We have to come out with a better energy today, try and be aggressive early, and try and get the lead, give some room to Darvish for him to feel comfortable. I think that's the big key for us today.

Q. You have talked about how you guys come back. How did you guys develop kind of the mentality of being able to put, like, ugly games behind you, come out on very short notice and perform?
ELVIS ANDRUS: Well, I think one of the things that we do really good is, you know, we kind of always see what we did wrong in that game and prepare for the next one.

If you've got any weakness, you've got 24 hours to get back and fix it. So, like I said, there's a lot of talent in this group, a lot of experience, and when you combine those two, in the end you find a way to go in and take care of business the next day.

So I believe -- I truly believe that's what we'll do today, and, like I said, I'm really confident on having Darvish on the mound today.

Q. J.A. Happ had a real nice season over there for Toronto. What makes him so difficult from a hitter's perspective?
ELVIS ANDRUS: I didn't face him this year, but I was watching the game, and I think that his size helps him a lot with his delivery, and the angle that he throws the ball. He kind of throws the ball across for a right-hander and probably looks away from the left-hander. But he's been aggressive.

He's a guy that throws a lot of fastballs. We know as a pitcher he's going to be trying to pound the zone early and get his game plan. So don't try to make him feel too good today out there. He's going to try to put pressure, like I say, early.

I think that's going to be the best thing for us to do as an offense and trying to put some runs early.

Q. How have you seen Yu evolve not only as a player but as a teammate, as a part of this team, and in particular this season and the last couple of months?
ELVIS ANDRUS: Can you repeat that again, please?

Q. How have you seen him -- seems like he's now so much more comfortable, and how you've just seen him kind of develop as a player and as a teammate?
ELVIS ANDRUS: Well, I think in the end it's all about time. I think early, first year, he was trying to impress baseball. He was trying to impress the league.

You get to a point that you feel a lot better with the culture, he feels a lot better here in the clubhouse, and then you can see the way he pitched out there on the mound.

He's being more aggressive. He's throwing his fastball a ton of more times than he used to, and he just knows the league more. He knows every hitter good, a lot better. And he's a guy with so much talent that he knows he can beat you so many ways.

So I think right now he just simplify his stuff, he doesn't try to do too much. He just comes right at you.

Q. As long as we're talking about other players, what have you seen in Carlos Gomez, the personality and the player, that was different from the guy you saw as an opponent?
ELVIS ANDRUS: Well, Carlos, he's an electric man. He brings so much energy to the clubhouse. He's a guy who has experience, too -- ten-plus years in the Big Leagues and he knows how to play this game.

I think he fit perfect with us. He's a player that you love when he play with you but you hate when you play against. But I think he's fit perfect here, and I think that's one of the reasons as soon as he got here he feels so comfortable and performed well.

Q. That play you made yesterday ranging far to your right and jumping from the grass and throwing, do you practice that specific play? And a top infielder like you, how do you practice those sort of highlight reel kind of plays?
ELVIS ANDRUS: I might do it once or twice. Actually it's more a reaction play. I don't think -- I always try and practice my routine ground balls, the ones I've got trouble with. But those plays always happen.

You don't really think about it. I guess as soon as I get the ball I always feel comfortable jumping. I make a lot better throws jumping than staying down and throwing the ball.

So maybe I do it once or twice in the practices to each side and then that's it. As soon as the game starts, it's just reaction.

Q. Given the way yesterday went, getting off to a good start today, how important is that to kind of recapture whatever energy you guys had coming into yesterday?
ELVIS ANDRUS: Yeah, it's huge. I think it feels good today in the clubhouse. Despite what happened yesterday, we understand that sometimes losing a game 10-0 or 1-0 hurts the same. It doesn't change a feeling of losing.

So as a team we're ready, man. We've been in this position before. We know what we need to do. But the thing is it's highly, for me, important to be able to answer back early today and put pressure on them and then try and go back to Toronto with the series tied. That would be really big for us and today for us it's a big key, a key game for us in this series.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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