	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: BLUE JAYS VS INDIANS

October 16, 2016

John Gibbons

Toronto, Ontario - Workout day, Canada

Q. Andrew Miller has pitched great in the first couple games in the series. Are there adjustments that your hitters can make against him and if so what are they?
JOHN GIBBONS: To be honest with you, if he's on there's not a lot you can do with him. He's proved that over the last few years. We saw him a little bit with the Yankees. He's got an overpowering fastball. And he's got that incredible slider. If he's throwing strikes -- he's not a guy -- there's a lot of swing and misses, disappearing slider.

As far as adjustments, I don't know, because I don't think anybody's made them all year in the league. I don't think anybody made them last year in the league. He's on, and he's one of the dominating forces. You've got to keep battling, really. Maybe he'll leave a pitch up, maybe you'll find a hole, you'll squib one off the end of the bat, maybe you'll catch one just right, hit a long way. But he's pretty good.

Q. What's it like here when it's full, the way it's going to be tomorrow and what does it do for you team? What's the advantage for you?
JOHN GIBBONS: It's definitely changed here the last couple of years. There's something to it. We feel it. And I don't think it's an easy place to play for an opponent. But they came to life, really, last year the second half of the season. They continued it this year. You look at our attendance this year, that hasn't happened in a while. It's a loud crowd. It's a young crowd, and they get into it. It would be nice to give them something to cheer about, that's for sure.

Q. You talked yesterday about your backs being against the wall. How much do you think Marcus relishes this opportunity to turn things back around?
JOHN GIBBONS: Well, he's -- I can go back -- we talked earlier about Estrada pitching big games for us last year. And Stro's done the same thing. He missed all last year. You guys know the story, came back, final month, pitched some big games to get us in there. In the playoffs stepped up. And he's one guy, he kind of thrives on those things. And he's made a few of those starts in his young career, but he seems to thrive on them. He's one of those guys that wants to do it. It doesn't mean you're always going to get the results you want. He lives for those moments. Which is kind of rare for a kid that's so experienced, to be honest with you. I've said this so many times, perfect guy for a game like this, because he always steps up, so hopefully he can do it again.

Q. What's the message to the team, one run in two games, how concerning is that for you, and what's your message to the guys?
JOHN GIBBONS: Well, really, I don't have a message for them. They played good baseball, both teams, really. It's been the same story, good pitching on both sides. A little offense on both sides. They just got the two home runs, really. And then Lindor has had two big hits in both games. But a lot of similarities, but they've been able to plate the runs. Not many of them, but more than we have.

But these guys, it's a veteran group, they know what they're doing. They'll show up to play tomorrow like it's a new day, like they always do. But there's no hidden message, I don't think that you can -- we are what we are. We ran into a couple tough right-handers, and right-handers like them have caused us trouble throughout this year, for the way they pitch. But our guys will be ready. What that means, we'll find out. But they'll be ready.

Q. Aside from Miller who you noted was pitching well, have you noticed any pattern or way that the Indians pitchers are trying to attack you guys or pitch to your lineup?
JOHN GIBBONS: Well, you saw a lot of -- you saw a lot of breaking balls out of Tomlin yesterday. Really throughout the year it's -- it could vary. A lot has to do with the pitcher you're facing. A lot of times, too, it goes down to what that pitcher's strengths are. If he's not able to do something that may be what's tough on a particular lineup. It's probably not going to work anyway. It's all got to match up.

Guys have real good command like the last two nights, Kluber and Tomlin, that's what they do. They have a great feel to pitching, they can locate the ball. They hit on something, they're exploiting something, that's just what they did.

Q. With what Miller has been doing, how does that heighten the urgency to get something across early in the game, and how do you balance the urgency without forcing things too much?
JOHN GIBBONS: I don't know about what you do for the urgency. You've got to get guys on base to make things happen. We had that the first night, weren't able to put them across the plate. But the key is you have to have the lead, so maybe wait a little longer to go to them and that kind of thing. But he's shown since he arrived there that they'll use him earlier in the game. And he's held up.

So it's definitely a big weapon. And you can understand why teams tried to get him at the trade deadline and gave up some pretty good players to do it, and it's paying dividends.

Q. When you look at your guys not hitting, is there anything about maybe their approach that the group maybe that indicates they're trying too hard or they could do some things different that you might talk to guys about?
JOHN GIBBONS: I don't know, what's the date today? What's the date today? October what?

Q. 16th.
JOHN GIBBONS: We played how many months? It's the same team. Same guys. For the most part we approach it the same every night. They got to this point. It's a slugging team, that's how they're built. Not a bunch of young guys. Some guys that have been around. And they've been sluggers for the most part their whole career.

There's different things, you try different things a time or two, but you are what you are, a lot of times when you get to a certain point in this game. And you live and die with it, if you want to know the truth. That's got us to this point, a few mistakes, drive a couple of balls, things could be totally different. But I don't think it's you start redoing everything you are because that's -- somebody mentioned the other day, if you're a three-point basketball shooting team in the NBA, you still have to fire them up, you have to, or you've got no chance to win. I'm not dodging the question, but that's the reality, whether people like that or not, that's who we are.

Q. Just kind of following up on that, John, how important does that make the bottom of the order? That's a bit of a different look for your lineup, it's not quite as reliant on the home run, to give you guys a different look when the home run might not be there?
JOHN GIBBONS: Yeah, I mean, that's a group, when we're really successful, those guys are getting on base, no doubt about that. And that's their job. They're not the guys I'm talking about. And they've got their job to do to get on base, execute, maybe bunt a guy over, a hit and run, something like that, an occasional steal. We're not necessarily a fast, fast team. But that's where that comes into play. But you roll around the top.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297