	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 DIVISION SERIES: INDIANS VS ASTROS

October 6, 2018

Terry Francona

Houston, Texas - pregame 2

Q. Tito, is Trevor available tonight, and did his appearance influence -- maybe I'm looking too far ahead -- but your decision for Game 4?
TERRY FRANCONA: No, he is available, and we actually wanted to pitch him regardless of what the score was for a couple of reasons: One, you're always trying to win; but the more he pitches, the better off he's going to be.

We talked the last couple of weeks of the season. Some guys you're trying to stay away from, maybe save bullets, but with Trevor, we feel like the more he pitches, the better feel, command he'll have.

Q. From your perspective, what makes the Astros bullpen so effective against a team like yours?
TERRY FRANCONA: Well, I don't think they're -- it's not just against us. They're effective against just about everybody. They're really good. Shoot, some of the guys they left off their roster are really good. They're deep. They have power. They have different looks. Tony Sipp's having kind of a bounceback year that helps them. You can put a starter like McCullers out there. A guy like McHugh who had success starting, put him in the bullpen, and he's got a miniscule E.R.A. They have a lot of good pitchers.

Q. Knowing that, how can you adapt for a bullpen like that? Even the starting pitcher.
TERRY FRANCONA: How do we adapt? We've got to fight for everything we can get. Sometimes the starting pitcher that has stuff like Verlander, Cole, make them work for everything, and when they make a mistake, be ready for it. That's part of why they're here is because of those pitchers.

Q. Tito, I know you guys haven't seen Cole a lot, but just what do you think of him? Kind of compared to Verlander.
TERRY FRANCONA: A little bit similar. A little different breaking ball. He might actually have a little more velocity. He's one of the best. We saw him back in Pittsburgh, what, three years ago, but he's one of the better pitchers in the game, and we know that. It's why it's exciting to come to the ballpark, though, knowing that you're going to face somebody that good, and we've got to figure out a way to just be one run better. Some how, some way, that's our challenge today.

Q. The top of the lineup, I know, obviously, it's just one game, but is there something that they can do to just kind of generate some offense from your perspective? Or is there just -- I'm searching here.
TERRY FRANCONA: Boy, you sure are (laughter). I'm not even sure how to answer that.

It's easy for me to sit here and say, Yeah, we've got to get Frankie on base four times and Brant -- you know, Verlander did a number on us. Hopefully today won't be like that. It's not just on them, though. We kind of win as a team and lose as a team, and we always feel that way.

They're up there for a reason, because they're really good. But then again, I know in a short series things get magnified after a game, and I understand that, but we've got to fight back today.

Q. There's familiarity on both sides between Verlander and you guys from so much history, but did his approach, was it any different than maybe you guys expected yesterday? Or was it maybe as you thought it would be?
TERRY FRANCONA: You know what, his stuff was so good -- not that we didn't expect that because we've seen it. There was maybe a couple times, he threw a couple of 3-2 breaking balls that, after seeing 96 or 97, that's difficult for anybody. And he kind of stayed with the power, not the two-seamer as much, just because it was so effective.

Q. Tito, Cody Allen's had ups and downs throughout the year. Is he at a spot, do you think right now, where he's kind of searching still? Or did you think his stuff looked better yesterday?
TERRY FRANCONA: You know what, that's a fair question. I think what happens is, once a game starts, you stop searching, and you go into compete mode. I think Cody's really good at that. Yeah, he gave up the home run to Maldonado, but I think, when push comes to shove and it's time to compete, that's what he'll do. Even by his own admission, he says, I'll take whatever I have and go out there and get him out. I've always felt like he'll do that.

There's a ton of faith in Cody, the person, the competitor.

Q. You've obviously had a lot of success bringing late-game relievers in earlier in games. I'm just curious why you liked bringing Cody in at that point and saving Trevor for later yesterday?
TERRY FRANCONA: Well, we were losing, and I wanted Cody to pitch, and I didn't want Trevor to pitch too much. So that was the reason we tried to balance it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297