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NL DIVISION SERIES: ROCKIES VS BREWERS

October 7, 2018

Craig Counsell

Denver, Colorado - pregame 3

Q. At this particular point, can you say anything about possible Game 4 plans or would you rather just see if there is no Game 4?
CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, we're just going to wait right now. You try to -- we've got a couple different plans in place, and we've got a couple different ways to go, depending on how today's game kind of unfolds. And then that'll predicate what we're going to do tomorrow.

Q. In the second half when you had Johnny Schoop as part of the infield mix, can you share how basically you made your decisions on when it would be Schoop there and when it was Orlando, and just when Orlando is in there, he just gives you such a defensive element. Can you just sort of share with us how you think he changes your infield alignment defensively when he's part of the mix?
CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, I mean, a lot of it, there's a number of factors that kind of went into it. It was the other team's pitcher, but probably most importantly, who was our pitcher is probably the most important factor in this. So for a guy like Wade, where there's a lot of contact, there's a lot of contact on the ground, I think it makes sense that Orlando is generally in there when he's been pitching, a lot of right-handed hitters.

Wade's pitch usage indicates pull-side grounds. You're just trying to play the percentages, and if there's going to be a lot of ground balls hit to the short-stop area, he's the guy you want in there.

Q. With it being an elimination game, Buddy Black says it's an all-hands-on-deck type of situation. Do you execute any differently knowing you can pretty much see the entire roster on the other side?
CRAIG COUNSELL: Well, yeah, I mean, I think from their perspective, they have to treat it like that. I don't think it involves a lot of different preparation from our part, and I don't expect to see something that different as far as their pitching.

Our key to me is to kind of put them in that mode as early as we can. If there's anything we'd like to do, I think when you have -- we'd like to put that pressure on them as early as we can, and that means trying to get some success going against a very good starting pitcher.

Q. Do you feel with the off day yesterday that you're kind of reset with your bullpen and how that allows for the usage with guys today, also factoring in a possibility of a game tomorrow?
CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, I would say I don't think we're completely reset. The off day certainly helps and lets us consider more things, but we asked a lot. We got two and two-thirds from Corey. We got consecutive days from Corey, Joaquin, J.J. and Josh. You know, it's four guys that we've asked to pitch back-to-back, understanding that if we have to pitch him today, it's four out of five. We've got to factor that into our decision making with the game, and we will.

Q. There are a couple of guys in the Rockies locker room who after Game 2 said one benefit they saw was they've seen your high leverage guys already. Is there any concern using those guys that frequently, not just from a wear-out perspective, but if opposing players see enough of them that the advantage might shift?
CRAIG COUNSELL: No. I mean, those are your guys. Those are the guys you're going with, you know, if the opportunity is right.

I think it's an easy scenario. I mean, they're going to be in the game. The Big League game is about that cat-and-mouse game between a hitter and a pitcher. And both sides are aware of the recent -- especially the recent history. And so it's on both sides, and that's the beauty of the game. The adjustments that the hitter makes, that the pitcher makes, or the non-adjustment and just go to the strength, that's the beauty of the game.

You know, those are our important guys, and they're going to pitch.

Q. Staying on that bullpen thing, we were talking to some of your guys yesterday, Moose and Ryan were in here yesterday, about the bullpen, and they said one of the things that has made your bullpen so dominant is the strikeout factor, especially since Corey has come back and been on top of his game is that one more game? You play in an offensive ballpark, this is one of the most offensive ballparks there is --
CRAIG COUNSELL: It is.

Q. They were saying the strikeout is kind of what has made your group special. How big has that been with them?
CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, I mean, look, the -- one of the values of the strikeout is that the ball is not -- you have an opportunity for something good to happen when the ball goes in play. You have an opportunity to be lucky when the ball goes in play. And the strikeout eliminates luck. And in a very offensive ballpark like this one, the strikeout obviously -- a fly ball in this park or in another park is a home run in this park, and that's part of it. There's home runs given up here that are routine outs in other ball parks.

The strikeout does take away some of that, and that's what you've seen a vast majority of Major League bullpens be good at, the good bullpens. They're good at strikeouts because it does eliminate a lot of that. It is a strength of our guys, and I would say especially of Corey and Josh. They have been exceptional at it, and it's a nice -- it lets us kind of consider at times some defensive alignments that we were able to do when those guys are going to be in the game. It gives us a lot of flexibility with things and options.

Q. Are you willing to say if Woodruff and Burnes are a part of the mix today if you need them?
CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, I mean, certainly Corbin is, and Woodruff could be involved, yeah.

Q. With that game that Freddy had here on his debut, are you looking for a way to get him into a game here, and is he a good fallback to start, to be the initial guy tomorrow, if that's the way it works out?
CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, I mean, look, Freddy made this roster because of the success he's had against this team, and he's got a good thought to go back on in this ballpark. And so he's definitely a name you've got circled in these next two games. How we end up using him or where it comes out, I don't know, and I don't have a -- I don't really have a specific plan for Freddy. But the way these games will unfold, I'm pretty certain that he's going to be part of one of these games.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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