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NL DIVISION SERIES: ROCKIES VS BREWERS

October 7, 2018

Craig Counsell

Denver, Colorado - postgame 3

Q. Could you talk about today's pitching and the work that they did throughout this series, both starters and bullpen?
CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, I mean, the story -- I said after Game 2, but the story of the series for us was certainly our pitching. We got a great start from Wade Miley. He did a beautiful job keeping them off balance. I thought his curveball was really effective today. He got through their lineup two times very effectively, and the middle of the their lineup I thought was going to be really challenging for Wade today, but he did a really nice job against Story and LaMahieu and Arenado and Holliday. That was the key for me.

The big performance today for me was from Corbin Burnes. I thought the Blackmon out was a big out, so we went to Corey there and was also a little bit of a nod. If we had to use Corey short today, then he would be available for tomorrow, and then Corbin comes and pitches two beautiful innings and gets us to the ninth where we were really in a good place with still not having used Josh and J.J.

Corbin kind of pulled some big weight today and did a heck of a job, but we've gotten so many contributions down there that -- and they're all pitching at such a high level that it makes your job pretty easy.

Q. What's this moment feel like for you, a lot of work went into this?
CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, I mean, it's a great feeling. I told the guys, we've earned the right to play to go to a World Series. And that's a really, really special feeling. You know, from the time that David Stearns came aboard in 2016 and where we were at and kind of what our mode of operation was from that point to this point right now, you know, it feels like it happened pretty fast to be truthful.

You know, there was a lot of people that deserve a lot of credit for that, and I'm really happy for those people.

And then look, I'm a Milwaukee kid, and so to take part in that as a Milwaukee kid and have some responsibility of what's going on here, it's really meaningful. To say that you're part of a team, that's going to the NCLS.

Q. Two points about the team; your out-getters set a tone, and there's such depth in your lineup, you were getting contributions all up and down. Talk about the importance of those two things.
CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, you know, we've used the word depth a lot, and sometimes it's -- you feel like it's just a buzz word, but in our case, I think it's really important, and I think today was a great example of it, and what a cool way to win it because of our depth today. So a guy like Erik Kratz, who has a huge offensive game at the bottom, and even Keon Broxton, who hits a homer and adds to the lead, Arcia, who adds to the lead, that depth, Corbin Burnes was really not one of the guys that we talk about every day, but had a huge Division Series here with four really big innings.

That's depth, and we're getting contributions up and down. I think we're at 11 in a row we've won right now. At this time of year, that's a pretty remarkable number.

Q. And the tone the out-getters set?
CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, I think what they've done is they've just put us all -- they're always putting us in a comfortable position as a team, and I think offensively they're putting us in a comfortable position. You know, when you make it feel like it's hard for the other team to put up big numbers, the offense feels like they always have a chance, and that's what we've been really good at kind of throughout the year.

Obviously we've given up our runs, and we haven't been the best pitching team in the league, but we've given ourselves a chance a whole bunch of nights. You know, and then in the playoffs, in the last three days, and even if you go back to Game 163 in Chicago, we've given up three runs in four games, and that's good stuff.

Q. Could you just talk a little bit about Erik Kratz's -- he has kind of an unsung season. He had such a contribution today.
CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, it's gone from an unsung season to kind of a front-and-center role right now. And at the bottom of our lineup, when we get contributions from the bottom of our lineup with how I think tough the top of our lineup is to get through, it makes for a challenging game for the other team, I think.

Erik has gotten to a good place. As we say, in the playoffs, everybody gets four cracks at it. It's not LeBron taking 20 cracks at it. Everybody gets four cracks at it, and Erik is making the most of his four cracks a night.

Q. When you look at your team from the outside -- when you spoke to them, you made it a point of saying, we're not done, and I think they feel that way, too, right?
CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, I think -- look, it's -- every step you go is a tremendous accomplishment, and it's reason for celebration. But we -- I think when we went to Wrigley and won Game 163, I think we really -- the tone was set that this team had a chance to go -- to be a World Series team.

When we talked about halfway through the year post All-Star break, we knew we were a playoff team, and there was another step that we had to take, I thought, as a team to become a team capable of playing and winning in a World Series. And really with the additions, I think we've taken that step. We've matured a lot as a team in the last couple months. And we've really -- the sacrifices that a lot of guys have made, I think, have really helped us mature as a team.

Q. And the way you're playing defense, the way you're pitching, there must be a confidence among your group that, hey, we can do this thing.
CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, that's right. I mean, I think we've -- we've played so well, and in a lot of ways, it's kind of spoiled us a little bit. Like I said, 11 in a row at this time of year means a lot of things are going right.

There's some breaks in there, no question about it. You catch a break in there, too. But it means a lot of guys are doing a lot of good things, and that's what we've tried to preach. That's what we're about. That's what the team is -- we thought our strength was, and it's showing up at the right time of year.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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