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NL WILDCARD GAME: BREWERS VS NATIONALS

October 1, 2019

Craig Counsell

Washington, DC - pregame

Q. Was it close with Lo? Was it a decision today?
CRAIG COUNSELL: It wasn't. I think as soon as he got on the field yesterday and ran around, we were going to give him a shot to play. You know, he did well yesterday. He feels a little better today. Frankly, we're going to have to see how he looks at full speed, and like I said yesterday, like what gear can he get to really going after balls in the outfield.

But he was going to play.

Q. Could you tell us a little bit about your roster decision? Not everyone obviously, but just going with 10 pitchers and a couple of starters? I assume a couple guys weren't available. And also, did you have to cover Lo with more outfielders than you would have, or did that just stay the same?
CRAIG COUNSELL: Um, so it was -- I would say it helped -- Tyrone's spot was under consideration. I would say Lo's injury and, frankly, Ryan's injury a little bit probably swayed that. Most likely we were going to go with 10 pitchers kind of regardless, so we went with really -- ended up going with just fresh pitchers that -- the freshest really starter that could give us length in case of some kind of long game.

Q. As someone who does not shy away from using your bullpen, what does it say about Dave Martinez and the Nationals that they were able to get here with a team that has a bullpen ERA of -- I think it was 6 for the season and were still able to get here?
CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, well, different team, different personnel, different strengths. And I think that every manager's job is to accentuate your team's strengths and to use your team's strengths and to deploy them in the way that allows you to win the most games. They certainly have a talented starting rotation that they rely on. That's the core of -- really part of the core of their team. So that's how they're going to get outs in this game. That's how they got outs during the season.

It's different teams. You know, the rosters aren't put together the same way for every team. That's what makes this fun, right? We've got different styles and different ways to attack games and to win games, and I think this game is a great example of it.

Q. You've managed a win-or-go-home game before last year with Game 163. How does it feel different in the way you're weighing things?
CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, I mean, it's slightly different than the 163, where in that game -- you do hedge some things in that game. You won't be as risky in those games. You will save stuff in a game like that, depending on the score. In this game, you don't.

And so that's how we'll treat it. I think -- but the way our pitching kind of operates, I don't think it changes much as far as how we would look during September. It just doesn't change much. It's just a day where you have everybody fresh, everybody ready and available, and that means you kind of know which guys are going to pitch. I think obviously we don't have to worry about conserving anybody for tomorrow, and we won't. We won't worry about conserving a guy for hopefully getting to LA. You pitch the guys to win the game, and you go for it like no other game. That's how we're going to approach it.

Q. We got to speak in the dugout with Yelly a few minutes ago. How good is it to see him here? It's obviously agony for him not to suit up, but he seems pretty excited at least about being here, and he says he's in the dugout, and we asked if he got permission, and he said, "let's go with yes."
CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, he's welcome in the dugout for sure. It's great to see him here. I think it's -- look, it's a challenging time for any player to have to watch this game, and especially a player like him that knows how big of an impact he can have on this game.

I think we tend to -- we evaluate all these players and try to give them a value, but in a game like this, you just look at how it would look, and Christian would be an incredibly valuable player in this game. That's probably just me lamenting the fact that he's hurt a little bit, but for him, just not being able to play in games like this -- which it's clichï¿½, but this is why you work and this is why you push yourself to be the best, to be able to shine in a game like this. So there's part of him that I'm sure is simmering underneath, but we're happy to have him here, and he's in good spirits. Trying to get him out of the boredom of rehab a little bit and hopefully trying to distract him a little bit, and get him on a plane with us and go home.

Q. How do you personally manage the stress of a game like this?
CRAIG COUNSELL: I think, again, as the game gets closer, frankly you get a little calmer. And if you're prepared, you feel like that. This is still about the players. This is about the players going out and doing their job on a huge stage. That's what playoffs are about, 100 percent. So I look forward to seeing our guys do something special. I look forward to walking in after the game and saying, man, can you believe he did that; that was incredible. That was an incredible performance.

So I look forward to those moments kind of happening, and that's what like -- that's what calms you down about games like this is kind of watching your players do special things and knowing that you're going to have guys that are going to do special things tonight.

Q. When you look past Scherzer at the possibility of possibly Strasburg or Corbin coming into this game, do you prepare for those guys as you would any elite reliever, or is it different given who they are and the stakes of the game?
CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, no, it's just -- I think when you talk about that a little bit, you do have an opportunity to look at guys on your bench that -- maybe matchups, you'll do that a little bit. But yeah, they're relievers. They're going to pitch a couple innings most likely, at the most, and then you expect to see them. We expect to see those guys. Frankly, you hope to see them. We hope we've done enough to get other pitchers in the game. That's what we're going to have to do to win the game.

We plan on seeing them, and you prepare for them like relievers. You understand that they may be -- you know, I think the thing you understand with Washington is you're just not going to see as many pitchers in a game. From a preparation standpoint for a hitter, it's a little bit easier. They're really good pitchers, but there's not a big list of guys you're preparing for. You know who you're going to see.

Q. In terms of Woodruff, he's only pitched twice since July, each 1-2 innings. Ideally what's a pitch count for him tonight?
CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, it's not a pitch count. We're going to let Brandon go, and then I've just got to read the game and see how he's doing. He can do more than he's done. That's the best way for me to say it. But -- and so we'll just have to see. You're not going to see six innings from him. He won't get that far.

But it's really a matter of how efficient he can be, how quick he can get outs, how many base runners. Brandon is -- there is going to be strikeouts, there's going to be foul balls. Those are the stuff that kind of in his outings since he's been back have driven up -- the foul balls are what have driven up his pitch count just a little bit. But regular season, he certainly had games where he was very efficient pitching-wise, and if he gets a couple of those innings, I don't see any reason why we couldn't see him out there a little longer than we expect.

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