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NL DIVISION SERIES: CARDINALS VS BRAVES

October 6, 2019

Mike Shildt

St. Louis, Missouri - pregame 3

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Mike Shildt.

Q. There were times this year where having Carpenter, Edmund, DeJong one, two, three in your lineup wouldn't have looked out of place. What's does it do to length your depth to have those guys more towards the middle and bottom today?
MIKE SHILDT: It's a deep lineup. Typically is, today's it's very deep. Very balanced. So we're excited to run it out there do some damage.

Q. Now that he's on deck to start tomorrow, Dakota, could you tell us what role you had in mind for him in relief in the first two ones? What was the specific spot you would have used him in?
MIKE SHILDT: Similar to how he warmed up. If we would have gotten into trouble early in the game in Game 1 he would have come in -- look, we like our pitching, like our relievers. So, didn't feel like we had to get Dak in there for the sake of getting him in there.

And didn't want to compromise his opportunity to be able to pitch in Game 4. Obviously you have to take care of the game as they go. So we don't want to be -- always want to be cognizant of that as well.

Back to your question, finishing up, maybe two, three, in the fourth in Game 1, and then we get to a certain point, probably around -- there's a good chance if that game would have been tied, you would have seen him in the tenth in Game 1.

Game 2 a little different. Game 2 is more about maybe get out of an inning, traffic, ground ball kind of thing but not a lot of length based on him wanting to come back and pitch on Monday.

Q. Seems like using starters is kind of all the rage in the bullpen in baseball now. Given that Jack threw 117, is that unlikely tonight or tomorrow?
MIKE SHILDT: Definitely not going to happen today. I can't rule out anything tomorrow, because you don't know what circumstances present themselves.

But anything that he did in the hundreds is going to -- listen, this is a 23-year-old young man that we've got to be smart about. And, again, I can only manage our club. I can see and we can look at and I think about how you use your starters to come in out of the bullpen.

But I also look at our bullpen and have a lot of confidence in our bullpen getting the job done. And we've got eight guys down there.

So there's always a possibility, but it's not anything I feel like a real urgency to do just for the sake of doing it, especially with Jack on a couple of days.

Q. Speaking of your bullpen, can you speak to the job that Tyler Webb has done in the second half especially in these last few games?
MIKE SHILDT: You know, Tyler's done a tremendous job for us all year, very unheralded. A lot of those guys that have been a big contributor for our success this season are those middle relievers that pitch -- either preserve a lead, hold it right where it is, give yourself a chance to come back or keep it tied.

So Tyler's done a tremendous job in that role, as have several guys. Those are, like I said, unheralded kind of guys. But you look up and the guys that can fill those roles effectively, if you look, that's a complete bullpen and helps with a complete team. And Tyler's done a really nice job.

Q. Can you talk about what you've seen out of Carp, really, like, the last probably three or four weeks where he's kind of looked like Matt Carpenter of old? What's triggered that, what's brought him back, so to speak?
MIKE SHILDT: Just getting back to who he is, his anchor, what makes him successful. I like the fact he's been aggressive. You see him with really assertive swings but you've also seen him take those swings in the zone. Seeing the ball really well. I think he's on time with his eyes and his body.

He's seeing the ball good. His takes have been really good. And then he's getting a ball he can put a swing on. He's being convicted, and he's driving the ball regardless of where it is. He's driven the ball out to left-center a couple of times. And then he's been able to pull the ball. Anytime a guy's driving it the other way in the gap is usually a good sign and he's in a good place.

Q. With Mike Maddux, obviously, he's got a lot of knowledge, but does his postseason coaching experience help also, or is it just Mike in general?
MIKE SHILDT: Both. He's really, really good at what he does, really smart. Very, very prepared. He's got a nice demeanor about how he presents the information to our guys and game plans and works with Yadi and what that looks like as well. As far as the postseason, he's just going to continue to be him.

We talk about, like to Mark's question about what that looks like for the bullpen, Miles will be in the bullpen today, what that looks like as far as usage that makes real sense for him and us. And then thinking about things in those manner. So that experience does help.

Q. When you think back to your days managing in Springfield, bringing playoff baseball to Busch, how special has that journey been for you?
MIKE SHILDT: That's what we play for in this organization. Since day one since I got here, this is always clear about what the expectations are, that's to win and compete for world championships. That's what we work off our tails for, that's what this organization is about, and we just -- it's just good to get back to having those opportunities and I look forward to today.

Q. The other day, Brian Snitker was talking about just how stressful it is to manage in the postseason. How are you finding it just on a personal level?
MIKE SHILDT: I don't try to make things bigger than they are, and I don't want to minimize where we are either. That being said, I just personally I enjoy the moment. Going to stay present, work like heck to prepare and be ready for any and every scenario, and then allow myself to make the best decision I can possibly make with all the variables that I've thought about.

But I don't like to make things bigger than they are and just -- look, it gets to be about trust, ultimately. And the part about the trust for me is I trust our players.

So I trust our players to play and let them play. And they're the ones out there getting it done. And then ultimately there's decisions to be made. And I trust the preparation and the thought that led into the game to make that decision.

Sometimes it's a little clear. Sometimes it's not so much. But you make the best decision you can make and if you stay clear headed and typically you can feel good about what that looks like.

Q. You said you work so hard, you're immersing yourself with the data and the analytics, where everything is amplified and magnified here in the playoffs. When it comes down to the decision are you more gut or analytics telling you what to do?
MIKE SHILDT: I'm always going to be based on what we see. We use the analytics as a reference point. They're very helpful. They don't paint the whole picture because humans are involved. And there's a lot of different variables how you think about making decisions.

So ultimately it's about what you see. The numbers are the numbers. Matchups are matchups. We've looked and used them and been aware of them in the first two games and all season. But also just seeing how guys are competing, what that looks like, and then adjusting accordingly. Every game has its own life to it.

Q. When Matt Carpenter went through his ups and downs earlier in the season, you always made a point to talk about how this was not a guy that you were going to turn away from, that you would continue to find him opportunities, you spoke about the length of the season. I'm curious if you had a lineup like today in mind when you were talking about some of those things and needing guys at different points and not wanting to put him on the bench and let him gather dust?
MIKE SHILDT: Yeah, of course. Matt's a really good player. We think about it and every season has its own season. We always have to prove ourselves in this game, we understand that. That being said, there is a confidence factor when guys have history of success.

He finished ninth in MVP voting last year, and has done some things well. And the one thing -- it's not blind optimism -- try to have more realism with some optimism as well.

But Matt did a lot of nice things for us this year not as many things that as consistently as people would like offensively but a lot of really good things for us.

And you just continue to stay with him as far as, A, believing in him because it's real easy to believe in a guy with that kind of ability and that kind of work ethic and that kind of determination. And knowing that that's going to come full circle.

So continue to -- we gave him opportunities and I really respect the fact that Matt continued to compete in the manner that he has without as many opportunities of late and stayed ready. And the question earlier about well he's played speaks to where his head was at, and said I've got to get myself in a position where I can help this team. And he's clearly done that. So I'm excited about the lineup today with him in it.

Q. Ending this without a baseball analysis question but just the idea of it's October and here it feels like October with the temperature. Can you just put into words when you got in the car today or what have you, how nice it was to not be 106 degrees on the field like Atlanta, have October feel like October?
MIKE SHILDT: That's a great point. I'm already excited about not only the weather because it feels that way, the event matches the, what you would expect from a weather standpoint and what you have and the romance of it, so to speak.

October baseball cools off. But also knowing how that's going to sync up with our fans and how that will enhance, not that it needs it, but enhances the feeling of this is October playoff baseball and it will be a special day today here at Busch.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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