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AL DIVISION SERIES: RAYS VS ASTROS

October 10, 2019

Josh Reddick

Houston, Texas - pregame 5

Q. AJ mentioned yesterday the difference of playing with the lead. What happens to you guys when you are able to play with the lead, particularly in this building, how does that change things?
JOSH REDDICK: I think it keeps us a little more upbeat. The situation we had in Tampa we kind of got down on ourselves because we were getting beat early, and that's usually a trait that this team doesn't go down that road.

Being back here at home I think it just picks up our spirits a little bit. But obviously with Gerrit on the mound, could obviously be a big boost, as well. You feel like once you get him on a run it's pretty much game over for a long time.

Q. Can you take us through generally how your twins are doing? What has this been like as the series has progressed to have your twins on your mind, as well?
JOSH REDDICK: It's very easy every day leaving the house or leaving the hospital. My youngest Ryder, today was our second or third day being told he would come home today, he had a little setback again last night. It's been frustrating, but at the same time he's in the best spot right now with the best care. Obviously Jett and I want him home to be with us and his brother and our family full of dogs.

Maverick has been doing great. He's a sleeping baby, he sleeps all day until he's ready to eat and get his diaper changed. Other than that, they're all doing great, but we're ready to have him home.

But as for leaving the house and coming to play baseball, we're still all business here, but I can't wait to go home after we celebrate tonight.

Q. You mentioned Gerrit. Can you talk a little bit about the confidence you guys have with him on the mound and just the confidence overall of this team right now being back home.
JOSH REDDICK: Yeah, I think the combination of just being home and having Gerrit on the mound having played so well behind him, and usually we give him a pretty good amount of runs to support his start.

So I think it just gives us our best advantage at this point. Obviously we thought we had a great shot with JV the other day, just didn't get it done. It didn't work in our favor.

Tonight with Gerrit, normal rest, we feel like we have the best shot in the world to move on. As well playing here, playing here behind our fans. We saw how much a home crowd can really affect the baseball game. We have a good feeling that our fans are going to be very loud all nine innings, and Gerrit is going to bring the fuel for us.

Q. What did you take away from Glasnow in the two plate appearances you had in Game 1?
JOSH REDDICK: He can throw it really hard, and his curveball breaks a lot. So it's a matter of just really seeing him and kind of reacting. Usually you can try to sit on a pitch and then wait until you get it. But with him it's not that easy because you can't be sitting on a 99-mile-an-hour cutter, or his curveball comes in at 86. It's kind of reminiscent of, say, Lance McCullers' curveball almost, because it's got that good a break on it. Just a lot of movement on everything.

What we've got to do is not try to do too much. I know how cliché that sounds. Every day we hear that in the baseball world. A guy like that, you might want to try to maybe shoot him the other way, not try to pull off of his ball and then try to hit it out of the park as much as just getting on, let the next guy do the same thing, and see if we can keep putting quarters in the merry-go-round.

Q. You guys have played in elimination games before, two Game 7s two years ago. What's different about going into that game rather than maybe one of the earlier games in the season? What it like maybe the night before? Going into the game, is it a different feeling?
JOSH REDDICK: Fortunately for me, it's kind of just the same routine. I don't want to sound like that guy, because I've been to quite a few postseasons, it's kind of easier the more years I get experience it's easier to cope with as opposed to earlier on, where I was really hyped up and really shaky and excited. I think that helps a little bit.

But I think we all have positive outlets. Guys like George and Mike go fishing and they hang out a lot, like we all know. Myself and a few other guys we play some video games. Lately it's just been all about holding my kids. They really take a weight off my shoulders. I haven't had the best series, obviously. But going home and seeing them, it doesn't matter anymore. I think that makes it a little bit easier to focus on not really what's going on today.

Q. You had mentioned facing Glasnow, but Kevin Cash also said all 12 pitchers are available. Knowing you may face four different pitchers, four different ABs, how challenging is that for your personally and what are the keys to getting ready for that?
JOSH REDDICK: I think the toughest part about it may be which lefty am I going to get in which situation. Kevin Cash does a really good job of trying to get his matchups in there.

I figure Glasnow for probably two, and depending on where we're at, hopefully we have plenty of runs to lead and those lefty at-bats are kind of just there. I know deep down that I think everybody, and probably all their pitchers, it's do or die right now. Everybody is on deck and you've just got to be ready to do it because I think we face pretty much all their guys.

You've got to go back and watch videos and see how they pitched you then, see what their tendencies are, and just have a good plan going up there, no matter who you're facing. But I think today you look at everybody, because that could be a potential matchup for you today.

Q. Did you reach out to Brian McCann after seeing that he retired? I know he's probably a guy that means a lot to you like a lot of guys in the clubhouse?
JOSH REDDICK: Absolutely. As soon as I read it through social media, I immediately pulled out my phone and made sure I sent him a congratulations text.

And a guy that -- for me it's very special, because I don't know, a lot of people may not know, that I was a huge Braves fan growing up. And I watched Brian McCann in college. I'll never forget, I'd go to a game and him and Jeff Francoeur were the guys I watched play.

It was just so cool when we got him in '17 to be able to get his number, just get to know him and become friends with him, be his teammate and learn so much from him. It's kind of cool in retrospect how things pan out for you as an individual going from a college kid watching this guy and then being his teammate later on in life, and winning the World Series and being so close to him.

I was actually giving a hard time to Joe Smith today because he hadn't wrote me back yet. I'm sure he has hundreds and hundreds of text messages. Then I had to put my foot in my mouth because he texted me within 5 seconds after I said that.

Very honored to play with him. I wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors. He gets to play with those kids, and I just learned that that's pretty special, too.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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