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AL DIVISION SERIES: RAYS VS ASTROS

October 10, 2019

AJ Hinch

Houston, Texas - pregame 5

Q. Game 5, you guys have been in tight spots before and come through in flying colors. What is the confidence level with Gerrit on the mound and your guys back home?
AJ HINCH: As you would expect this answer, it's pretty high. We feel pretty good about our team. We feel good about the day. We have Gerrit Cole on the mound, we have a really good offense. We're going to play in front of an incredible crowd. So obviously we're going to feel really good about it going into the game. And then you've got to go out and win.

I've never managed a game in the playoff without pressure. Our players have never played a game without pressure. This is part of what we do and how we do it. This time of year is great, we'll embrace it. It's a good day to win a game.

Q. You lost Game 4 and lost Game 3 but --
AJ HINCH: They won Game 3 and 4.

Q. How much does it help knowing it came right down to the end in Game 4?
AJ HINCH: This is a really good team. I think when you get to this time of year, there aren't a lot of bad teams that show up in October.

So I feel good about our team. We're going to play our 27 outs. It's going to take a lot of different guys and somebody to step up and do some great things. But I feel really good about the mood and the vibe and the -- our at-bats got really good at the end of Game 4. So I don't think we have to do anything other than be ourselves in this building and we'll get another win.

Q. As experienced as you guys are in the postseason, this is the fourth elimination game already for the Rays. The fact they've done it four times now and this is your first in the postseason, is there any inherent advantage for them today?
AJ HINCH: The odds are in their favor they're going to lose one; right? The odds should shift to us having the advantage.

But I don't think so. I think the -- they're not comfortable to play when you're ahead. You're still playing the opponent. You're still playing the game this time of year. They clearly have had to deal with the emotions a little bit more this season. But I don't think they're going to kick their heels up and feel completely comfortable just because they won a couple of elimination games. I think the pressure is a little bit more mutually shared than everybody wants to believe. They're as uncomfortable going into a Game 5, given the ramifications and consequences as we are.

How we've gotten there has been a little bit interesting, obviously us having a 2-0 lead and then them winning the two games at their house. I think everybody's stomach is churning today as it should be in an exciting game like this.

Q. Justin mentioned to us that he tries to block out the incredible atmosphere inside this building, and he only kind of realizes what happened only after he's left and maybe driving home. Are you at all aware of what this building is like when your fans are going nuts or are you a step ahead or five steps ahead?
AJ HINCH: I'm aware going into the game. When you stand out on our field at Minute Maid at the National Anthem and the crowd starts that buzz and they start to do the introductions and you feel it growing a little bit. This is a real environment. Our fans do a great job of making sure everybody understands exactly where we are. We're going to see a lot of orange. We're going to see a lot of people on their feet quite a bit. The ovations that come when you announce these names is really second to none.

When the game starts obviously it's moving pretty fast, and I don't pay a ton of attention to the environment, but our guys appreciate, they feed off of it. I want our guys to embrace this. I think this is an incredible opportunity for us to play a really exciting game. For a lot of those guys this isn't the first time we've had this feeling in this building. And we're pretty good in this building.

I think that energy that's created, that buzz, will not be a distraction, it will be welcomed.

Q. I know the answer probably is you worry about your own team. I'm just wondering what happened to the Dodgers last night, is there any correlation? Does that serve as a reminder to anybody in the clubhouse, to you, as to what can happen to the favorites and to a team that's won 106 games?
AJ HINCH: If they don't know by now then I probably haven't done my job before this. They know exactly what's at stake. They don't go, Oh, okay the Dodgers lost, so we better really try today.

You know, I think this time of year, it's a good reminder, more so I think moving forward. And every team does -- you've got to try to win every game and everybody does because this is exactly why you play aggressively in the playoffs. You put your players out there aggressively. Maybe even have them try to do something they haven't done before. You try to win every game and close these out when you can because some crazy things can happen.

I'm sitting -- after our workout yesterday and Troy Snitker, one of hitting coaches, is watching his dad manage a 10-run first inning against them. Nobody thought -- even the Cardinals didn't, whenever they were bunting in the first inning to try to play for one run.

I don't think there's a lot of reminders needed in there, like, Hey, just by the way, we're going home tonight if we don't win. That's very obvious.

I want our guys to embrace it. We understand what's at stake. But we came into this series knowing we had to win three against a really good team. They've continued to earn our respect along the way, and winner take all tonight.

Q. The Rays tweaked their lineup a little with Sogard, who's more of a contact hitter instead of Brandon Lowe. As the season has gone on and Cole's strikeouts have piled up, have you seen examples of teams changing their approach a little against him?
AJ HINCH: I think it's been more platoon decisions, less contact decisions. I think when you -- I've seen teams load the lineup up with lefties to try to make him throw a few more breaking balls, maybe stay away from the power fastball. I've seen some teams hang with their righties a little bit and hunt the heaters.

He's been very good reading the different approaches different teams have taken. It didn't surprise me that d'Arnaud is going to hit in the middle of the order, he's had nice success against him. Tommy Pham was going to hit where he was going to hit. Putting Sogard there, you know the motivation right away because Lowe has had a little bit of a hard time making contact against Cole.

None of that stuff surprised me. And they're trying to win the game, which is why they're making the tweaks to their own roster. When I got the lineup across the way, I wanted to see if Díaz was in it, how healthy is he. I wanted to see if they were going to play Sogard or Wendle or potentially Lowe. Once they did that, you start to build your game plan and get on to whatever approach you're going to have.

Q. Can you talk more about the at-bats from the eighth inning on. Last game Robinson had a home run, Brantley flew out to the warning track, Yuli hit one, it was hit hard. Do you believe in the momentum from those at-bats carrying over to tonight's game?
AJ HINCH: The at-bats that were really good at the end, because you want to put yourself in a position to continue the game. Bregman's at-bat in the middle of all that was very big, getting the base hit, and Jose's walk was really good. These are some of the best hitters in the league, they're going to have good at-bats at the biggest moments. And everybody was on their feet at the Trop whenever Alvarez was facing Snell.

Those are game-deciding at-bats. And the quality of those at-bats I was really impressed with.

Momentum-wise, I don't know that a day off, you move venues, this isn't that much of a momentum approach for us, we're going to face a completely different guy today. I like the fact that we gave ourselves a chance to tie that game up or potentially continue on in that game with two at-bats; one was the Alvarez at-bat against Snell and Yuli's missile up the middle that they played their defense in the right position.

I think it's just more about winning today's game and less about capitalizing on any sort of momentum from almost winning.

Q. Are Greinke and Verlander available tonight?
AJ HINCH: We'll see. It's all hands on deck. To be honest, I haven't spent a lot of time with either of them. I've been doing a lot of other things. We'll talk about it before the game. I would assume everybody is going to be willing.

What I choose to do or who I choose to use will be determined between now and game time and into the game. I don't expect them to say no if I ask them.

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