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NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: NATIONALS VS CARDINALS

October 15, 2019

Miles Mikolas

Washington D.C. - pregame 4

Q. Have you ever wanted to start a game more than tomorrow's game?
MILES MIKOLAS: Probably not because that means us winning today and trying to extend the series as long as we can. I would have to say, tomorrow would be a start that I want most of all.

Q. You may have seen some of this with the opposing team. I wonder how much starters feed off each other. They have a different style from starter to starter. You guys might be a little more in line, all right-handed, all going through that. How much do you learn from each other in a compact series like this?
MILES MIKOLAS: We can learn a lot from watching how hitters react to certain pitches or an approach that they take. Without trying to tip our hand too much as a staff, yes, we pay attention to what goes on and what works and doesn't work, and we make adjustments during the game just like the other team, but there's definitely -- because we're all right-handed with varying styles, though.

If you look at Jack's style, throws a lot of sinkers. No one on the team has a sinker like him. Not a lot of people in the league have a sinker like that. So as far as our styles, yeah, we're all somewhat tall right-handers, but there is a little bit of variation in our mix.

Q. Dakota's been in a big Scott like this before in the DS, but how much confidence do you guys have in him to go out there and be the ground ball pitcher that he has been all year?
MILES MIKOLAS: Our confidence is through the roof. One thing you can count on when Dak's out there, it's ground balls. We have a great defense. I'm pretty sure we'll be getting dirty all game, giving him all the help he needs out there in the field and all the help he needs up there at the plate, as well.

Q. Prior to yesterday, the only time that I've seen your team play this year was three games in San Diego at the end of June and you're a .500 team. From my perception, this wasn't a playoff team. What made you a playoff team over the second half?
MILES MIKOLAS: We played a much better brand of baseball than we had at times in the first half. We pitched well. We hit well. We got runs when we needed them. We got big stops when we needed them. We're that same baseball team, just haven't been -- haven't clicked so great this series.

Again, a team that we've done our best to have what we need when we need it. So we're going to try to do that these next couple games.

Q. Miles, Dakota's been pretty candid with us about how he saw this season as a learning experience. Especially early on, he was talking about each start trying to build on the last. What's his conversations like with you guys then when you dial it back to Spring Training and he's asking what to expect from his first season as a starter?
MILES MIKOLAS: Dakota's likes to ask a lot of questions, which is a lot of fun. Being an older player now at this point in my career, it's fun getting to share some of my experiences and ways that I've dealt with stuff or ways to go about the routine, and he's always asking, always learning. I hope that every season is a learning experience for him because I think, to be a successful baseball player, you should do your best to learn something every season.

Q. Can you share a question he asked you?
MILES MIKOLAS: Sure. Oh, a question he asked me? I can't think of any one off the top of my head. I know the other day on our bus, like on the flight here, he just kept asking me if I was going to go to the field and work out on that off day. Always trying to see what everyone else is doing, how guys like to get their work in, things like that, but I can't -- we've talked about curveballs at length. You know, he likes to pick my brain and Waino's brain about those curveballs and where you stand on the mound, things like that.

He'll see things during the game, and say, you know, I saw the guy doing this or doing that. What did you think? What if I did this? Can you kinda do that? He's always thinking, which is fun. He's a fun guy to have in the dugout and a great teammate to have.

Q. In reference to Dakota Hudson's sinker, why does his sinker stand out compared to so many other pitchers? Why is it so effective? What are you seeing out of that?
MILES MIKOLAS: It moves a lot, I think. Just, you know, when you see it out there, it moves a lot. It's got a lot of vertical movement, which is tough. It's tough to get in the air. He locates it well. He's been learning to locate that pitch all year, where to start it, where he wants it. If you can get him talking about it, he'll tell you how he's changed -- you know, he'll change where he wants to throw it, depending on the inning, the hit, or situation, whether he wants the one going this way or the one going down and the way they kind of move -- you know, they can complement him in the four seamer. But as far as his sinker goes, it just moves a whole lot.

You play catch with him, and it's really bearing in on you. Not always the most fun guy to play catch with because of it, but it's just a real good sinker.

Q. What has Adam meant to you and the staff? And have you found yourself lobbying for him to come back next year?
MILES MIKOLAS: His decision to come back will be up to him, no matter how much we bug him to come back. But to have a veteran presence that's there, as much as we have guys on our team that like to ask questions, like Dakota or myself or Jack, he's a guy that probably fields the most of those because of all his experience. Such a wealth of knowledge, it's almost like having a third pitching coach on the team sometimes, someone that's got so much experience, who's seen so much, who's gone through so many phases in his career. He's had his injuries, his ups and downs.

If there's a situation that's happened in baseball or a career arc, I think he's a guy that can share that knowledge with you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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