NL DIVISION SERIES: BREWERS VS BRAVES

October 8, 2021

Brian Snitker

American Family Field

Atlanta Braves

Postgame 1 Press Conference

Brewers - 2, Braves - 1

Q. Charlie was cruising, 75 pitches. What's that conversation in the middle of the seventh?

BRIAN SNITKER: Wanted to touch base with him, see how he's doing. He said he's fine. Figured he would be. Not going to get somebody to come out of that game right there.

Q. At that point in time, when you look back at that, that's just one of those one of the few bad pitches he threw tonight?

BRIAN SNITKER: Yeah. He was great. He threw the ball extremely well. It was a good ball game. Really well played.

Q. Corbin Burnes doesn't give you a lot of opportunities. When you had runners on the corners in the first --

BRIAN SNITKER: That was tough. It's guys like that -- I think we scored four runs off of him first inning last time we played him. You've got to get to those kind of guys early. Once they get settled in, and he got out of that first inning I figured he would go seven.

You give him traction like that and then they start locating everything and -- but then that was big. It was big in that first inning.

Q. What's your thought there when Soler runs there? Would you like him to run in that situation on contact with Albies?

BRIAN SNITKER: Yeah, I mean, it's -- that's a tough one when you're at third base. Double-play ball, you want to go. It's right there. It's a gray area one right there.

I don't put it on him. Probably 95 percent of the guys would go on that. Because you can't react quick enough and think quick enough on that play right there.

If that ball is tapped out in front of the plate, then you can shut it down. It's hard to shut down that ball right there. He had to make a good throw too. He made a decent throw. The catcher made a nice play. I meaning it's bang, bang, and so I'm not -- he's fine right there.

Q. You knew it was going to be a tough series. Somebody had to win Game 1. How do you feel going into Game 2?

BRIAN SNITKER: I feel good going into Game 2. I have Max Fried pitching. I feel good every time he takes the mound for us.

Like I say, we knew this ball game was going to be rough. The runs would be at a premium. And they were. It was exactly what I thought was, going in, that this game would be, somebody got a big hit. And a lot of times most of the big hits in the postseason they're homers. They hit one and we didn't. But it was a good ball game.

Q. What did you think of Charlie?

BRIAN SNITKER: Outstanding. I think somebody said -- well, he was outstanding. It was about as good as you can get. Threw one pitch that he probably would take back. But other than that, shoot, it was awesome.

Q. When a pitcher like Burnes, when you guys got a couple of guys there in the first inning, he starts out slowly, how critical is to it cash in on --

BRIAN SNITKER: It's big, when you place -- when you face a starting pitcher like that. If you can get him early. Like I say if you let them off the hook, they'll get settled in and find your location and all that. That's probably the best -- you love to get to a pitcher like that early before he gets settled in, because they get out of an inning like that and things happen like it did.

So, I mean, credit to him for making pitches to get out of that inning because he had a lot of pitches at that point in time. And I was just looking at that, too, thinking if we get this line moving a little bit, that may be an inning or two down the road that we can get rid of him.

Q. With Burnes (indiscernible) did you see him really doing anything differently?

BRIAN SNITKER: No, his stuff is just so good. You watch video of him, and it's just -- it's not a mistake that he's got the numbers that he does and he's the quality of pitcher he is. I didn't notice anything -- standing up here -- you let a -- don't score in that situation we had in the first. It's tough because those guys will get rolling and do what he did to us.

Q. What did you think after you guys worked those two walks to start the game and Soler trying to score there is that just one of those --

BRIAN SNITKER: That's just -- like I say, a lot of guys can go on that. If you can read it and shut it down, then great. But as a third base coach, guys come to me and they get in that situation. And this isn't a -- this is a big man. He's either going to have to get it going or not. If you tell him don't go or you've got to tell him -- because that's what they give me -- you want him to go or not?

Because he's not going to -- if he shuts it down more than likely they throw behind him and get him if he steps on first. So they made a play. I see that more than anything.

Q. Were you at all concerned about sending Charlie back out for the bottom of the seventh?

BRIAN SNITKER: Not at all. I talked to him. He said he felt good. And because pitches were -- if he'd have had 10 or 15 more pitches I probably wouldn't have. But I thought he was in a zone that -- in an area where all year long we've let him go back.

So no, I didn't -- it was one pitch in the thing; I wouldn't second-guess because you have to take your hat off to the hitter. He didn't miss it, didn't foul it off. I was glad he could go back out. I would have hit for him that inning if we would have got down there.