MLB WORLD SERIES: ASTROS VS BRAVES

November 2, 2021

Brian Snitker

Minute Maid Park

Atlanta Braves

Pregame 6 Press Conference

Q. Are you just mixing up the lineup here? Did you talk to Ozzie or anything like that?

BRIAN SNITKER: Yeah, I talked to him yesterday before we left, just change the look a little bit, which we've done in the past.

Q. Do you feel like he can kind of just get out of it, just a change of scenery?

BRIAN SNITKER: Yeah, like I said, just change the look, which we do a lot of guys over -- even the course of the year. Right now it felt like maybe, as we've done it, like I say, in the past, just change the look of it a little bit.

Q. Just with Freddie in the third hole, what's your decision going into that?

BRIAN SNITKER: I kind of want Soler to split the lefties, if nothing else. I don't think it matters to Freddie whether he hits 2 or 3. He's going to get up in the first inning regardless. I think Jorge has been having some really good at-bats. And just kind of balance things out a little bit.

Q. Obviously, you guys elected to go back-to-back bullpen games, Games 4 and 5. Drew Smyly had started about 20 games for you. What goes into the decision to go with the bullpen versus a guy who had over 20 starts for you?

BRIAN SNITKER: It's an organizational discussion amongst everybody. We chose to do with Tucker. He'd been throwing really well in Triple-A, and Drew hadn't started a game in a long time. And ended up throwing some big innings for us.

Q. How would you say the mindset has shifted in the sense we've seen a lot of teams choose bullpen games or starter on short rest?

BRIAN SNITKER: We didn't choose to do that. We had to do it. I think, when we've had to do, we've had to do it. It's not something that we plan for. I mean, it was just with Charlie getting hurt, it was just something we couldn't avoid.

I think any time that we've done it, it's been out of necessity more than wanting to do it.

Q. As we've seen in this series, we've all kind of gotten used to non-traditional use of pitchers, aggressive use of pitchers. I'm wondering about the lineup in that same regard. They make a change at No. 3, facing an elimination game. You make a change at No. 3 in the lineup with two games possibly to go, one to win. I wonder how big a deal is that? Is that a significant thing to do at this point in time of the year given the reputation of a No. 3 hitter and the tradition of it?

BRIAN SNITKER: I think there's so many spots on the diamond now that are not traditional when you look at who we have in today's game playing center field a lot of times or what your typical lead-off hitter used to look like and what they look like now, that whole type of thing.

It's just where we are. Ozzie's hit everywhere from 1 to 4 or 5 over the course of the summer. At this point, it was more he's scuffling a little bit. Just want to change the look.

Q. Going back to your guys' success on the road throughout the course of the season. I think you won a game here in your first time through. Do you feel a little better about your team than you otherwise might have if they hadn't done so well on the road everywhere they played basically?

BRIAN SNITKER: I haven't really thought about that. It doesn't come into my thinking, honestly. This is the World Series, and it's a big game to go after and win. But I never have thought I feel any better or less or more because we're on the road.

Q. Just to follow up, the question about the rookie pitchers, do you feel they may be a little bit more qualified in today's game than they would have been ten years ago to make a start in the World Series with so little experience?

BRIAN SNITKER: Yeah, especially a guy that had Major League starts before. I think a lot of the guys -- they grow up now playing in these stadiums and all when they're young. I don't think that has as big an effect as it used to.

This is a big stage here. There's no doubt about that. This is out of the ordinary, like during April, the first of October that we ask guys to do things. This stage here is the ultimate. So you are asking a young guy a lot, but you have a lot of confidence in these guys with how you've seen them handle things in the past and feel good about where they are.

Q. Has Charlie Morton rejoined you guys at all?

BRIAN SNITKER: At home. He's not allowed to fly. I hate it for Charlie that he couldn't come, but he physically couldn't, wasn't able to come with us. But he's back in Atlanta.

Q. What was it like seeing him and everybody around him in the clubhouse?

BRIAN SNITKER: It was good. We were glad that he could be there and be around the guys. I say I hate it for him that he couldn't join us here now.

Q. We heard Austin a few minutes ago said it was a really good vibe in the clubhouse today, really light. What did you observe about these guys?

BRIAN SNITKER: These guys are excited about going. I think that day off was awesome for them yesterday. I think they'll be ready to go and excited for this game tonight. Just like they have the whole postseason. They've really been into and excited about playing these games.

Q. Isn't the hitting situation over the course of a long season, guys go into slumps, they go into hot streaks, there's time to work it out. In a short series, the same thing happens, and you're in a short series. Isn't that just the nature of baseball anyway, that you're in a short series and trying to get guys going?

BRIAN SNITKER: Yeah, for the same reasons. When your offense is sputtering or a guy is, you want to try to do something to get him going. We've still got games left, so if that can make a big difference today, then great, you know, and you change where they're at, their sight lines and things.

Q. Kind of elementary, but did you notice any difference the last time you were here with the roof open versus closed?

BRIAN SNITKER: Not really. That was my first really experience with it, so I didn't really have a whole lot to gauge on it.

Q. Max Fried, what do you look for in him early in the game to know that he's on?

BRIAN SNITKER: I think he'll just show you. There's not specifics that I look for. Just command in your pitches. You can pretty much tell without -- I don't get specific. I'm not looking for any one thing. I'm just kind of looking for the individual outcomes in the battles.