AL WILD CARD SERIES: RAYS VS GUARDIANS

October 8, 2022

Kevin Cash

Progressive Field

Tampa Bay Rays

Pregame Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: First question for Kevin.

Q. It's only Tyler Glasnow's third start since he came back. Do you see any gamble in this or was this just an obvious thing --

KEVIN CASH: Yeah. No, I really don't see a gamble, and I think he's kind of proven that regardless of the performance today he's done everything that he could possibly do to get himself back to being good again and healthy.

Q. Does it help knowing he has experience in these kind of win or go home elimination games?

KEVIN CASH: Yeah, I think it's better than not. He's pitched in this type of atmosphere and environment that he's going to see today. He's been on the road. I think he's pitched in elimination games. In Houston, he did.

So, yeah, I'm really confident and excited that we're able to pencil him in.

Q. As far as the lineup, looking forward to seeing Paredes in there and seeing what he can do?

KEVIN CASH: Yeah, he came up and got a big hit yesterday for us when we couldn't get much going on I think an 0-2 or 1-2 count.

Then Bruján, he did a tremendous job of getting to second base. So we just, that big hit just wasn't there. But hopefully Isaac can have some good at-bats.

Q. Is there much that you say to the guys this morning before going out there or is it just try to keep it a normal routine?

KEVIN CASH: Yeah, try to be consistent. I think that our coaching staff we work hard to stay consistent. It's easy to get caught up in the moment and do something that you haven't done all year and I think that the players would kind of see through that.

Q. You'd probably more concerned if you called a team meeting, right?

KEVIN CASH: I think they would be shocked, yeah.

Q. Everybody is available in the bullpen today?

KEVIN CASH: Yeah, look, it's pretty well known, Tyler's, the hope is to get him four or five innings and from there we'll go to the bullpen and piece it together, and no, McClanahan will not be available today.

Q. He'll probably lobby you, right?

KEVIN CASH: Yeah. He still won't be available.

Q. Is there anything the Guardians did yesterday that wasn't what you expected or was it pretty much the kind of game you figured they would play?

KEVIN CASH: No, I think our track record of playing against each other it is a very similar baseball game. It just was 20,000 more people in the seats.

Q. What was that like yesterday having it be so electric, even early and then today it's a sellout still at noon?

KEVIN CASH: Yeah, it was cool. It's what you think. It was pretty louder early on. Siri comes up and hits a home run, got kind of quiet, Ramírez comes up and hits a two-run homer and you could barely hear yourself think.

This place, they, certainly Cleveland has great fans. It's a sports town. They pull for their teams. In 2013, I think I said yesterday or the day before, it was the loudest atmosphere I had ever heard when I was sitting in the bullpen leading up to that game against the Rays.

Q. How difficult is it to put together a plan of attack against Ramírez?

KEVIN CASH: I don't know, it might be impossible (laughing). Yeah. He's just, he's good. He is as dangerous as any hitter, and attacking for him, to your point, I mean, what other switch hitter in the game right now is comparable? I'm sure there's somebody out there I'm not thinking totally, but I know José and just having the history with him a little bit, very mindful of where he's at.

Q. What do you remember about the much younger José and the much younger Kevin Cash?

KEVIN CASH: The guy, the José, when he came up, he was a shortstop, our player development liked him a lot. He came up and scuffled a little bit, certainly didn't show the power, but I think that's normal in today's game that you see a guy that has hit ability and then the power comes later.

I certainly wouldn't have forecast it after watching him play in, was it 2013 that he came up or 2014, that he was going to turn into the 35-, 40-homer guy, but what a career.

Q. So you remember the time when everybody thought he was a utility infielder?

KEVIN CASH: Oh, yeah. I might have been on that camp, (laughing).

No. Yes, I definitely remember, and credit the Guardians player development. It's funny, what they did yesterday was pretty cool, recognizing all their PD, and I was walking out with Tom Wiedenbauer from the game and Wiede was a big fan of José's.

Q. What do you think of José's necklace? Have you seen it up close?

KEVIN CASH: Yeah, I've seen it All Star games. Yeah. It doesn't weight him down.

Q. You brought Josh Lowe, what's the benefit for a younger guy like that just to be in this atmosphere?

KEVIN CASH: Oh, I think it's really beneficial. I mean, hopefully we continue to play postseason baseball, and year after year that's every organization's goal. Certainly a guy like Josh that we value so much and if we're going to do that he's got to play a big factor in the years to come.

So that's the same to be said with René Pinto, Bruján, who got in yesterday. And still, I know we're not as young as Cleveland, but we're a pretty young team as well. So these all, it all helps.