NL DIVISION SERIES: PHILLIES VS BRAVES

October 14, 2022

Brian Snitker

Citizen's Bank Park

Atlanta Braves

Pregame 3 Press Conference

BRIAN SNITKER: Just on behalf of our organization to offer condolences to the Phelan family. Tragic thing, young man like that. And also we lost a good friend last night in Bruce Sutter too. It's just breaks your heart. On behalf of the organization, myself, I'd like to offer our condolences to both of the families.

Q. As for today's game, why Spencer over Charlie?

BRIAN SNITKER: We went into last night talking about that. Because like I told you the other day, I said we put this kid on the roster to pitch him. And I think because we won the game the other night on Wednesday and it's Kyle going deep into the game and pretty much the state of our bullpen.

He's not going to go seven innings today. We know we're going to use the bullpen. And probably when we were talking about this, you don't want to go ahead of yourself, that was kind of the scenario we were hoping for is a good start, win the game. Know we're going to play four. It kind of lined up with where our bullpen is.

Q. If your bullpen hadn't been as rested, do you think you would have gone Charlie today?

BRIAN SNITKER: I don't know. Possibly. Because we weren't faced with that, I really don't know for sure. Because Charlie obviously was in the equation also. But I think just the way the fact that we won the game, we're going to play four, with the off day, a lot of the relievers that we'll probably use in the middle there had two days off. So it lined up and just kind of said Spencer once we got to it.

Q. Do you have an expectation of how far Strider might be able to go?

BRIAN SNITKER: We're going to just take him inning by inning. We have kind of a best-case scenario. We'll see how he gets -- what happens each and every inning. And we have kind of a number in mind and an innings, but we're going to let that thing develop and see where we're at.

Q. Are you able to share that best-case scenario or the number in mind?

BRIAN SNITKER: Well, we've got it. (Laughter).

Q. Were there any tests that Ronald Acuña had to pass today?

BRIAN SNITKER: No, I have spoken -- the trainers are all good with him. The biggest thing, as I said, it worked out good that he scored and we had some time, that inning kept going, and it was just about getting feeling back.

By the time that inning was over, he was throwing in the cage and was good to go. So I think if that inning would have ended with him at second base, I'm not 100 percent sure we would have felt comfortable running him back out there.

But because we had some time and we could test him out a little bit in the cage everybody felt good about -- and I don't know we could have kept him out; he was bound and determined to go back.

Q. He was on base throughout games 1 and 2. How do you think about the difference in your club and the lineup when he's out there?

BRIAN SNITKER: It's a big difference when he's there as opposed to not being there. I mean there's no doubt. And I think his legs seem to be feeling good. And when that's happening and he can us them, he's a difference maker, obviously.

Q. Saw Arcia struck out basically half of his at-bats against Nola. Is that the prime reason?

BRIAN SNITKER: Pretty much. That's what I talked to him about. It's, right or wrong, whatever, you just need to be ready because he's been such -- has done so well.

But you kind of look. He's had enough at-bats where it's the right sample size, I guess, to try and take a shot with the other.

Q. Given the excitement that Vaughn created when he first came up here, how much are you looking forward to seeing him out there in the playoffs?

BRIAN SNITKER: I'm glad we have a guy like that that we can put out there. I liked his at-bats the other day, the last day of the season. He hadn't played a lot. He had some pretty good at-bats in Miami.

Like I told Orlando, it's just one of those things, managers come in, they make those -- they have a hunch or whatever and hope it works.

Q. With that injury for Spencer, is there precedent in terms of the length, how long someone goes, because it's not an arm. You're dealing with something else in the bottom?

BRIAN SNITKER: That's why I think we do have a target area, I guess, that we'll look at and don't want to take him past because of the fatigue and everything.

You ask him, I just talked to him this morning. He's planning on going nine innings. That's what makes this kid who he is. He's not kidding me when he says that either.

In his mind he thinks he can go out and go nine innings. But I just said, let's just go -- just win an inning first.

Q. What have you seen from some of the bottom of the order these first couple of games, like say a Harris or Ozuna, with pretty hard-hit contact?

BRIAN SNITKER: It's been good. I look at Michael thinking he's kind of like a time bomb waiting to go off here because at any point in time this kid can explode.

And Marcell too. I'm looking at him as just the experience that he has against these guys that we're facing. And he had some good at-bats the other day too. I'm hoping that both of those guys -- you sit and hope that they get 'er going and can explode at some point in time.

Q. I know you've been asked a lot about the rookies this season, the impact they've had on your year. When you wrote up the lineup tonight and knew you were going to start three of them in a game with this kind of stakes, what kind of were you thinking?

BRIAN SNITKER: I didn't realize it until you just told me.

Q. That's probably unique, I would assume, for you?

BRIAN SNITKER: It is. It's a credit to our organization. Our scouting, player development, the whole organization is it's just a credit to the strength of our whole organization, I think in not only how deep we are with players but internally. Like I say, our scouting and player development staff.