MLB WORLD SERIES: PHILLIES VS ASTROS

November 3, 2022

Rob Thomson

Citizens Bank Park

Philadelphia Phillies

Postgame 5 Press Conference

Houston Astros - 3, Philadelphia Phillies - 2

THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with questions for Rob.

Q. A couple of hard hit balls there in the 8th and 9th, Schwarber and Realmuto, that led to those great defensive plays. Did you feel like you guys were a couple of inches away from this being a totally did different outcome?

ROB THOMSON: Yeah, good to see J.T. go the other way, staying on the ball a little bit. But, yeah, they made two good plays. You got to give 'em credit. We just didn't get many hits with runners in scoring position and we had a lot of opportunities.

Q. You had Verlander on the ropes in those first three innings. How large did that loom, the inability to push across that one big hit?

ROB THOMSON: Yeah, we just couldn't find it. You got to get those guys early, those good pitchers. He's one of 'em. So we didn't get it done.

Q. That was something you guys did so well in the earlier rounds, those big innings without necessarily the home run, but the last few games really without a home run, it's not there. Is that a balance you got to get back to if you're going to win these next two games?

ROB THOMSON: Yeah, I think so. But that's baseball. It's the ebbs and flows of the game and sometimes you go through times when you don't hit with runners in scoring position and then three days later everybody's getting hits. So we just got to keep battling, that's all.

Q. With Syndergaard were you trying to get him through one more at-bat or one more inning?

ROB THOMSON: Yeah, one more hitter. He threw the ball well. He gave up two well hits and it was the first hitter he faced and the last hitter he faced. Everything else was just soft contact. I thought he threw the ball well. He threw strikes. I thought he did a great job.

Q. This team is really good with runners in scoring position during the season and it's been a struggle the last few days. Is it more the pitching or what do you see from your at-bats?

ROB THOMSON: Yeah, I think it's, they've got good pitching. Let's face that. But yeah, I mean, we just got to keep it simple, use the field, stay on the baseball. That's about it.

Q. Throughout the season this team has experienced its share of adversity. Now you're at the penultimate adversity this season. What's your approach coming into this next game?

ROB THOMSON: I think the approach is the same that we've had, just come out the next day and go get 'em, prepare, compete. These guys will show up, I guarantee it. They're going to fight to the end, for sure.

Q. What do you tell your players right now when they're at this point?

ROB THOMSON: Just keep fighting, just be yourself, keep playing hard because that's what they do. I mean, they played as hard as anybody out there tonight. We just couldn't get a big hit.

Q. What did you see from Verlander as the innings mounted? Seemed like he was improving in the 4th and that 5th really close, Castellanos 10-pitch at-bat and he's able to find a way through it.

ROB THOMSON: I think he went to a slider in the 2nd or 3rd inning, I forget what inning it was. But that seemed like it got him back into a groove. Pitching coach made a trip to the mound and it seemed like immediately after that he went to his slider and he pitched better.