AL DIVISION SERIES: RANGERS VS ORIOLES

October 6, 2023

Bruce Bochy

Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Texas Rangers

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. So what is your -- where are you on a Game 1 starter?

BRUCE BOCHY: We're close. I'll have something here probably in an hour or so. We're still talking about it. We have some options. I would say once the workout is over then we'll announce who's going to start.

Q. How much of a challenge has it been to you to fill out the No. 3 spot in the lineup card lately?

BRUCE BOCHY: I don't know if it's a challenge. We've mixed it up. I think you look at Grossman and Nate was there for the most part this year, Garver has been there. So it is something we do talk about. I wouldn't call that a challenge so much as we look at the pitcher that's going that day. But it doesn't mean we don't tweak the lineup, which you've seen us do before. We could tweak it tomorrow. We just finished talking about it a little bit. We'll finish talking about it soon.

Q. What Evan Carter has done for you, does that put him in the conversation?

BRUCE BOCHY: Of course it does. You look at what he's done. He handles himself so well. He could go there, or in the five hole, so anywhere in the order. We'll work out what we think is the best way to set up the lineup.

Q. As you've taken a look at the Orioles, what kind of stands out to you about them?

BRUCE BOCHY: I say as much as anything, it's just a young, aggressive team, very talented ball club. Starts with the great starting pitching they have. You don't win a hundred games without having really good pitching, which they have. They have a balanced lineup. They have speed. They're aggressive on the bases, well-managed club. Brandon has done a great job with them. When you get to this point, you know you're playing a really, really good team.

Q. Both starting pitchers, Bradish and Rodriguez, you saw them earlier in the season, they're young pitchers, what have you seen from them over the season?

BRUCE BOCHY: Good stuff. Good stuff. Good command. Big fastballs. They have good spin, too. But they are good, young arms that really -- I mean, you look at the two that we're facing, one guy has kind of led the way all year. And here they brought up a young kid that really has stepped in and done a great job. We saw his debut and you could tell he had good stuff. Big fastball, good carry on it. And it looks like he got comfortable. And he's done a great job for hem.

Q. With the lineup, with the 3 hole are you shocked regardless of who is there that more people don't walk Corey Seager like Tampa did a couple of times?

BRUCE BOCHY: Sometimes you're not in that position. He gets his walks, he takes them. And when you have a good hitter up there, they're always going to try to be careful. You get Garcia coming up, too, very dangerous hitter. It's going to be different. But just like when we're facing certain clubs and certain hitters, you're trying to be careful. That's not unusual.

As far as our lineup, we'll structure it the way we think it's the best way to go.

Q. It seems in Tampa, you were more aggressive on the base path. Was that related to that specifically?

A. We adjust to every team, every pitcher, how they hold runners. This is part of the preparation that we go through, just like every team. And we have some speed here, and we'll push it in games. Some games you'll see not quite as much. It's about adjusting to what they give you.

Q. Josh was saying when he first came up he was pressing to be first half Josh Jung again. Game 2, did that look like the first half Josh Jung to you?

BRUCE BOCHY: Yeah, no doubt. He missed some time. And that's a pretty big injury when you have a little fracture there in the thumb. So came back probably sooner than we thought, but we wouldn't have brought him back if we didn't think he was ready. It's hard to get right back where you were. But I agree with you, he had better swings off, and it's more who he is.

Q. What does a more first half Josh Jung do to this lineup? What does that do to length in the lineup?

BRUCE BOCHY: Well, no doubt, I mean the numbers show that. This guy was a starting third baseman in Seattle. So he was big for us to get. At that point we were missing both he and Garcia. But to get him back, I think has sent a sense of confidence throughout the club, we've got one of our guys back. And then Garcia comes back. It does stretch out the lineup.

He's a guy, pretty much -- not pretty much -- I've left in the 5 hole, but I like the versatility with him now, whether 6th, 7th, or 8th to move him around a little bit. You look at pockets in our game now. A pitcher comes in, he has to face a minimum three hitters. That plays into your decision how you set up your lineup.

Q. Brandon Hyde spent a lot of time in the Bay Area, kind of studied your style. What do you know about him, his style and what kind of manager he's done?

BRUCE BOCHY: I've talked to Brandon. He has done such a great job here. You look at where Baltimore was and where they are now. You have to look at him and how steady he is. He just looks like he does a tremendous job here. Great baseball guy that has turned his team around. And now you look at them, and they're one of the best teams in baseball. It starts with him and the job he's done.

We talked about he's from the Bay Area, so grown up there. And I got a nice little sendoff here when I retired. So thank him for that, too, but he took care of me on that.

Q. Who are the people, players, or coaches who have helped you establish the culture that this organization has set out to establish?

BRUCE BOCHY: Gosh, you know, I think you learn from everybody, past managers, coaches, things that you like, things that you didn't like. I talk about Bill Virdon a lot, the first manager I played for with Houston. And I think anytime you're a young player, you're impacted by especially your early managers.

Dick Williams, I was fortunate to play with some really good managers and even coaches. So I think eventually you are who you are. You try to have your own way of doing things. But you're always looking to get better at what you do. And that's maybe watching other managers, reading things, whatever.

I just try to improve. None of us ever arrive, I don't think, players, coaches, managers, and it's all about trying to, you know, just continue to get better.

Q. On Carter, there is -- he's hitting the No. 9 spot since he's come up, and he's been very effective there. As you weigh all that, is there any concern that moving him out of the No. 9 spot may be too much burden for him at that point?

BRUCE BOCHY: Not really. I think you look at what he's done in the 9 spot, and we talked about this, you're putting table setters down at the bottom of the order, Taveras. Then you're looking at Carter and you get to the top of the order and they've done a great job. And you look at what Josh and Carter did the last game, that's important to a lineup, too.

But you like the versatility. For someone like Carter, I don't think he's going to be affected. He certainly hasn't shown it. He's just having a lot of fun playing. And I don't think he cares where he hits in the lineup. So sometimes you go, well, it's not broke, don't fix it, with how it's going with him hitting there. I would have no concern putting him somewhere else.

Q. I know he hasn't thrown yet, has Scherzer started to lobby you?

BRUCE BOCHY: We talked earlier, he's going to throw today, we'll see. He's going to face some hitters and see where we're at with him.

Q. How difficult is it going from a 90 loss, 100 loss team to a hundred win team in such a short span?

BRUCE BOCHY: I've said this, to have a team that won a hundred games, it starts with talent, which they have. Pitching, on the position player side. But sometimes one of the last hurdles to get over is that winning feeling, attitude, when you've been losing for a few seasons. That's kind of the last hurdle that you get over. And they've gotten over that obviously with what they've done.

So it's not unusual. But still, you know, sometimes it takes a while. But with what's happened for them the last couple of years, it's really impressive.