NL DIVISION SERIES: PHILLIES VS BRAVES

October 6, 2023

Brian Snitker

Truist Park

Atlanta Braves

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Snitker, I don't know if you're ready to say who your Game 1 starter is yet. How much better is it for Strider to be able to just make all the normal preparations and all that kind of stuff?

BRIAN SNITKER: It's good. He's going to pitch tomorrow, and Max will be Game 2. It's good. I mean, he's right on time, and he's had a normal week of preparation and getting himself ready. So I expect to see a really good Spencer Strider tomorrow.

Q. Snitker, just based on what you've seen about Spencer and how mature you know he is, just how ready is he for a moment like that?

BRIAN SNITKER: No. I think he's very much ready, especially he experienced it last year. And it was a tough situation for him. So I think he's probably really excited to have this opportunity tomorrow when he's healthy and well rested and prepared.

Q. Snit, how did you feel about your guys having three inner squad scrimmages, how did that come out compared to last year?

BRIAN SNITKER: Way better than I anticipated. It was really good. I thought, you know, last year was the first time anybody really ever experienced that, or I had never. And we thought we did the best we could. But now looking back, this was really good what we did. We had seven innings all three days. The guys were -- it was good for them, and the way they performed showed that.

Q. Snit, you guys and them, you know each other inside and out. So on a stage like this in the DS, what will be the biggest difference when you play?

BRIAN SNITKER: Oh, just what we're playing for now. I mean, it's just kind of -- it's the postseason. It's different. It is different. The game's played different. You do different things. It's exciting.

Both ballparks are going to be crazy. But, you know, it's kind of why we've just played these last seven months, to put ourselves in this position, to be able to experience this.

Q. Can you just -- Max I guess came through the inner squad thing okay. What is his status? Any concerns about the blister reoccurring?

BRIAN SNITKER: No. There's always a concern about that, I think. But everything went great in the inner squad. He got the ups we needed, the pitches. The finger held up really well. So he's good to go as far as we're concerned.

Q. He said you guys have been very fortunate to be in the postseason now for a couple of years in a row. The night before the start of the NLDS, do you guys do anything or have a dinner or talk or anything to really prepare or what do you hope to get out of today's workout as well?

BRIAN SNITKER: No. We are just going to get out there. We just had three really good days of games, normal days. We came in. We did regular batting practice. It was like a normal workday. And today I don't want them out there anymore than an hour. We just want to get loose, take a batting practice and have the last sane night of the rest of the year.

Q. Snit, this will be Ozzie's first postseason back after missing last year's due to injury. Can you speak about his importance on the team and having him back on the field this postseason?

BRIAN SNITKER: He's huge on this team. You look at the performance. You look at the numbers. They speak for themselves, but having him on the club and on the field is huge because he's an integral part of everything that we're trying to do.

He exemplifies everything about this game and what's good about it and how he goes about it, plays the game and how important he is to our team. I mean, he's that little guy that, you know, makes us go.

Q. Snit, you've set a culture for guys that play 162 games. They play every day. Can you talk about what that means and what tone that sets for postseason play?

BRIAN SNITKER: No. I think it's good. I mean, these guys, and I think it's great that they do that, they want to do that. They wanted to play all the innings the last three games of the practice games. I had to force them off the field then to try to give them some downtime.

No. I think it's huge, because that just shows how these guys are wired and what they're about, and they're about the competition, the plan, the winning. And I think that's a great attribute to have when you're starting to play these postseason games that are so big.

And they've been on this stage before. All these guys have been through everything you can experience in the game. And I think they're really excited and look forward to another chance at doing something special.

Q. Snit, Kelly was talking about how you guys know each other inside and out. How would you describe the feeling when you meet up with the Phillies?

BRIAN SNITKER: You know, it's -- I don't know that we feel any differently than anybody else we play. It's a team we want to beat. They're a really good club. I look at that offense, and it's similar to ours, I think. They're so powerful.

It's a good team, an experienced team. They've made a lot of good moves. I think they're even better than they were last year, quite honestly. We played them all this year, and looking at them now. And it's going to be a great series against two really good ball clubs.

Q. Last year obviously Ronald missed -- excuse me. Two years ago missed the World Series run and last year he was still kind of working his way back. Even after a statistical season like he had this year, how driven is he this postseason?

BRIAN SNITKER: He's probably the one guy that's coming through his skin right now to get this thing started, because I talked to him, now you're going to get that opportunity because he's whole and he's healthy. And like I say, even coming off a great year like he did, I know he just can't wait to get this thing started and be able to perform in that platform.