NL DIVISION SERIES: PHILLIES VS BRAVES

October 12, 2023

Brian Snitker

Citizens Bank Park

Atlanta Braves

Pregame 4 Press Conference

Q. Snit, Rob was in here just a little bit ago saying he doesn't know what Ranger is going to do tonight. Do you guys have any expectations? I shouldn't say that. Doesn't know what he is going to do. How long he is going to go like in Game 1?

BRIAN SNITKER: Not really. After what happened in Game 1, I mean it kind of made me feel like if he was throwing like he was in Game 1, they may still with him a little longer, something like that. You know, they're kind of like we are. They got a well-rested bullpen, too.

Q. Was there any thought to going with the lineup you used in Game 1 knowing they were going to get to the bullpen earlier?

BRIAN SNITKER: No. After I did that and saw what it looked like and the whole flow of it and everything, I just figured we'd stay with what we're doing.

Q. This is a bit of a different game, but for you as a manager, when you walk in today, how important is it to maybe keep the same demeanor so guys don't get a whiff --

BRIAN SNITKER: Very much so. I think that's important from March till now, really. I mean I think that's a key because they're going to look at you, and just stay as consistent as you can, and turn it over to them.

Q. Following up on the first question, when you don't have an idea of how far the Philly starter is going to go, do you find yourselves preparing a series of distinct game plans or do you make sure everybody is prepared for every pitcher?

BRIAN SNITKER: Yeah. Pretty much that. I know I'm sure after facing Ranger in that Game 1 that they'll kind of have a better idea as far as the game plan or whatever offensively and making adjustments there.

Q. Snit, you guys never faced an elimination game in '21, but did you last year obviously. How much does it help most of your guys have experienced these kind of situations?

BRIAN SNITKER: Yeah. As I said earlier, you come into a postseason, and the majority of those guys in that room have experienced everything that you can, game 7s, elimination games, big World Series games, the whole thing. As has the team we're playing, too.

I think it's good, and I think they'll do a good job of just we gotta win one game right now. We don't have to win two. We just gotta win one.

Q. Couple of the guys were saying they like maybe just a big hit, a big inning, a little spark. How quickly can something like that happen?

BRIAN SNITKER: I saw when we scored the run the other day, in Game 2. It kind of had a way of doing that. And the guys are human. They want to do good. We've hit. We will again. Hopefully it's tonight. But I think just one big hit or one two-out hit or something like that is something that can get the ball rolling in the right direction.

Q. Did you see any better swings from some guys last night to make you think somebody like Acuña is getting closer?

BRIAN SNITKER: Yeah. A couple of the balls he put in play were good at-bats that he had. You just gotta hope at some point in time like you say one guy gets a hit, and the next thing you know, it's going in the right direction.

Q. Snit, a couple of things. One, just from an update perspective, any sense of where Charlie Morton is, if you're heading into that next series at this point?

BRIAN SNITKER: Yeah. He's throwing sides, playing catch, long toss, throwing sides. I don't think it's -- right now I don't know how if he's really ripped a breaking ball yet. But hopefully we get where we graduate decide on something like that.

Q. And just bigger picture, there's been a lot of talk this year about teams with high payrolls not succeeding, but if you look at you guys where you did it through extensions, Phillies did it through a lot of free agency, three of the top nine are going to be in the NLCS one way or the other.

Why do you think there is such a focus on that on the teams that don't do well with high payrolls and do you think that a high payroll is a helpful thing?

BRIAN SNITKER: I think probably everybody expects if you're going to spend all that money, that you're getting players, and you should do good. It doesn't always work that way.

I think with injuries and just the mix of the makeup and things like that, and I don't think the high payrolls necessarily equate into winning baseball. I think there's a lot more to winning baseball games and sustaining that over the course of the summer than just the high payroll and the money.

Q. Before Max's start, there was a lot of concern about the blister. How is his recovery going, and also, would you expect or hope that he'd be a little sharper this time around given that he'd had not as much rest?

BRIAN SNITKER: No. The blister is good. I saw it the other day before we left, the day after he pitched. And it looked great. I don't think he expects any problems with the blister.

And actually, yes. I think after getting that start out of the way when it had been 18 days or something like that without pitching, that's going to fare well for him in his next outing.

Q. Snit, with Braves teams in the past, Freddie or Dansby, kind of knew who you might turn to as a leader. From the outside looking in, who's kind of the guys that in this situation you might be able to lead the group?

BRIAN SNITKER: I think there's a lot of them. Somebody asked me that before. You lose guys like that. I don't know that we're defined by one guy. I think that's what makes us really good and what makes that clubhouse so good is there's a number of guys in there that are willing and able to take that role upon. And I don't think anybody in there, the way it's constructed, looks to one person. I think it's a solid group.