NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: ASTROS v CARDINALS

October 16, 2004

Brad Lidge

BRAD LIDGE: It felt great. Roger (Clemens) threw a fantastic game. He had a few pitches early and then came back and does what he always does, gave us a huge effort. I was happy to get in the game. They have a tough lineup, threw a lot of pitches, but I was happy about the result.

BRAD LIDGE: You know, as of late, I've kind of been mixing it up quite a bit with my slider and fastball. I don't know if I necessarily threw more today. Had a game in Atlanta where I threw a lot then came back, didn't throw as many. I think it's just a matter of what's working at the time.

BRAD LIDGE: No, I'm definitely going to be available tomorrow. Come out and play catch, see how I feel. Whether it's one inning, two or three innings, I'm not sure. But I'll definitely be available to go.

BRAD LIDGE: I think so. I mean, the atmosphere is electric here right now. We've been playing really well. We've been playing with a lot of confidence at home. Yeah, we were down 0-2, but I think any time you come home and you've got Roger and Roy (Oswalt) going, you feel pretty good about your chances of getting two. Like I said, we were playing with a lot of confidence here, and it's nice to get back.

BRAD LIDGE: I think probably I've learned a good deal from him I think mostly watching. He's obviously a power pitcher. He's been that way his whole career. But he has such control over his pitches, too, that he could almost be considered a finesse guy with a power fastball. I think the biggest thing about watching him is I've learned how to do what he really does, how he competes. He doesn't give into the hitters. He's always there for a big game, whenever we need him, he's always there. I think his drive and intensity is something that I haven't really ever seen before. That's something I'm trying to pick up this year.

BRAD LIDGE: Yeah, this postseason's been -- obviously, this is my first one so I don't really have any to compare it to. Some games you're going to be needed for more than one inning and some games you're not. I think with the days off, we have a few more days off during the postseason than we do during the regular season. It's just a matter of coming in when you need to be in the game. Garner knows that I'm willing to come in whenever, whether it's for a third of an inning or three innings, whatever he wants, however he wants to use me. It's been a little different than your standard one inning day off, one inning -- obviously ideal for a bullpen pitcher. We've been doing some different things this whole season and I don't mind it at all.

BRAD LIDGE: Yeah, obviously, the fans were incredible out there. It felt like the roof was going to blow off the top of the place. So, yeah, I think once the hitter gets in the box, it's just you and the catcher, you can kind of tone it out. At the same time, you can kind of feel the energy around you. You can use it to your advantage a little bit. Gives you a bit of adrenaline. Obviously you want to stay within yourself when you have that many people cheering out there for you. But I think the biggest thing is get control of your pitches, and not change anything whether there's 10,000 fans or 50,000 fans.

BRAD LIDGE: That was huge, actually. Obviously, when you're coming into a one-run game you have to be incredibly fine and careful with your pitches. Went to a three-run game, you have a little more breathing room. Unfortunately I walked Edmonds. After that I wanted to collect myself again. But Lance (Berkman) and Carlos (Beltran) hitting those home runs was mentally, it's a little bit of relief. Obviously, you can't all of a sudden approach the hitters differently but you definitely know when you have a three-run lead as opposed to a one-run lead.

BRAD LIDGE: Like I said, we have a lot of confidence here, that's for sure. You never want to take any opponents lightly. But when we come out here and we just seem to play a little bit better, hitters seem to be picking up the ball better. I'm not sure exactly what it is but we're doing whatever it takes to win games. Sometimes our hitting has picked us up, sometimes our pitching has and sometimes our defense has picked us up. We have a lot of confidence here and we just seem to be playing collectively well as a team.

BRAD LIDGE: Yeah, you have to be real careful with those guys. They have a tremendous lineup. The guys in the ninth inning, too, obviously can hit the ball real well. So really 1 through 9 you have to be careful with them. I think the biggest thing for me was to go out and just not elevate any pitches, leave something hanging over the plate that they could get to. But in a one-run game, with those guys up, you obviously have to come out and have your best stuff and have your command.

BRAD LIDGE: Yeah, I think so. I mean, Roger has been going six, seven, eight for us all year long. I don't think we had any worries that he would eventually get there. He kind of threw a lot of pitches early but he rebounded and finished extremely strong. Being in the bullpen, when he takes the mound, you kind of get used to the heroic effort that he puts into the game every time. He's just been fabulous for us. We needed seven out of him today and we got it. He just does whatever he takes and he's just an awesome competitor.

BRAD LIDGE: I'll definitely be available. I don't know. I'll be playing catch tomorrow and talking to Garner and Hickey and seeing exactly what I can do. I'll definitely be available, whether it's one, two or three innings, I'm not sure right now. But I want to pitch tomorrow for sure, and I'm sure I'll be able to.