NL DIVISION SERIES: BRAVES v CARDINALS

October 3, 2000

Bobby Cox

BOBBY COX: We probably played as bad as you could possibly play, then should have ended up winning the ball game. We had those kind of chances all day long to win. Missed a few chances. The first ball hit the bag at first base, that little chopper. Chipper got an in-between hop, then I think the wind blew the ball away from Andruw. Maddux, I thought he threw well, he could have been out of the inning with absolutely zero, that is not the way it went. We beat them 5-1 after the first inning.

BOBBY COX: Yes, I have. I saw Alexander in Minnesota, on that turf, five runs, I think five infield hits, one ball left the infield, they got five runs. Similar to that. It is unfortunate. He has been on a great roll and started the game. He could have easily thrown a shutout today.

BOBBY COX: Good enough to get a bunch of choppers. It was probably not quite as good as normal, but 95 percent as good, which is good enough for throwing a shutout.

BOBBY COX: I just took him out. He wasn't --

just -- there is always a chance I could pitch him in the third game if I want. That is one reason. It was hot as hell, we were playing horribly behind him, it was good to get somebody else out there.

BOBBY COX: You have to ask him. Honestly, I don't think it does.

BOBBY COX: They kind of steamrolled real fast. We did everything we could to give them six runs. They could not have ordered up much better. We just could not stop it, it just kept happening. You make one good pitch, they were lofted out in the outfield, make another one, it would be a chopper nobody could make a play on, or not hit hard enough to make a double play. One of those innings. He had the same type inning against the Mets, went almost a 40-inning streak, whatever it was, a bunch of infield hits, that is how they got the three runs.

BOBBY COX: The ball hit the bag. That is a fluke. Chipper got an in-between hit. He makes that play nine out of ten times. I never saw Andruw, the ball blew on him, a little bit, the ball was moving. We did not play good. I won't say we played good the first inning, we didn't. But there were some flukes, too.

BOBBY COX: Next eight innings, we beat them 5-1.