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NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: ROCKIES v DIAMONDBACKS

October 10, 2007

Brandon Webb

PHOENIX, ARIZONA: Workout Day

Q. Brandon, you're the only pitcher to beat the Rockies in their last 18 games. First of all, how insane does that sound that you're the only guy that's beat them in 18 games, and what do you remember about that night?
BRANDON WEBB: Yeah, they've been on an unbelievable role as of late and I think at the point that I beat 'em, I think it was 12 or 13 or something like that. It was one of the biggest games I've ever pitched so I knew I had to be pretty sharp, especially the way that they had come after me this afternoon early in the season. So I knew I had to have my best stuff.
Pretty much the same way now. I mean, they haven't lost since I've pitched against them. So, I mean, it gives me a little bit of confidence to know that was me that beat 'em.
But I knew I had to have my best. They've got a great ball team. I have to execute pitches.

Q. You just talked about your best stuff. What is your best stuff? And when you watched Jeff Francis pitched, what do you like about him as a pitcher?
BRANDON WEBB: My best stuff, definitely keeping the ball down. You can probably go back to at the end of the game and see how many ground balls I have and see what kind of stuff I had.
I had 16 ground ball outs that game. So I'm keeping the ball down, I have some good movement. That's basically showing you that I'm having a good game if I have a lot of ground balls.
Jeff Francis is a great young pitcher, seen him in the last couple of years, and he has had an unbelievable season. It's going to be another tough game. He threw a great game against us when we were there, whenever I beat him. But it's going to be another tough outing. He's got three good pitches, locates the fastball well, has a great changeup and curveball to go with that, too. So he's got some good stuff.

Q. You went into unchartered waters in your first playoff appearance. How much has that prepared you for this next endeavor, this next journey?
BRANDON WEBB: I think it definitely prepared us all throughout the whole series, even if you didn't play in the game, just being there and seeing the atmosphere of the stadium and the fans and going to Chicago and experiencing that as well.
I think that prepares you for the next step. I basically tried to downplay it, which I try to do it all the time, down play everything and not put too much pressure on myself to go out there and try to beat myself up that way. I take it as any other game, which I did against Chicago, and go out there and try to throw my best stuff at 'em and it's worked.

Q. Are you a little apprehensive opening this season with a rookie shortstop behind you?
BRANDON WEBB: Not at all. I was so impressed with Drew, when he came up last year. I didn't know too much about him. I knew he could hit. I didn't know too much about his defense. But his range really impressed me, the way he was able to get the balls in the hole and make the plays deep in the 6th hole and throwing a run and things like that.
Really impressed me. I had nothing bad to say about his defense at all. I was happy to have him back there.

Q. Even though you are the last pitcher to beat the Rockies, this season you haven't been able to have as much success against them overall. Is that because maybe you haven't had your best stuff in those games or do they just match up well against you?
BRANDON WEBB: They've got a couple of guys that match up pretty well against me. A couple of left-handers that are low-ball hitters. And the guys on our schedule go the other way. They're pretty patient at the plate and very selective of the pitches that they swing at.
Probably didn't have my best stuff at the beginning of the year. It really came down to like one or two at-bats during those games. That would be in the 6th inning with two runs and then in the 6th or 7th inning give up a two- or three-run home run to make it what would have been a good outing not such a good outing. I don't think the line score really dictated what it could have been or what it was, because of the two at-bats or whatever in the game. You can say that with any game you want, one or two bats it comes down to. But that's just how I felt about it.
I feel comfortable going against them, though.

Q. Can you feel coming out of the pen in the 1st inning if you've really got that sinker going?
BRANDON WEBB: You can usually tell. You can usually tell out of the pen. Actually probably tell you it takes about the first batter. In the pen I'm really basically trying to get loose. I've had terrible pens out there and go out and dominate a game.
And vice versa, have a great pen and go out there and get hit around all day. But I really just go, use the pen to get loose and then it really changes, as soon as you hit the mound, everything changes. I don't focus too much on my bullpens, but the first two batters you can definitely tell what kind of stuff you have.

Q. Kaz hit more than 400 against you. How important is it for you to stop him?
BRANDON WEBB: He's a great hitter. He's one of those guys, he's a left-hand hitter, low ball hitter. He has power to pull to the side and be very selective in his pitch selection, too, that he swings at, and he goes the other way well. And that's -- if I'm pitching down the way which a lot of times I do, he's not scared to go down there. He actually did that against the game that I beat him and shot a double down the line and it was a big hit for him. But he's a tough hitter.
I try to mix it up with him, in and out, and not let him get too comfortable in there.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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