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NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: ROCKIES v DIAMONDBACKS

October 11, 2007

Bob Melvin

PHOENIX, ARIZONA: Game One

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Bob Melvin.

Q. Was Webb just not quite as sharp, especially in that one inning?
BOB MELVIN: They battled him pretty hard. You know, obviously Hawpe was the big hit. He swung the bat extremely well against them. Matsui fights one off over there. Didn't square him up all over the place but did enough to put us in the position where Francis had a lead and scored enough off of him to, like I said, to where they ended up winning the game. They battled harder and played better than we did today.

Q. Will you talk about the play, the call on Justin at second and then the fans' reaction and the missed opportunity with bases loaded?
BOB MELVIN: Let me go one at a time. Play at second, I felt like he could get the base. I think he agreed with that. I think it was more intent -- you'll have to ask him. Obviously I didn't agree going out there. But I think he was in a position where he could touch the base.

Q. Then the fans' reaction?
BOB MELVIN: Obviously we don't condone that. You don't want stuff being thrown on the field. We're not in favor of that.

Q. What about a young player like Justin being involved in something like that? I noticed you lifted him for a pinch-hitter after that.
BOB MELVIN: It was more on Corpas than anything else. Didn't have anything to do with that. He can be extremely difficult on righties and we wanted lefties on there. Justin is a tough kid. Pinch-hit for him before a couple of times, so he knows that certain situations will dictate that.

Q. He was hot coming off of second base?
BOB MELVIN: Well, he's battling out there. He's trying to take somebody out. He's trying to get us an extra out. He's trying to break up a double play. He was emotional about it.

Q. Why has Francis been so good against you guys?
BOB MELVIN: He's good, number one. He mixes speeds. He takes a little off his fastball. He throws changeups in off counts. Pitches up and down. Steals strikes with his curveball. You look at his stuff, pitch by pitch, and it probably doesn't overwhelm you, yet you put them all together, and his command has gotten to the point where he's very tough to have a good feel on what he's going to throw you.
And pitches in and out, up and down very well.

Q. Were you surprised at all to see the Rockies change their lineup after the run that they had been on with the previous lineup?
BOB MELVIN: No, Taveras has been good for them. Those two at the top of the order, and then to have three through seven the way they do to knock guys in, no, that's been a good lineup for them. Didn't surprise me.

Q. Offensively it would seem like Stephen would be the guy you would want up in those situations. Just talk a little bit about the lack of execution when it comes offensively and how that haunted you guys?
BOB MELVIN: We had some situations, obviously had some situations where we could have done some damage and we didn't. Certain days we have. Today we just didn't get it done and they did.
Hawpe's hit was big. We had a situation where with a base hit we could have knocked a couple in.
So they were just more opportunistic today in their at-bats when it really counted.

Q. Do you take solace in the fact that you guys generally rebound well from games that you might call sloppy like this?
BOB MELVIN: Whether it's getting blown out or whether it's just losing a game, we went through a stretch I think in the second half where we'd lose the first game of the series then end up coming back winning the series. So it's one game, and in a best of seven, best of five, obviously losing the first with your ace would be a little bit more area for concern. Yet, you know, there's nothing we can do about it. We just gotta go out there and try to even it up tomorrow.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Bob.

End of FastScripts

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