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NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: ROCKIES v DIAMONDBACKSOctober 14, 2007Clint HurdleDENVER, COLORADO: Game Three THE MODERATOR: Questions. Q. They scored four runs in three games, you turned three double plays in the first three innings. How much of their lack of scoring is attributable to the defense specifically? CLINT HURDLE: We've played good defense. To play good defense you've got to have pitchers. It helps when they work quick, get in rhythms, keep the ball down, anticipating making plays. The pitching feeds the defense, the defense feeds the pitching, works hand-in-hand. When you can take the sting out of them early like that, three opportunities early, we never turned back. I think it helped their momentum, helped their confidence going in and moving forward. Q. Josh has been good about the past month for you guys, but in these big games especially seems like he's excelling. What do you think about him makes him pitch well in these games? CLINT HURDLE: He competes so very well. He'll pitch both sides of the plate. He changes speeds effectively. He knows himself. He's got experience in the League, knows the hitters. Reads swings. Slow heartbeat, too, in traffic. Not afraid to pitch out of the stretch, much rather pitch out of the windup as all pitchers would. And when he gets in the stretch, it's okay, just gotta make a pitch, get out of this. One of the things we stress with our pitchers, you're never more than one pitch away to getting out of a situation. That was very evident the first three innings. Very unconventional double play in the first inning. That's not one we worked on a lot. Q. Knowing how Arizona can get hot and stay hot, do you think winning tomorrow's imperative? CLINT HURDLE: It is for us. It's been that way for five weeks. All our focus is on winning the game tomorrow. If we don't win the game tomorrow, all our focus will be on winning the next one. That's just the way we've gone about our business. So they're a good ball club. Q. What did you see from Holliday tonight that maybe he wasn't doing in the first two games, just a matter of him, he's going to hit the ball -- CLINT HURDLE: I think he had the opportunity to look at some swings. He had the opportunity to step back the off day. As I mentioned before the game, our hitting coach, Alan Cockrell, has done a tremendous job with all our hitters, individually. Slowing them down, giving them an understanding, getting them back to their foundation and their base. Saw much better swings from Matt tonight. Much better swings from Todd. Tulowitzki, a few others. So we will hit. I have all the confidence in the world in our hitters and our hitting coach. Q. Not to suggest that your players don't enjoy playing behind whoever is on the mound, but do you think they take a special delight in playing behind Fogg just because he has personality and the way he competes without Ubaldo Jimenez type stuff? CLINT HURDLE: It might be rekindling, like an old girlfriend. They know each other pretty well. He's been around for a couple of seasons. They know this: That when he goes out there, there's not going to be any lack of preparation. There's not going to be lack of effort. He's going to leave it all out on the mound, give it all that he's got. Not that all our guys don't do that, but he's a blue-collar guy. His stuff doesn't light up the radar gun, but he can make pitches and get good hitters out and win big games. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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