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NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: DODGERS v PHILLIES

October 9, 2008

Joe Torre

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: Game One

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Joe Torre.

Q. How much do you think that error may have rattled your pitcher, Lowe?
JOE TORRE: I don't think at all. I mean, he's been pitching long enough. And pitching under pressure and all that stuff.
But he's a pretty good hitter. Utley is a pretty good hitter. I don't think the error had anything to do with what happened after that.

Q. Lowe was pretty much a ground ball machine for the first five innings. In your view, what happened in the sixth?
JOE TORRE: The other inning also where he gave up the two hits with two strikes. He was feeling fine. Just sometimes you get some misguided pitches and they stay up instead of where they're supposed to be.
But he made -- Burrell's a good hitter. He's had a hell of a year. He just stayed with that pitch. As far as Utley, it looked like something off speed or just the sinker that stayed up because he sort of went out and then took a good swing at it.
But as I say I was comfortable watching him pitch. It was just one of those things.

Q. Were you a little surprised they went at Manny as they did today?
JOE TORRE: Well, not really. We've got some pretty good hitters behind him. And early in the game, I mean, you're not going to start walking him I don't think anyway in the first inning.
But it was a good game. Unfortunately for us we were on the short end. But it's going to be a good series here.

Q. Looked like in the early part of the game your guys were really working the counts and watching pitches. For those of us who don't get to see your team a lot, is that normal? Is that typical for you?
JOE TORRE: Again, you have a crafty pitcher out there. Cole Hamels, he keeps it together. The fact that he has no problem throwing any pitch any time, whether it's the curveball, or changeup. He's proud of his changeup and he should be. He's not afraid to repeat it.
We certainly have scouting reports about how he pitches and you don't expect to get runs in bunches from him. And I thought we did a good job, as you say, working the count and putting ourselves in position.
And I thought we made the most out every opportunity we had. Manny's ball, when he first hit it, I thought, any time he hits a ball in the air I think it's out anyway. But DeWitt delivering with the sacrifice fly. We did a lot of things right. Unfortunately, we came up on the short end.

Q. Did you notice Derek getting flustered at all during that, I think it was the 5th inning when he gave up the 2-2 strike hits?
JOE TORRE: He was just mad at himself. Flustered, that doesn't match with him, because we talked about it when he came in. He talks about it. He likes to talk between innings. And he just tried to make some pitches that he didn't make. But I don't think he got flustered or bothered by the error, either one.

Q. You've been through this millions of times in the post-season and all that, when you lose a Game 1. Does your approach change especially with a lot of younger players out there, coming in, coming back, rooting for Game 2?
JOE TORRE: This ball club has come to play every day. It's been really rewarding for me to be in that clubhouse and see how comfortable I am with their personality. Tomorrow will be the first game we're going after somebody after we lose. And I think I'll get a sense tomorrow if I feel anything different but my sense is I won't. These kids -- and the veterans that we have here certainly have helped.
But I think they have a lot of confidence in themselves and they've been working hard. And, again, when you get to this time of year, you play the best teams. You face the best players and the pitchers and things are going to happen for the most part they're going to be close.

Q. You've been through -- obviously we talked about it, you said you've been through it.
JOE TORRE: I'm old, go ahead and say it.

Q. I was trying to find a polite way of saying it. But you've been through this before many times. But as the series progresses, do you make any changes or do you make a certain adapt -- do you adapt to what's going on within the series itself or do you just stay with what brought you to the dance?
JOE TORRE: No, you know, I think we all -- I say we; I mean managers -- I think we all understand when you're dealing with 162 games you may show more patience than a seven-game season.
I think if you feel you have to plug somebody else in, you'll do it. This is not the time of year you worry about hurting people's feelings. And I think we're all on board as far as players understanding that also. But, yeah, I think if you think that something should be changed, you change it.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Joe.

End of FastScripts

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