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NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: DODGERS v PHILLIESOctober 11, 2008Rich DubeeLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Workout Day THE MODERATOR: Questions for Rich. Q. Can you talk about Ryan Madson's progression over the last several years and his maturity and how much better he's gotten? RICH DUBEE: I think he's really stepped up this year. Of course, when Flash Gordon went down, we didn't have an 8th inning guy. So Ryan and Chad started doing some of that work for us and it took them a little while to get their feet on the ground to get acclimated to that role, and I think Ryan's really stepped up. He's become much more comfortable doing that and he's been fabulous for us. He's been as solid as you would want in September and in these playoffs and I think his confidence is probably as high as I've ever seen it. Q. How hard is it for Jamie Moyer to do what he does at this age and with that fastball and what kind of mentality does that take to pitch with that stuff, with a fastball that's lower than so many? RICH DUBEE: Well, physically, the one thing about Jamie is he's probably as well prepared as any guy I've ever seen. I don't know that most of our young guys can do what he does in between starts. He's got a tremendous program. He's very religious about doing it. He stays on task all the time. And he's pitched with this stuff for a long time. So not having 93, 95 miles an hour doesn't faze him. He understands control and bat speed and control in hitters' aggressiveness. He's been fabulous in changing speeds and mixing all his stuff and commanding all his stuff. He just finds a way to adjust to hitters to their approach. If his approach the first time through isn't working, he'll go to a different approach. He never panics. And he's been just a tremendous guy to have around. His work ethic, his professionalism, he provides a lot of leadership, not only when he pitches but when he's not playing the game. He really doesn't take a day off. He doesn't take a pitch off. He's a tremendous student of the game and always trying to help out in some area. Q. How important was it for your bullpen to get some work yesterday including especially Durbin, who has struggled in his previous outing but really hasn't been used as much, a lot because you've had a couple of days off and you've gotten a lot of innings, how important was it for him and the entire bullpen to get enough work yesterday? RICH DUBEE: They've had some rest which was probably desperately needed because they've been worked pretty hard down the stretch. But at the same time they need to get their mound time. They need to face hitters. And three-run lead was comfortable enough instead of a one-run lead, of course. But it was big to get them out there in a situation where the stadium was loud so they get acclimated to that environment. And, again, our bullpen has done a fabulous job for us, and we're well rested. So we feel very good about them. And, again, most of them are running with a lot of confidence right now. Q. How does the approach of your pitching staff change from Citizens Bank Park to Dodger Stadium? RICH DUBEE: You don't. We feel like we're going to be aggressive in every stadium we go into. It's no secret pitching ahead in the count is very, very key. And I think our guys have done a good job of that this year. And the only thing maybe a little bit different here is it allows you to make a few more mistakes and maybe get away with them. But our approach will be the same. Jamie is going to again try to throw strike one to get ahead in the count and try to expand the zone like any pitcher does when he does get ahead in the count. So our approach won't change any. Q. When you see guys like Jamie and Greg Maddux pitching well into their 40s, how do you think they're able to do that with so many younger guys throwing so much harder than they are? RICH DUBEE: Well, I mean, they're good students of the game. They came up when throwing was a thing you did. I don't think people throw enough nowadays. And Jamie is an old-school guy. He throws a tremendous amount in between starts so his arm is always working. He's always looking to gain some type of advantage. He'll make adjustments during his side work to try to look for an advantage of something that will help him. And, again, I think they're just baseball people that over time have learned to make adjustments and persevere up here, and that's what it takes. You can come up here as a young kid and pitch good for a year or two, but the more you get out on tape and the more hitters see you, you've got to be able to change a little bit. And I think Greg and I think Jamie, especially, have learned to adjust to hitters and make the changes and the adjustments that they need to again have tremendous careers and pitch for a long time. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Rich. End of FastScripts |
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