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AL DIVISION SERIES: RED SOX v ANGELS

October 10, 2009

Jason Bay

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Workout Day

THE MODERATOR: Looks like we got a little bonus.
JASON BAY: This was part of the deal for the off day. (Accompanied by daughter.)
THE MODERATOR: First question for either?

Q. Jason, what has been the Angels' game plan against you guys when you're batting? What can you do to disrupt their rhythm in pitching?
JASON BAY: I don't think, you know, for the most part it's not a team we play a lot during the season, so, you don't see them a lot, but the few times we have seen them, you know, I think we saw Weaver twice in the regular season and I think maybe we got one run. Just one of those things where I don't know if it's a situation where he pitches well against us. I mean, obviously his numbers indicate he pitches well against most teams. But maybe they -- he matches up well against us. I don't know.
They haven't done anything drastically different. You know, just pitching well. We faced a lot of good pitching in this division and throughout the entire year. We've been able to scratch and claw a few more runs. We just haven't been able to do it.

Q. You guys have seen Kazmir a little more than you've seen the other guys. How does that help you or -- is it an advantage or disadvantage to you or to him?
JASON BAY: It's a situation where we have seen him a few times. That definitely helps. But the reports we got and the video we've seen, he's a little bit different than he was early on. Early on I think his velocity was down. He was struggling with the slider a little bit. Obviously he's regained that. Over his last few starts he's been pretty good. So, you know, I think that I guess the silver lining is we have a guy we've seen and we're playing them at home. That's a positive. Still at some point we need to start scoring runs regardless who it is.

Q. What are a couple of reasonable things in your mind for why this team is so much better at home than they are on the road? Both offensively and seemingly all around this year?
JASON BAY: I don't know. I mean first and foremost, this is an intimidating place to play. You come in here, the atmosphere, crowds, what have you. That gives us a little bit of an advantage. And everybody, I mean league-wide everybody plays better at home. I don't know if it's just the familiarity. I don't know if it's being at home, so to speak. I don't know what it is. But for us it's kind of a comfort level. That's something we battled all year, really. We've really played well at home. Tried to manage on the road. I don't think there's one specific thing. I don't think that -- because of the Monster we line up a certain way hitting or anything like that. Guys are more comfortable and you can feel it when we get here.

Q. Jason, obviously you weren't here for any of those comebacks in the last few years. Has there been any talk of that? And do you think that gives the guys confidence that they've done it in the past?
JASON BAY: Yeah. There's been some rumbles. Guys saying that's the position we're in. We've done it before, and as you said, I weren't here, but I read a good quote by Tony LaRussa the other day that said, "If you ignore it when it happened too quick, that means you don't care" in regards to the last game. And I kind of agree with that.
At the same time, what's done is done. Our goal now I think, the short-term is you bust out all the cliches and game-to-game and what have you. But right now what we're trying to do is win two games at home. And we've done that numerous, numerous times during the season. Ultimately you want to win the next three games. I think we have to get to four and five first. And I think the short-term goal is win two games at home which we're capable of and take it back to Anaheim and take our chances.

Q. So your two aces, obviously, now you're down 0-2. Not that two games would have won the series anyways, but how does it make you feel that a kid who was called up in Pawtucket this season, never faced the Angels, never been in the playoffs, that it comes down to him on the pitching side to help you guys win?
JASON BAY: Like you said, we threw our two best out there and it didn't -- they pitched probably, both of them, well enough to get a win. We didn't help them out. I think Buck's really -- I think the underlying story is he came up, he was a Triple-A guy this year and he comes up and he struggled, he's done well and all these things. Bottom line is he's our guy. Save a couple of bad starts, he's been pretty consistent. I don't think anybody is worried. In order for us to get where we want to be or whether it's this year or in the future, he's going to be a big part of that. So it's going to have to happen sooner rather than later. Maybe not the best circumstance. But I don't think that, for him, I don't think it really matters what the game is.
I mean, it's you go out there and you're trying to win whether it's an elimination game or not. I mean, you're going out there and trying to basically do what they've done to us. Like I said, it's not all on his shoulders. Offensively we can help him out a little bit. We're going to need a good start to kind of jump start it.

Q. Given the fact that you were on the West Coast for the better part of the week, is that noon start going to be strange tomorrow or do you think it will have an effect on you?
JASON BAY: I guess it's kind of like the weather. Both teams are dealing with it. Maybe us a little bit differently, you get a little time change and what have you. But I don't think -- I think with the atmosphere and the attitude and stuff, I really think it's going to be a non-issue. Like I said, a lot of times it's like the weather, cold or what have you. Both teams are going through it. We played a noon game once or twice this year. It's not -- we've played an 11 o'clock game not coming from the West Coast.
But at the same time, you know, that's the position we're in. It's about winning games.

Q. When you guys are in a hole like this, how important is it to have a manager kind of with Tito's demeanor? How much does that relax you as a team?
JASON BAY: That's where it starts. It starts at the top. The guys kind of feeds off that energy, good or bad. To Tito's credit, he tries to be the same guy good or bad, winning streak, losing streak, whatever it is. I think now, just given the situation that we're in, I think if he were to be any different, do things any different, I think guys would sense that. Almost a sense of panic. Whether it was after the game last night probably or coming into tomorrow, I feel like he's going to be the same guy, keeping the things loose. We're all professionals.
We've played long enough. We kind of know what's at stake. And I don't think that the panic button or any more undo pressure is really going to be that beneficial. Guys know where we're at. And I think that the moment that Tito changes who he is and what he's done all year, I think the guys are going to sense that.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks for coming in, Jason.

End of FastScripts

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