|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
AL DIVISION SERIES: RANGERS v RAYSOctober 5, 2010Joe MaddonDavid PriceTAMPA, FLORIDA: Workout Day Q. Joe, what can you tell us about your roster? JOE MADDON: We're still working on a couple things, quite frankly. Just talked to about four guys -- not about four, exactly four, and from those four we have to choose two more. So we're getting closer, had meetings all morning, meetings all yesterday. We have meetings after this, so hopefully by 6:00, I'll have a much better answer. That is just the gospel truth right now, just don't know yet. Q. You guys had the best record in baseball and yet you got two day games. Is that fair or is that any kind of a problem? JOE MADDON: Well, it means we can have a nice dinner, I think. The fact you get out at night, there's so many good restaurants in the area, my wife is in town, my son is flying in at about 5:20 this afternoon, so either hit south Tampa or go down to the beach and have a good dinner. You can't control those kind of things. My first thought was having a normal day, although getting up and being here to talk again tomorrow morning at 10:00 is never really appealing to me, but that's the way it's set up. There's no use complaining about it, it's outside of our control and I'd rather our players focus on the game. It's at 1:37 and furthermore permits us to go see The Outlaws in a couple days. Q. Can you just talk about your expectations for Benoit coming into the year and how he's maybe exceeded those and what's been the key to his season? JOE MADDON: I'll give you the background. During the wintertime Andrew and I were talking about getting different guys in to augment the bullpen and then Joaquin's name up, and when I was with Angels, he was really good for the Rangers back in the day several years ago. I'm starting to look at his numbers, and he put up some real fantasy good numbers a couple years ago. Knowing that he had the arm problem at the end of this year, coming into this year, we just thought that he was a good risk. Spring Training we really wanted to handle him slowly, which we did, and then we sent him out to Durham for a month and he just kept getting better. He came here and we did the same thing here. We didn't want to over use him early on and we didn't, and eventually his command took off and the velocity was there and the really good slider and that split change, whatever that thing is, and then furthermore just getting to know the guy. I mean, I really like this guy. This guy is a really bright young man. He's different in some ways and I kind of enjoy that part of him, too. He really fits into our culture well. He's been a wonderful surprise. He's been in lockdown pretty much the entire season, and he's been a great complement to Grant and himself and Soriano later in the game and of course what Danny has done and Choate has done and all of our bullpen guys, Chad, Danny, it's just a really good group. He kind of took the J.P. Howell role for this year. He's been a great job with that for us. Q. Your thoughts on the rules changes regarding the catwalks, and is this the best possible solution? JOE MADDON: You know what, I'm not that smart to know if it's the best possible solution. I do know I was upset when Kubel hit the roof and we lost the game. I really got on the Trop a little bit verbally. Since then I've apologized to the Trop. We're back on good terms. So even if the rules had not been changed, I thought we could have coexisted well in spite of it. The do-over is always an interesting concept, more than likely whoever hits the ball is going to be out or would have been out but now he's going to get another chance. So from that perspective it's kind of awkward. But the game was just a routine pop-up to shortstop by Kubel, and we lost it and it ends up being a game-winning hit, and that's one of Benoit's earned runs right there. That's just the way it is. That's where we live, and so you know the rules before the game begins, so there's no sense in complaining afterward if it goes against you, like I did. But then after that we were playing Toronto, it was September 1st because I had to go to Lafayette the next day on September 2nd, and Buck for Toronto with two outs hits a high fly ball to left field and thought it may have been out and it was going to hit one of the catwalks, but it actually moved about six inches and it averted being hit and we ended up winning that game. So I really thought the apology helped in that regard in that particular game. Q. You said how many things have to go right to beat a Cliff Lee, how many things have to work defensively in your pitching. But your hitters when they're standing at the plate, you've got a pitcher who throws strikes like that, how have they had a knack of getting that hit when it really matters against him? JOE MADDON: Well, we just never give up. I mean, we grind it out. I saw an interesting number today. We had one of the lowest batting averages to win a division or get into a championship situation. It goes back to whatever, there's maybe five or six or seven teams that have had .250 or less. I think we're sitting at .247. You have to read into our numbers. Our numbers aren't just about batting averages. We score a lot of runs. We put a lot of pressure on the defense with our base running, we situational hit well, and I think more than anything we don't quit. One of the concepts I threw out there during Spring Training was to dominate games late. What I meant was not just about pitching but to apply high level of offense and defense as the game progresses, also, and I think we've been able to do that, or obviously we have. So with a guy like Cliff Lee or a Halladay or whomever, Sabathia, all the better pitchers, we just don't give up. Our first two at-bats might not be the best, but the third and fourth may be. I think our guys get that and that's why you've seen us do a good job against better pitchers and furthermore, you only beat better pitchers by pitching well. I mean, everybody -- don't get that confused. We beat a Cliff Lee or a Halladay or Sabathia or whomever because we pitch well, and that's what it comes down to, at the end of the day we have to pitch it and catch it to beat these guys. Q. In 2008, this team surprised a lot of people. You guys were maybe along for the ride. Now you're in the driver's seat. How does that 2008 experience affect the team now? How does it make a difference? JOE MADDON: I think when you have expectations laid upon you, it's different. This year we came into the season with more expectations. There wasn't a whole lot coming off a 100 loss season in 2008, so we had to deal with that. And again, going back to the original concepts, we're -- one of the main reasons why we're sitting here in this position is because of the start we got off to this year. We got off to like a 32-12 start which was another one of the concepts we threw out there in Spring Training to get off to a good start, to dominate late, understand the fine line between winning and losing. Those are the three things we harped on during Spring Training. You look at the position we're in right now and it really has a lot to do with how we began the year, and that's why towards the end we had kind of a mediocre last month of the season in some ways, although the competition was great. But that's who we are right now, and that's why we sit in this position. I think the fact that we were able to play a complete game, the fact that we were able to throw things out there in Spring Training, the guys listened, we performed in that manner and that permits us to be sitting here today under these circumstances. Q. Somewhat of a aged man the last three days of the Sean Rodriguez says Longoria was a little bit of a caged animal trying to get into the lineup. How much do you like that in him and what do you expect from him after missing ten games? JOE MADDON: Well, you've got to love that about Longo, I've been holding him back for days. He came into the office in Kansas City pleading to get into the game the entire weekend, even after we had had a meeting on the first day and there was no addendum written where he was going to get into any of those games, but he kept trying. Longo wanted us to win the American League East, also, and felt he could impact that, and of course he could have. But we had to make that decision, and I think it was the right decision retrospectively. It's easier to see that, since we held him out. Right now, going into these playoffs I feel pretty good about his health and the fact he's able to play third base and he's not going to be limited. That's just who Longo is. Longo is a young man, and I've talked about him and David in the same way. They understand their place in the game. I think they handled it as well as any young player handles it in all of Major League Baseball. They're the kind of guys that really respond well to bright lights and moments, and so Longo just wanted to participate, and it's great that he was that caged tiger. And I think -- I watched him in BP, we had a simulated game yesterday. We had Mike Ekstrom throw to him, the first slider that he saw, he hit for a homer well into the seats in left center field, a good at-bat, line drive to right, ran the bases well, was extended on defense. We did some different things defensively, so I really believe he's going to be just fine. And in some perverse way maybe the rest is going to help him perform even better right now. Q. You talked about the team being a little bit mediocre of late. Is that a concern going into the post-season or is the post-season sort of like a clean slate? JOE MADDON: It's really not, and honestly I think part of our mediocre performance was two series Boston, New York, Toronto and Baltimore. We play in a pretty severe division, and any time you could play those teams tough -- you can see Toronto what they did this year and what they did this last month, Baltimore playing a really different pace of game than what they had been. Then you have to play the Yankees in two crucial series, seven games. The series we had against Boston here earlier in the month of September was absolutely phenomenal. We've played several playoff games already this month, whether it was versus Boston or the Yankees, and even to some extent, like I'm saying, Toronto and Baltimore fabulous games, really well played games on both sides. At the end of a day, if you can come out of a month like that and hold serve in a sense, and again, it speaks to the good start. But I am not concerned. In 2008, going into those playoffs we did not play well in Detroit either, and we came out and we did pretty well. It's a new season. Guys are kind of reborn in a sense. Anyway, that was tired. It's no longer tired. So I believe you're going to see a good Rays ballclub starting tomorrow. Q. Last week you said you were the most nervous you have been in your career for that start to clinch the playoff spot. How will your nerves be tomorrow? DAVID PRICE: I think they'll be all right. I feel fine right now. They'll be okay. Q. You get ready for this start tomorrow, does it compare at all to the way you felt the night before the All-Star Game? DAVID PRICE: I don't know. I mean, like I said, I feel fine right now. When I got to LA for the All-Star Game, I was pretty nervous. Most the nerves set in whenever you get out there and start doing stuff, start throwing, start warming up and that type of stuff. I feel good. Going into the game tomorrow I'm sure I'm going to have serves. So is Cliff Lee. You're not human if you don't have them when you go out there. This is fun. This is what we live for. This is why we worked so hard in the off-season and Spring Training and the whole year. This is what we've worked for all year long, and you're going to have some nerves. Q. David, two years ago you were out of the bullpen closing games, everything else. Now you've had over probably a week knowing that you were going to have this start. Your thoughts coming into tomorrow's game? DAVID PRICE: It's big. It's the biggest game I've ever been a part of coming into tomorrow. It'll be a lot of fun and hoping for a good game, offensively, defensively and pitching. Been playing pretty good baseball here recently and we never quit. You can't count us out of any game, whether we're up by however many or down by however many, this team doesn't stop. Q. Pitching against Vladimir Guerrero, is that like a unique experience, because since he chases stuff out of the strike zone? How do you do that? DAVID PRICE: Yeah, he makes it tough, he does. You can throw a pitch nowhere near the strike zone, he might swing at it, might swing and miss, might hit it for a double off the wall. He's a tough guy to pitch to, he's probably the best bad ball hitter in baseball. You've got to kind of pick your spot if you're going to throw him a strike, and if not, you've got to make sure it's a bad enough ball to where he doesn't hit it. Q. When you're up against a guy like Cliff Lee, does it change your approach at all or does it create that overall intense match-up that make these playoffs so great? DAVID PRICE: No, it doesn't change your approach at all but you do know coming into that game that you've got to keep those runs for that opposing team to a minimum. You can't go out there and give up three or four or five runs because you're going to lose. Pitchers like him, more oftentimes than not, they're going to bring their A game especially in a spot like tomorrow. You've got to come in ready to go, give your team a chance to win, and if they score just stop the bleeding as soon as you can. Q. Can you talk about the starting staff, you guys have all built on each other's starts, you get to be the Game 1 starter, have a chance to build momentum, for Shields coming up, Garza after that, Davis and the rest of the staff? DAVID PRICE: Yeah, we've built off each other all year. That's what we do. We sit over there and watch each other pitch and we pick each other up when we do good or bad. It's been a lot of fun. This starting staff is pretty unique I feel like. We all hang out together, we go out and have starting pitchers dinner and stuff like that. It's a lot of fun. We all get along. We build off of each other, and that's good. We've done it since Spring Training. That guy goes out there and throws seven innings with two runs and the next guy wants to go eight innings with no runs. We build off of each other, and that's the way we should do it and that's what we talked about in Spring Training and we've been able to kind of follow through that with process all year. Q. What do you like best about your team heading into tomorrow now? DAVID PRICE: We're the Rays. We never think we're out of the game. I think that's our -- that's our biggest quality I feel like. It doesn't matter who's on the mound to close the game out against us. We never feel like we're out of it. We've been down quite a few times late in games, and we've found ways not only to get one or two runs but to get five and six. Whenever we get ahead late in the game, we try and put the stamp on it. Q. Who's that guy from two years ago right now to this guy right now? DAVID PRICE: Completely different. Experience, a whole lot of experience -- not a whole lot, but a lot more than what I had. Two years ago I felt like I was more of a thrower, now I've developed into more of a pitcher, and that's hard work and that's Hickey and Stan and all those guys that have helped me out, Greenie, Ty Green, that we had here a couple years ago. It's all those guys. I'm a product of what they've put into me right now, and I feel like I'm really night and day of what I used to be. Q. How much have you been thinking about Longoria's health? How much does it mean when you look over and see him at third? How much better a team is this with Longo in the lineup? DAVID PRICE: A lot. He's one of the best players in baseball for sure, so whenever you can have not only Evan at third, but he's a Gold Glove, he's hitting whatever he's hitting with however many home runs. He's a big threat in that lineup and every pitcher, they're going to try not to let Evan beat him. So it's big to have him on the bases. If he does get a hit, guys are going to be more careful with Evan. It's huge. You do feel good with Evan at third base, you do feel good with Longo up at the plate, and we like having him in the lineup, that's for sure. Q. I don't know if you're aware of this, but the game Sunday, they showed you when the Yankees lost going and putting the word out in the dugout. That was the end of a two and a half or three-month really tight race. Can you describe what that moment was like? DAVID PRICE: That was good. Obviously we wanted to win that game, but we wanted to be AL East champs any way possible, and that could come with a Yankee loss, also, and they just so happened to lose before we could win. There was a couple of us up there watching and we wanted to tell the guys, and it was good. Everybody was watching the scoreboard, but the scoreboard was a little bit delayed. There was just a lot of joy. We couldn't celebrate yet. We were still down, I think, by two at the time. But Carlos came through with a big hit and Rocco stealing that base and the score by whoever it was, I don't remember. Q. You kind of touched on this a little bit, but given that moment, what does that say about your team? You could have just -- Carlos gets an out, you still go into the dugout but you continue to play for another hour and get to go out on top? DAVID PRICE: That's one of the things I said to Shields whenever 'Los got that big hit. I was like oh, man, we might have to play extra innings now, which that's a little bit selfish of me to say because I just wanted to go celebrate. Shields looked at me like, are you crazy? We want to win this game. I was like, I guess you're right. This team just wants to win. We go into every single game wanting to win. I talked to CC Sabathia last year after they won, and he said that's the biggest thing he felt like the Yankees did in 2009, they expected to win every single game, and I feel like that's what this team has done all year. End of FastScripts |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|