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AL DIVISION SERIES: RANGERS v RAYS

October 7, 2010

Matt Garza

TAMPA, FLORIDA: Game Two

Texas Rangers Â– 6
Tampa Bay Rays - 0

Q. Obviously the situation your team is in, can you describe the size of the game tomorrow?
MATT GARZA: It's not bigger than any other, just got to go out there and do my job. Just go out there and try to win. There's no tomorrow, there's no day after, it's just go out there and win, do what we do best, and that's play hard, pitching and defense. Just go out there and keep these guys at bay for a while.

Q. With a lineup as potent as Texas, what's the key for you to win the game on Friday?
MATT GARZA: Take the potency out of that lineup. That's really what you can do. You can't pitch around guys because the guy behind him can hurt you just as much so you've just got to go at him. Got to go at him with my stuff. I've done it before, let's see if I can do it again.

Q. Back in 2008, you were the underdog pitcher several times and seemed to take great satisfaction in winning when people didn't expect you to win. Is this kind of a similar feeling for you?
MATT GARZA: Yeah, you know, we as a club, we've had our backs against the wall in the post-season before. If you guys don't remember, 2008, we went to Boston with a 3-0 lead and they came storming back, winning three straight, and we had to go out there in Game 7. Even though we were the home team, we were the underdog, we were the club everybody counted out.
So I think we're right where we need to be right now, kind of a wake-up call. Nothing else you can do, your back is against the wall, so you've got to fight, got to fight your way out of it, and that's all we can do.

Q. I believe you pitched Game 7 against the Red Sox. Will you draw upon that experience as you prepare for the next game?
MATT GARZA: Not really draw upon it, just remember that feeling, just remember the type of confidence, the type of stuff I took in there. For me, I'm a big emotion guy, so I have a lot, a lot of adrenaline, a lot of excitement, a lot of anticipation just flowing through my body right now, so I can't wait. I'm seriously sitting at the edge of my seat ready to go.

Q. Coming down the stretch you had some starts that weren't quite as sharp as some other starts you've had. Was that a physical problem, a mechanics problem, and do you think you're out of that after a pretty good start the other day?
MATT GARZA: No, I didn't have -- it was three rough starts against three really good teams in the AL East, three teams that we had to fight off to win a playoff spot, also to win the division, and that didn't come down to the last day. So that's, you know, where those guys stand. And the other team is winning 1-0 in Minnesota right now. So it's a -- with the September we faced and the September we had, we're more than ready, more than willing to get this thing done, get it -- let's go. Those starts meant nothing to me. My last two were really sharp and on point, so I think I'm exactly where I need to be going into Texas.

Q. I wonder what the mood is in the clubhouse right now and if there's any player or players that are working extra hard to keep the spirits up.
MATT GARZA: You know, our club is a little different than every other club. We don't take losses as hard. We kind of feed off our manager, and you guys all know who our manager is. He's one of the loosest, most carefree guys there is. He has a master plan behind everything. Just with his aura and his mantra, the way he goes about things is real easy going and relaxed. If he's not stressing, then why are we, is the way we look at it.
Right now our club is loose and ready to get to Texas. We know what we have to do, so there's no reason to stress about it. We know exactly what we have to do, so why think about it? We just have to go out there and perform.

Q. What's the biggest comeback you've been a part of as a player on any level, and do you think this comeback is possible?
MATT GARZA: In '06, I played with the Twins when we were 12 games out in mid-August, and we ended up winning the division on the last day. That's a pretty big comeback. I've seen comebacks. I haven't been part of many, but that's the biggest comeback I can think of.
This club is relentless. We don't quit. A lot of our runs are scored in the 7th, 8th and 9th. So we just keep going, keep fighting until the last out. That's how we've got to play. We know what we have ahead of us. Like I said before, there's plenty to put out there. There's no more secrets, there's no more hidden -- you know, people, let's go.
We've lost two straight, so it's time to turn it around and right this ship. We won three straight before 16 times, that's 48 games we won with three straight wins, and we've won a total of 96 games this year, so that's half of our games that we won three straight. So I like our chances.

Q. You talk about taking the potency out of the Rangers' lineup. Does that mean like creating separation between Hamilton and Guerrero and Guerrero and Young from inning to inning?
MATT GARZA: Oh, no. It's just going right after those guys, going right after them. Make them uncomfortable. Make them think about what they're doing, what they're going to swing at. Right now they're comfortable up there swinging and hitting the cover off the ball, so I've got to make them uncomfortable, make them do what I want them to do, and it's a hard job, definitely a hard job, but somebody has got to do it. And I feel I'm the right man for the job right now, so why not go out there and do it, get the ball on Sunday, so why not go out there and do it.

End of FastScripts

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