	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

AL DIVISION SERIES: RANGERS v RAYS

October 10, 2010

Joe Maddon

ARLINGTON, TEXAS: Game Four

THE MODERATOR: Okay. We will get started with Joe Maddon.

Q. Joe, I think you said on Thursday, talking about how your team had the winning streaks and just that kind of consistency, that run that was able to get you where you are at.
JOE MADDON: Yeah, we always have been able to bounce back from different kinds of adversity like the first two losses against the Rangers. I've talked about the last month in September versus the Yankees, the same thing happened there, the same thing happened in Kansas City. Our guys are pretty resilient and we have short memories, which is a good thing. So we have the pitching to do that, also. We haven't had any real long losing streaks this season. We had I think five, might have been five or six? Five, five-game losing streak was the top losing streak of the summer. We are pretty resilient about coming back.

Q. What extent do you think Evan is affected by the leg offensively and defensively?
JOE MADDON: The guys were asking me that morning. He is affected. You saw him running to first base, he can't run like he is normally able to. This guy can steal bases, a very good base runner. Defensively again he is limited a little bit, range left and right. The biggest thing about his hitting to this point, I think he has been out of his zone a little bit. I think he is trying too hard at the plate and trying to do too much and he has been expanding the strike zone. Otherwise I think he looks relatively normal. He is not there, I agree with you 100%. Overall I would like to see him get back into the strike zone, swing at pitches he likes and not expand. Like the ball hit to right-center at the end of the game I liked that, I thought it was one of the better pitches he has seen, and he drove it pretty well. That's what I am seeing with Longo right now.

Q. You had three or four really important guys break out in the late innings last night, how important is that?
JOE MADDON: Normally every team would like to have the meaty part of the batting order contribute and we finally kind of got that yesterday. Carlos hitting in the 7 hole, he actually has done well in the 7 hole this year every time we put him down there he had good moments in the 7 hole. But to have Carl do what he did, and Carl was also very big for us. We do have different people throughout our lineup that are capable of contribute. Look what Dan Johnson did versus left-handers, that was a good at-bat. And even Matt Joyce batting, he hit the ball well, beat it out on the back side but I thought that was a good at-bat. So as a group, it's always nice when your horses kind of get the big hits.
Overall we are confident in all of our guys. Look at what Mikey Jaso did on the 0-2 pitch, I believe, the base hit up the middle against Feliz. A great at-bat and that guy works good at-bats on a consistent basis as well as anyone on the team.

Q. If Wade were to struggle is Jeff your next one in?
JOE MADDON: More than likely. I'd like to believe though that Wade will have a good day. He's been throwing the ball very well. For those that have seen us recently, since his shoulder concerns, the velocity has come up, he has been throwing the ball really hard. A really good breaking ball, a nice change-up to go with it, too. So I really -- I know Wade is ready. Of course if something were to go awry, it would be Jeff, but I think Wade will be ready today.

Q. Can you talk about your switch at shortstop today. Kind of what factors went into that.
JOE MADDON: I have confidence in both of these guys and it's just really close calling between both of them versus this pitcher today. And honestly, with the right field the way it is here, Reid has that kind of pop he may walk into something today. Defensively, they are really very similar players. So there's just maybe more of a hunch thing. But I normally don't go with what you would call a hunch, but looking at the numbers, they are really similar between the two players versus this pitcher today. But I like Reid coming, Reid sitting for a couple of days normally comes up and does a pretty good job.

Q. Kind of off-the-wall question: The fungo bat, the story behind it and John McNamara.
JOE MADDON: I worked with John McNamara in the mid '80s, actually I think '87, maybe it was '88, I am not quite sure. Billy Bavasi called us, they were good buddies, and Johnny Mac came on board to work as an instructor during Spring Training and during the instructional leagues, and we were good friends. And Skip would walk around with his fungo bat. And it is kind of -- I do tribute things very subtly, this is my tribute to Johnny Mac. A great man, taught me a lot. Johnny Mac was a good catching instructor, also. But it came down to a lot of game strategy. He would talk to young managers and coaches about game strategies, and after all he did a very nice job as a Major League manager himself. So he is a special guy. He is living in Tennessee, and he's a very good friend.
THE MODERATOR: Okay, thank you very much.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297