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NL DIVISION SERIES: REDS v PHILLIES

October 10, 2010

Dusty Baker

CINCINNATI, OHIO: Game Three

KATY FEENEY: Questions for Dusty Baker.

Q. Dusty, Paul mention he's in the lineup. Can you give us an update on Orlando, maybe beyond today, and if you have any other lineup changes?
DUSTY BAKER: We're not sure yet because he has to see the doctor and he hasn't seen a doctor yet. So we'll make a determination after he sees the doctor. Any other lineup changes, Jonny Gomes is back in there and, let me see, Ramon Hernandez is back in there.

Q. Who are you pitching tomorrow?
DUSTY BAKER: We're not sure yet. It depends how -- who we use tonight and then we'll just determine after tonight's game. I'll let you know probably tonight.

Q. The latest score, I don't know, but you guys got the Tampa Bay Texas game on?
DUSTY BAKER: Yeah, it's 5-2.

Q. So you turned to your guys and say, "You see?"
DUSTY BAKER: I don't think I have to do that; they know. I think everybody knows that it's possible and very probable. And it's in the hands of if you get a good-pitched game, number 1, and you need some timing hitting. And that's the difference in their series. In the first two games, Texas got all the timely 2-out hits. And then the last two games, it's been mostly Tampa Bay.
So the team that gets the most 2-out hits in the clutch is usually the one that wins. You have to play good baseball, you have to play good defense and good pitchin', but you certainly need timely hitting, especially 2-out hits.

Q. Say, Dusty, how much were you counting on Edmonds to have been ready for this series?
DUSTY BAKER: We were hoping so. We weren't really counting on it, but we were hoping that he would have been ready. Like I said, we had our fingers crossed more than we were really counting. And it looked like he was making progress, and then he had another set-back. So that makes it almost impossible for him to be ready for this series or probably even the next series.

Q. Paul said he thought everybody looked pretty normal, like they were just taking it like another game, they were pretty loose. Is that what you see?
DUSTY BAKER: Paul being Paul Janish? You guys talked to Paul Janish already? How was he, pretty good?

Q. He was Paul.
DUSTY BAKER: He's a smart kid. But, anyway, yeah, I think everything is normal. You take it as if it's normal. You know, you just fight harder, concentrate more, and this is -- I mean, this is a real, I don't know it might sound corny, but this is a "must win." A lot of times you hear that question, "Is this a must win," and a lot of times it's, no. But today it's a "must win!"

Q. How do you feel about Scott Rolen and where he is physically and what he's going to be able to do the rest of the series?
DUSTY BAKER: Well, we don't know that either. He's such a threat and a great defensive player, and you know that he could rise to the occasion. We're going to have to keep an eye on him big time. He wants to play. We want him to play. Like I said, a lot of guys are hurt out there. I was watching Tampa Bay, and Evan Longoria is hurt. And there are a lot of guys out there that you don't know are hurt.
And Scotty is hurtin' some. And so we were hoping the days off in between would help the situation. So I'm just hoping that he can play like Scotty.

Q. Dusty, I know it's a big day here in Cincinnati, sportswise, with you guys playing and the Bengals playing, the change of scenery. Can that do a player good, in terms of -- I know the game is played between the lines, but some players say fan support makes a difference?
DUSTY BAKER: Well, it does make a difference. It's not a change of scenery. It's a change from being on the road to being home, and we're home. And this is a big day in Cincinnati, big day. I drove downtown to pick up my friend today to come to the game, there are Bengal fans everywhere, Cincinnati fans everywhere. And there's even people going to Disney on Ice over here. And it's a big, big day in Cincinnati. And I'm hoping all the teams involved can win today!

Q. How important is this entire experience going to be, you think, if you take it beyond here for these younger kids that are seeing this for the first time?
DUSTY BAKER: That's a very good question, very good question.
I think this is -- I mean, I look at their roster, I read something today, 19 of their 25 guys have playoff experience or something like that. And we'll be in that situation next year, where a lot of our guys would have been in playoff experience. So there are no more surprises, you know what's comin', you know.
I mean, you look at the Philly team over there, you know, their first playoff in a long period of time was 2007, I think. And that experience helped them for the next one and the next one and the next one. So certainly, we want to do everything we can to win and go as far as we can in this one.
But this is big experience, especially for my young players. They can take this with them for a long time. And hopefully -- the thing that we wanted to do when we came here was build this thing where you could have a good chance to be in this position for a number of years, especially consecutive years. And you talk to people around baseball, and they say we're on the right course and on the right path to have a chance to do that.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Dusty.

End of FastScripts

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