	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

NL DIVISION SERIES: REDS v PHILLIES

October 10, 2010

Charlie Manuel

CINCINNATI, OHIO: Game Three

Phillies: 2
Reds: 0

KATY FEENEY: Questions for Charlie Manuel.

Q. Charlie, is this series as simple as good pitching will stop good hitting?
CHARLIE MANUEL: I think when you look at it, it definitely was our pitchin'. The other night, Roy gave up some runs, but at the same time, you know, like our bullpen came in that night and really did a heck of a job. Roy Halladay and tonight Cole, both of 'em were outstanding. Cole was good.

Q. His game all the way tonight?
CHARLIE MANUEL: Not really, but he finished it, didn't he? I had a plan. I didn't have to use it, all right?

Q. Charlie, just a little bit about Cole tonight. What made him so effective tonight? He made the pitches when he needed them?
CHARLIE MANUEL: Offensively, his pitches were great. He was in good command and very aggressive. He went in and out on left-handed or right-handed hitters, and his stuff was real good. He had a good cutter, a good change-up, didn't throw many curve balls, but when he did, he used 'em smart. Pitched real good. Could throw the ball high when he wanted to, I felt like that was big.

Q. I asked Dusty about three starting pitchers in the playoffs thinking back to some of the playoff teams, and he came up with the same one I would have, Baltimore with McNally and Cuellar and Palmer. Can you think back to a team in the playoffs that has had such a good threesome at the top?
CHARLIE MANUEL: Probably was the last time in '95 with the Braves when I was in Cleveland, they had Maddux, Smoltz, and Glavine and Avery, I think, was their fourth guy. But at the same time, that was a good startin' staff. But this staff here is, I would say, it sits right in there.

Q. You know, not to cast a dark cloud here, but are you a little disappointed with the way you guys swung the bats in the three games, and do you have to swing them better, especially if you see a team like San Francisco?
CHARLIE MANUEL: I'm never disappointed as long as a "W" comes out of it. That's our main objection, but at the same time, I also watched the game and I saw some well-hit balls there tonight early. And I also saw where we just missed some balls. We had a few on the end of the bat that were just below the fat part of the bat that we hit pretty good. Like if we had have hit 'em a little better, we could have got something out of it. That's what I saw.
Do I want us to score more runs? Of course. And we're definitely very capable of it. I look at it this way, I'm always positive. When we start, somebody is in trouble. That's how I look at it. We're going to start sooner or later and when we start gettin' 'em, we'll take care of things.

Q. How about the layoff before the next series, does that concern you?
CHARLIE MANUEL: Like I said today, a lot of times I hear in the playoffs or the series or whatever, you know, when you got a long layoff, people say, Does it bother you? That's the old stand-by. If you do good, they say the layoff didn't hurt you.
I think you know us, I don't think we're going to start making excuses.

Q. What was your impression of the Reds young pitching in this series?
CHARLIE MANUEL: They got a lot of talent. Actually the -- they've got real big-time talent. I think about this time next year, you're going to see a tremendous team out of the Reds. They got young pitching, big arms, and they got good, young pinch hitters. And I know their defense was a little weak here in this series, but at the same time, during the season, it wasn't. It was top in the national league and they got tremendous infield. That's just the way it happened.

Q. Charlie a couple of hard-hit balls you talked about were by Utley tonight. The fans ran him tonight and he responded.
CHARLIE MANUEL: He likes to hit in this yard. He swings the bat good and he -- but Chase is what I call an everyday player, every single day he brings it. On some days he's not very good. He'll keep right on swinging, right on working. Like I said the other day, he makes mistakes in the field sometimes and he'll keep right on. And he'll find it and that's what makes him a great player.

Q. How much easier is this starting lineup making your job?
CHARLIE MANUEL: Making my job? I'm good when you throw no-hitters and shut-outs. I think I'm a pretty good manager, what do you think?

Q. So far so good (Chuckles.)
CHARLIE MANUEL: No, a lot easier. Good pitching is definitely -- especially in a short series, and also during the regular season, that's where it's at. Consistent pitching will keep you in a lot of games, and if you can catch a ball and stuff.
But all three of it goes together. Our defense has to catch balls and it helps make the pitching. And also our offense has to click. And you're right, Jimmy, when you say we can score more runs. And I don't have the answer to why we don't, believe me. If I had my way, we would score 20 or 30 tonight. We would be here a long time.

Q. Charlie, you can't top a no-hitter unless you throw a perfect game, but in some ways, Cole's performance tonight was almost as dominating as Roy's.
CHARLIE MANUEL: Yeah, when you throw a shut-out like he did, that's big. How many did he give up, three or four?

Q. Five?
CHARLIE MANUEL: Okay. Five, yeah, like that's -- that's absolutely pitchin' a good game. He was sharp and I mean, he was good the whole 9 innings.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297