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AL DIVISION SERIES: RANGERS v RAYSOctober 11, 2010Ian KinslerTAMPA, FLORIDA: Workout Day Q. This is the first win-and-advance, lose-and-go-home game in the history of the franchise. Has the magnitude kind of sunk in for you guys? IAN KINSLER: I don't think so. We're not really worried about what the franchise has accomplished, what's happened in the past. It really has no bearing on what we're doing right now. We're just trying to win a game and move on. I mean, that's basically it. When it comes down to Game 5, honestly there's really no pressure. You either play well or you go home. You know, that's what we're trying to accomplish. We're trying to move on, and we'll see what happens. Q. Obviously Price is a very tough assignment, but with all the right-handed bats you have in that lineup up and down, how confident do you guys feel in your ability to have a good game tomorrow? IAN KINSLER: We beat them once already, so we're confident. Obviously he has a pretty good track record going this year. The guy that we have on the mound is pretty good. It's going to be a battle. That's what it's all about. Game 5 or Game 7, you know, whichever one, you have two aces on the mound, and whoever is able to scratch off the most runs is going to win. We're pretty confident. Q. In the first game against Price, you guys did some things a little unusual, swinging on 3-0 counts, waiting on fastballs. Do you think things like that will work again? IAN KINSLER: I hope so. I don't know. We'll see. I mean, Cruzzy hit a ball on top of the roof out there in center field on a 3-0 pitch. Hopefully that happens again. I don't know. I don't know if he's going to go to 3-0. I don't know if he's going to throw a breaking ball on 3-0. I don't know if he's going to try his change-up. Who knows. It's part of the game. He's got to throw a pitch 3-0, and there's no reason why we're not allowed to swing. Wash has confidence in us. He's been giving us the green light all year, so it's not too unusual for us to swing 3-0. We're prepared to do it, and we did it a couple times. I think Vlad also did it, hit a ball center field, hit a line drive to center field, a double. We're an aggressive team at times. We like to be aggressive. As Clint Hurdle would say, not reckless -- aggressive but not reckless, so that's our goal offensively. Q. What have you seen from Josh this series, and do you think he's at a point where he's ready to take off? IAN KINSLER: I mean, you can't -- I think Josh is always at the point when he's ready to take off. I mean, his skill set is unbelievable. I'm never going to doubt his ability to where he's at offensively. I mean -- one pitch could get the guy locked in and back on time. I mean, I don't know what he's going through. He's here today taking swings. I don't think anyone is worried about him. I wouldn't say he's in a slump or anything like that. You know, last series of the year, he kind of got his rhythm back, and he was swinging the bat well. He came here and it seemed like the first couple games here he had a couple good at-bats. He didn't get any hits, but -- I think he got one hit, is that right, the first one, the first at-bat? Two hits? But he had a couple good at-bats. I don't think anyone is worried about him. Hopefully he has a big game. Q. Having played with Cliff Lee and gotten to know him a little bit, what is it about him, aside from just his pure talent as a pitcher, that makes him well-suited for moments like this, games like this? IAN KINSLER: It's just competitiveness. His competitiveness is off the charts. You know, I'd like to believe that everyone in the locker room is -- we're all pretty competitive people, but it seems like Cliff just competes at anything, you know, who can eat the fastest, who shot the biggest deer; just random stuff. He's just the most competitive person I've met. I think that helps him out a lot when he's on the field, and when he gets in jams he's able to buckle down, slow down a little bit, and put the ball where he wants it. I think just the competitiveness really puts him over the top. Q. Is there like one story you have that sort of best shows the idea of him being competitive? IAN KINSLER: I don't know if I have a story. I just think anything that he does kind of lets you know that's his attitude. He's not scared to let you know how he feels, either. He's going to come after guys he believes that he's better, and I'm glad he's on my team. Q. How would you describe your chess games with Cliff Lee? IAN KINSLER: As a loss (laughter). That's how I'd describe them. He whoops me pretty good, and he's not scared to let me know that he's dominating me any time. I mean, first move he's dominating me. That's just how he rolls. Q. How would you describe Jeff Francoeur as a teammate and what he brings to the team? IAN KINSLER: You know, Jeff came to our team when we were in Kansas City. We were on the road, and it might have took him about ten minutes to fit in, to feel comfortable, and for guys to feel like he's part of the team. It was pretty crazy. You know, that's what Jeff does. He's got a great personality. He's not scared to say what he's thinking, and he just fit in perfect with this. We've got a lot of guys that are pretty open. We don't really hide anything from each other. We've just got a great chemistry, and he fit right in. I think as far as the clubhouse and in the dugout, he's basically perfect for our team, and obviously he can hit lefties pretty well. End of FastScripts |
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