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NL DIVISION SERIES: BRAVES v GIANTS

October 11, 2010

Bruce Bochy

ATLANTA, GEORGIA: Game Four

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Bruce Bochy.

Q. The Braves haven't seen Bumgarner before. If he comes out and throws strikes like he normally does, do you think that he might have an advantage as deceptive as his delivery is?
BRUCE BOCHY: It's hard to say. I mean, sometimes you hear hitters haven't faced a pitcher, but it's up to the pitcher to locate, and make his pitches. That's usually the case. Whether you've seen him or not, the guy we're facing today, he's tough. He's been throwing the ball well. We've seen him a few times and he's still tough.
It comes down to executing your pitches and throwing strikes.

Q. As bad as Bobby feels for Brooks Conrad, Aubrey Huff has been waiting a long time to have his moment. Can you talk a little about a guy that's waited as many at-bats in as many games to come up the way he did last night?
BRUCE BOCHY: Yeah, I'm sure that had to be right up there at the top as far as his biggest hits. He's been waiting for this moment for quite a few years. He's talked about it.
And he's enjoying it. He's loose. And for him to come through in that situation, it's large for us, for him. He's facing a tough left-hander there.
This guy I didn't know a lot about before we got him, and what a great teammate. Not just on the field, what he does hitting in the three hole, but in the clubhouse. He loves playing the game, has fun playing, and I'm sure that it's a hit he'll always remember.

Q. Did you have to give much thought to putting together the lineup today?
BRUCE BOCHY: No, I had pretty much made up my mind it would be the same lineup out there. I thought Fontenot did a nice job. Last night it was made up.

Q. You've been pretty loyal with your relievers, but in a tight series like this, would you consider going to somebody else in the 8th inning after two hiccups in a row?
BRUCE BOCHY: Well, yeah, I think you have to. I mean, I'll talk to Serge. This guy has been throwing the ball so well, especially coming down the stretch. He's been as hot as anybody. I think his last 30 hitters he's faced he's given up like two hits or something. You know, he happened to have a couple of hiccups here, but, you know, with that happening, we may mix it up a little bit and change things up.
But I still believe in this kid, because he's a big reason why we're here. He'll still be part of it. But we may change things up a little bit.

Q. Madison Bumgarner said last night he kind of prepared as if he was going to start today no matter what. The way he's been kind of even keel all season long, do you expect him to have any nerves tonight or do you expect him to be the same he's always been?
BRUCE BOCHY: Madison knew that this would probably be his game. So that did help him prepare. As far as him being nervous, for 21 years old, this kid's handled everything so well. Last year when we brought him up, and bringing him up and putting him in the rotation, I love the way he carries himself, the poise that he has. So I have all the confidence that he's going to go out there and be himself and not try to do too much.
He's got a great way about him. He's a great make-up guy, that I think he'll handle himself just fine.

Q. To what extent would you give Buster credit for some of the pitch calling in this series with the success that your pitchers, particularly your starting pitchers have had thus far?
BRUCE BOCHY: Well, I think any time a pitcher throws a nice game or your pitching staff's doing a good job, I think you have to look at the catcher and give him credit too, because he's working with him, he's handling the staff and kind of guiding him along and talking to him in between innings or even as he's pitching, Buster goes out to the mound.
So I think you do have to look at the job he's done and give him credit. Here's a guy that we brought up this year, kind of thrown, just gave him the staff and he's handled his staff well. They've done a great job. Buster's part of it.

Q. You saw so much great pitching in September, was this as good a run, three games, as you've seen? Is this as good as you've seen your guys go to the scouting report?
BRUCE BOCHY: Yeah, it's hard to do what we did in September there. I mean, actually, it was a little historic with the quality starts. We know it.
But when they're throwing like they're capable of throwing, like any pitcher with good stuff, they're going to be tough. And if you really look at all of the games, there's not a lot of scoring. The pitchers doing a good job.
Because when you get to this point, every team probably has good pitching, that's why they're here. That includes us. If they're on top of their game, they're probably going to give you a chance to win, and this is what our guys are doing.

Q. Going back to Buster for a minute. Have you seen maybe the pitchers, maybe a good rapport developing in terms of them not shaking him up very much for a young catcher, you know? And also have you been surprised at all how fast he's kind of grasped the mental side of the position?
BRUCE BOCHY: Well, I think from the start when he took over, I thought he and the staff really developed a nice rapport. They had a sense of confidence with him back there. That's not an easy transition.
I mean, Bengie did a great job. He was the one that kind of helped bring these young pitchers around. But then when Buster stepped in, I think they knew that, you know, he was into handling them. Not just the hitting part, but catching, good thrower, good blocker. Takes a lot of pride back there.
So I really felt that happen right away. Sometimes it takes time. But going back to last year, this spring, he caught all these guys, so he knew them. They knew him, and what they're about, so it made that transition a lot easier with the last year and a half doing some work with these guys.

Q. Do you prefer the extra time off in the postseason, the extra days? Or are you like Scioscia who prefers fewer days off in the postseason?
BRUCE BOCHY: I would prefer, I think, fewer days off. Keep it moving. But it's part of the schedule. I said earlier, it was strange having the three days off before we started. But you deal with it.
Of course, traveling to Atlanta and back, that's needed.

Q. Is there an average time for the baseball people think of as far as the catcher getting acclimated with his staff? Or is it different with each catcher?
BRUCE BOCHY: Always different. With each catcher. Some guys don't develop for a few years and they become very good game callers. Some have just a feel, a knack right away.
I said this, I think Buster pitching in college, you know, that helps, too. You have a little feel of what you want to do to that particular hitter, and I'm sure that's helped him. But that was one reason why we didn't start the season with him, so he could continue that part of his game and improve.

Q. What do you make of the series Uribe's having? It seems he's doing a lot of swinging for the fences. Did you give any thought to maybe Renteria today?
BRUCE BOCHY: Juan, that's who he is. I mean, he always looks like he's swinging for the fences. I don't know if that's going to change. You look at what he's done this year for us and the damage that he's done. Sometimes he's going to have games like that.
But he's a huge reason why we're in this situation, so, no, he was going to be out there at shortstop, and we have Edgar to go in if needed.

End of FastScripts

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