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MLB WORLD SERIES: RANGERS v GIANTSOctober 28, 2010Matt CainBuster PoseySAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Game Two Texas Rangers 0 Q. Matt, you've had some pretty good grooves this year, past years. Can you remember being in as good a rhythm for three starts as you have been in these three post-season starts? MATT CAIN: No, not necessarily. You know, it's been feeling good. I've been able to work ahead in the count. Buster has done a great job of really pushing me to throw pitching in different counts. So I owe a ton of credit to him. But we've just been really trying to maintain to work ahead of the guys in every start I've had. Q. In your last start of the regular season, the last start against San Diego you didn't do all that well. Did that have any effect on what came later? Did you learn something from it? Were you able to focus better in the post-season? MATT CAIN: I think that start definitely helped. I didn't throw the ball that bad there, but I got a -- I threw some bad pitches to get myself in some trouble and they took advantage of it that start. But I think I really tried to make sure that I made every pitch count from here on out, and it's really been my main focus. Q. When Kinsler's ball bounced off the fence, it was a big, big break but you were able to shut them down after that. Can you talk about your thoughts when the ball bounced off and then shutting them down after that. MATT CAIN: I thought it was a home run. I saw it hit and I thought it hit something behind the wall and I thought it was a home run, so I cashed it in as one run. Then I saw that Torres had thrown it in and he was standing on second. From there I just said, hey, I've got to try to keep that guy there and we'll just get the next guy, see if we can get the next guy out and see how it works out. Q. For most of the time you've been on this team the Giants have not had a very strong offense. I wonder if that makes you comfortable in tight games? MATT CAIN: Yeah, from the time I've been here we've always played a lot of close games. That's the way this ballpark usually turns out games to be. So it's one of those things where you get used to pitching in tight ballgames and trying to really understand which situations are really to bear down on. Q. I heard that last year Randy Johnson told you you've got to learn how to pitch into that eighth inning to get these decisions. Is that true? And if it is, could you go through that conversation you had with him? MATT CAIN: R.J. was great for a lot of us. For me and Sanchi and Timmy and Z and all of us, he did a really great job of emphasizing to stay deep in the game because if you're out there in a groove and you can get stuff done, instead of trying to change the ball in different guys' hands, in the relievers'. Not trying to say anything to them, but sometimes those guys might not be feeling good. The later you can get into a game, it seems like the better circumstances you'd be about winning. Q. How do you get later into a game? MATT CAIN: I mean, you've got to try to work ahead in the count is the big thing, trying to get those guys in defensive swings and stuff like that. If you can get ahead in the count, usually those days are where you can usually get later in the game. Q. I was hoping you could talk a little bit about Matt and what he was doing so well tonight. BUSTER POSEY: Well, he commanded the fastball on both sides of the plate and really just -- I mean, he executed his pitches. He threw them where he wanted to. He was aggressive and was able to get some quick outs here early in the game and keep his pitch count down, and you saw him really bear down there in the second and third with one out, and really executed his pitches really well against Cruz and Kinsler. Q. All I heard on the radio and television before this series is the Giants can't pitch to Hamilton, all these great right-handed power arms that you have, they should just walk him, walk him, deal with the guys behind him. You guys have been very aggressive against Hamilton and you haven't pitched around him. Was it part of the plan? Why pitch to Hamilton in these situations? MATT CAIN: Well, we've been lucky enough so far to keep him out of situations where we didn't have to walk him. We haven't had two guys on or anything like that. We've been able to keep him out of that situation so far. You know, I know if there's probably a big situation or something with a guy at second and third with less than two outs, or two outs, we're probably going to be careful with him. So our biggest goal has been trying to maintain the guys in front of him where he's not -- we can try to take advantage of him not having those good situations. Q. For Buster, if Timmy is the freak, what is Matt? BUSTER POSEY: Gosh, I don't know. No answer. I've got to think on that one a little bit. I don't want to say something I shouldn't say. Q. What do you think you are? MATT CAIN: I don't know. We don't nickname ourselves. I wouldn't have any idea. Q. Have you improved as a pitcher over the last year or two? And what have you done that's better because you're pitching so well now? MATT CAIN: I feel like I have, and I feel like that has to do with a lot of the guys around me. Buster stepped up big this year. He's been doing a great job, and when Bengie was here he did a great job. It's not just one guy going out there, it has to do a lot with the guys around you, as well, with R.J. being here and Z and Timmy and Sanchi. We try to help each other, and I think that's the reason that we've all improved through the years. Q. Can you kind of talk about the commanding position you guys have put yourselves in now going to Texas? MATT CAIN: Yeah, we've put ourselves in a good situation. We're definitely going into their ballpark where they're going to feel more comfortable, just like we're confident playing here at home and we're used to the park. We've just got to take that confidence and some of the good approaches that we've had into these last two games and take them down to Texas with us. Q. Talk about your bullpen, how dominant they've been these first two games of the World Series. MATT CAIN: They've done a tremendous job. Lopez has definitely come in and bailed me out plenty of times to get the lefty out when we needed him to get the out for me or when he's done it in other situations. Obviously Wilson has done a great job of closing things out. But the guys in between, Affeldt did a great job in the NLDS, and they've done a great job of really coming in and throwing strikes and trusting their stuff to get guys out and let the defense work. I think that's what's nice about those guys in the pen. They're not afraid to come in and challenge guys. End of FastScripts |
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