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NL DIVISION SERIES: DIAMONDBACKS v BREWERS

October 3, 2011

Josh Collmenter

PHOENIX, ARIZONA: Workout Day

Q. Your success against the Brewers, two games only no runs, what, 14 innings, a couple of hits? How do you explain your success against the Brewers so far this season?
JOSH COLLMENTER: I think against the Brewers I had a lot of things working. I was able to establish the fastball and I think really kept them uncomfortable. And as the game got on I think them being such an aggressive team, it got them frustrated. And then you can flip that aggressiveness around on them, make them swing at pitches they're not necessarily comfortable swinging at.

Q. Can you give us a little background on your delivery? I understand it has something to do with axes or hatchets?
JOSH COLLMENTER: Yeah, last year in Double-A I was trying to come up with a reason why I might have. And that's the only thing that could ever really explain it to me.
So whether that actually played into it or not, it's definitely unique, and something I didn't really discover about myself until later on in my career, not until the senior year in high school. I assumed I threw like everybody else, from a normal arm angle. When I went to college my pitching coach harnessed that and thought it was special, and how deceptive it was.
Fortunately I was able to have some success along the way, and I don't think anybody wanted to change anything. But I figured if I went to pro ball and faltered, I figured that was the first thing they'd change, because it is so different from what everybody else does.

Q. Can you convince yourself that this is just another start or doesn't that happen? The magnitude of this game is pretty obvious.
JOSH COLLMENTER: Yeah, that's obvious, but to yourself I think you keep it as close to your same routine as normal. If you let anything make it bigger than it is, then those things start affecting you. If you can treat it as any other game as best you can, I think you're going to have better results. I'm trying to take it, it's another game.
It's a team I've pitched against before. Obviously the crowd and the atmosphere is a little more electric than in the past, but when it comes down to it, it's still a baseball game, and you have to do what you need to to execute to win. I'm going to try to keep my routine as normal as any other start the rest of the season.

Q. The way you started the season, was that something that as it went on kind of blew you away? Was it kind of surprising that you had so much success off the charts right off the bat?
JOSH COLLMENTER: Yeah, little bit. I mean, my goal was always to get here. They say it's harder to stick here than get here. I wanted to make sure I can prove myself at this level like I had the rest of them. It was a new role coming out of the bullpen.
But at the same time I think it's easier to make quality pitches when you're focusing on a few and you can put all your energy into it. Whereas a starter you might have to pace yourself a little bit more.
I tried to learn as quick as I could from the guys in the bullpen about how to prepare and once I learned that it was just going out and executing pitches. I always go right after hitters, I wanted to make sure I didn't change anything I did, because you might recognize the names of the hitters you're facing now. I tried to keep everything as simple and basic as I always have.
I am fortunate to have success and the opportunities that the Diamondbacks allowed me to start and take that and run with it and now we're looking at tomorrow's game.

Q. You make that seem like it happened in like a couple of days, that jump, but when you were in Double-A, did you ever envision being in a situation like this, this quickly?
JOSH COLLMENTER: Definitely not. Last year my big goal was to get to Double-A by the halfway point, hopefully have some starts at a higher level and see what can go from there. The way last season took off and I was bouncing all over the place and pitching in a lot of different leagues and different levels and all over the place.
And the fall league kind of set it up for this year because it's spectacular. As odd as that year was, it's been even twice as much this year. Starting out Triple-A for a week, and getting called up to the bullpen, and to experience all this my first season is truly tremendous. And now you're looking at a postseason start.
I don't think last year I would ever have envisioned. Maybe you think about it and dream about it, but when it comes down to reality you don't think it's definitely going to happen, you don't plan that out.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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