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AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: TIGERS v RANGERSOctober 13, 2011Ron WashingtonDETROIT, MICHIGAN: Game Five Detroit Tigers – 7 Texas Rangers - 5 THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Ron. Take a few questions for Ron. Q. Ron, you guys did a pretty good job of running up Verlander's pitch count, but he just lasted so long, threw so many pitches ultimately. What would you say about Verlander? RON WASHINGTON: He battles. We did a good job. We had him right there in the sixth. He got out of it. We missed a home run by inches, and they opened the game up by inches. Got a groundball double play, hits the bag, and from that point on, you know, boom, bam. Put up four runs. So that's the way it was. He did what they needed him to do. Stay out there. What a game. Q. Ron, could you explain what you were thinking when you saw the grounder skip over? RON WASHINGTON: When the ball was hit, I said double play. Hit the bag. They caught a break. That's what I thought. Then he makes a pitch down and away on Martinez. He reaches down there and flips it out to right field. From that point on, you know, Delmon comes up there and boom, popped one. Q. Ron, does any kind of pressure descend frankly on a team as it goes back for 6 and 7 when something like this has happened? RON WASHINGTON: No. I thought we played a very good ballgame. You got to give the Tigers credit. They beat us. They caught the break with the ball hitting the bag, and then they swung the bat. They put the runs up. We couldn't catch up. We had the winning run at the plate. So we played as good a baseball as we could today. And they played as good a baseball as they could, and they won. Q. Ron, just wondering your thoughts on C.J.'s outing tonight and particularly after that ball hits the bag. Did he lose any steam after that point? RON WASHINGTON: No, I don't think he lost any steam. The ball hits the bag, bad break. Then he makes the pitches, as I said, on Martinez. You have to tip your hat to Martinez. He reached out there and he did what good hitters does. Put the ball in play. When you put the ball in plays sometimes good things happen. Good thing happened there. Then he got a ball up to Delmon Young. He's been on a tear swinging the bat, and he caught it. Still at that point, we didn't feel like we were out of the ballgame at no point. We just kept battling. We just didn't make it back. Q. Ron, just looking at Beltre tonight, he looked a lot better. Is he a lot better? RON WASHINGTON: No doubt about it. I think tomorrow he'll even be better. He was able to get the bat head through today. I mean, he swung the bat well. He missed two, caught a curveball, hit it to the deepest part of the field. Any other ballpark in America except for Comerica, it may be gone. And then he missed one right down the right field line. No, he's definitely feeling better. Q. Ron, with the way their middle of the order has been struggling throughout this series, has it change now because of that sixth inning and the confidence that they've gotten from that? RON WASHINGTON: They're the ones that have to answer that. That's a dangerous middle of the order. Right there in that sixth inning, they showed up. Catching a break, but they showed up. That happens in the game of baseball. Q. You knew their situation in the late bullpen round I think ahead of time that neither Valverde or Benoit would be available. Frankly, did that play into your opportunities a little bit more to not have those guys around? RON WASHINGTON: Not really. You know, we battled Verlander out there. We made him extend himself as far as we possibly could. We had an opportunity there in the sixth inning with the bases loaded. We didn't come through and then they put some runs on the board for him. And his job today, I think Jim made that clear, was to take them as far as he could. He took them 7-1/3rd innings. 135, 36 pitches, whatever it was. That's why he's a horse. But you know, we extended him. He just won the game. Q. Ron, before that break when the ball hit the bag, had you given -- because of all the respect you have for Cabrera and have shown throughout the series, did you contemplate bringing anybody in at that point? RON WASHINGTON: No. C.J. was throwing the ball well. He made it through Cabrera. He was throwing the ball well. He did what he had to do. He got the groundball. The ball hit the bag. There's nothing you can do about that. That ball don't hit the bag, we turn the double play, we probably off of that field. No, not right there. C.J. was throwing the ball well. Q. Ron, disappointing result tonight, but you did get one of three here. Can you analyze the situation going forward? RON WASHINGTON: We came up here up 2-0. We wanted to win as many games as we possibly can. The Detroit Tigers are here for a reason. Tonight their backs were against the wall. They did what they had to do. Catching a break included. Now we go home. We still feel good about ourselves. THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much, Ron. RON WASHINGTON: You bet. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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