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NL WILD CARD GAME: CARDINALS v BRAVESOctober 5, 2012Mike MathenyATLANTA, GEORGIA: Game Day St. Louis – 6 Q. (Indiscernible)? MIKE MATHENY: That was our main concern. You see those metal bottles half full being thrown out there, and that could certainly hurt somebody so that was the first concern, and then they all got to a safe spot on the field and waited for things to come down. But I do applaud the Braves effort to get things under control, and fortunately nobody got hurt. Q. Did that influence the celebration plans at all? Were you planning to come into the clubhouse and not do anything on the field or was that after the fact? MIKE MATHENY: No, we just felt it was best for the players not to take that risk and get stuck out there and risk something happening. So we made it very clear if we could finish that thing off, let's get inside the dugout as quick as we can, and go up to the clubhouse. Q. What were your thoughts on the call that was controversial in left field? MIKE MATHENY: We saw what happened. We saw the infield fly being called. Guys in the dugout yelling and pointing. So I understand why the Braves would be frustrated. We get that. But when that call is made, at that point, a couple things can happen. But we know that the ball is dead, runner is out, and runners advance at their own risk. But our guys would have made this a whole lot easier if we make the play, and they make that play 99 times out of a hundred. It just didn't happen that time. I was just happy to see that the umpires stayed with the right call, because once that call is made, it sticks. Q. Did the one‑game playoff affect your managing at all? Your decision to pull Lohse maybe earlier than you normally would have? Or was that not because of the one game? MIKE MATHENY: We watch our guys close all the time. We try to just stick with playing the game the same way, but you can't be completely oblivious to the fact that you've got one shot at this. Kyle was going well. He was getting to the point where a couple of balls were hit hard, and we have quite a few arms available in the pen so there is an urgency when you're playing a game that's similar to a Game 7 so it did influence things. But as far as the overall approach, I thought our guys did a terrific job of just walking in there, ready to play a baseball game, and do it at a high‑caliber, high‑intensity, and they pulled it off. Q. Now you move on. But does winning this game help your momentum, especially having faced the Nationals and beating them so handily last time? MIKE MATHENY: There was nothing handily about it. A very good team. We have the utmost respect for Davey Johnson and that club. They have all the components to a winning team. It's just going to be an opportunity for our guys to go out and compete, and that's all they're looking for. You can take your predictions and underdogs and do whatever you want with them, because it all happens out on the field, and our guys are prepared to go and compete. Q. Two years in a row now this ballclub in big games seems to find a way to win. Whatever it might be, you seem to be able to come out on top in games like this. MIKE MATHENY: We've got a lot of games like this this season. I was just talking this over with our general manager, John Mozeliak. And it seemed like an overwhelming number of close games and not a lot of them went our way. But I think those close games where things just don't go smoothly, I think they develop character. I think they develop perseverance. To me, as I look at our club, that's what I see. I see a team that's tough to beat when you have a great mix of character and talent. They're going to continue to believe in themselves, and that's what we have. They believe they can do it, and that's hard to stop. You can talk about it, but you've got to execute. Q. I'm not sure I'll get an answer, but I'll try. Does Wainwright start Sunday? MIKE MATHENY: Yeah, we're not prepared to give you that right now. We have a workout tomorrow at home, and most likely we'll give all the information at that point. Nice try though. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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