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NL DIVISION SERIES: GIANTS v REDSOctober 8, 2012Bruce BochyCINCINNATI, OHIO: Workout Day Q. Are you ready to name a Game 4 starter? BRUCE BOCHY: Yeah, Barry Zito. He will start Game 4. That's the plan, and he's set to go. He took a pen yesterday, so he's got Game 4. Q. Could you give us a little information on why you chose Barry, say, over Tim Lincecum for this? What went into the decision? BRUCE BOCHY: Well, I think you have to look at what Barry's done, how we have played the last 11 games that he's pitched and he's really just done a terrific job for us. He's won some big games. He's been really on top of his game, and I think he's earned this. We all do. I'm glad to be able to tell Barry that he's getting the start. When you win your last 11 games that a pitcher starts it's a pretty good thing. So that's why he's getting the start tomorrow. Q. Was it the plan that Tim Lincecum was not going to start in this series essentially when you came into this? BRUCE BOCHY: Pretty much. I talked to Timmy about it and said there is a good possibility that he would not get a start. We used him in the bullpen to help out there, which he did give us two solid innings yesterday, and he should be available tomorrow, even, if we need him short. He's pretty resilient and didn't throw a lot of pitches and if not tomorrow the next day and following day. Q. Tomorrow could be an elimination game. Did you put thought on Matt Cain coming back given how few pitches he threw the other day? BRUCE BOCHY: Yeah, sure, we put thought in it, but this is more a case with rewarding Zito with how he's been pitching and the job he's done and I think he's earned this. Instead of pushing a starter back on short rest and there is a history of that not working too well and this would have been the first time that we have asked Matt to do this this year we decided to go ahead and go with Barry. Q. Bruce, Billy's career numbers haven't been that good here. Is that something you decided was in the past and you went more with how he's pitching lately? BRUCE BOCHY: Right, like any player, hitter, they don't have good numbers against a certain pitcher or against a certain club it's more about how they're doing at the time. And I think Barry, if you look at the success he's had the second half and, again, some huge games that he has won for us. He has stopped losing streaks during the season. Again, I think he's earned this. It's not like he's seen this club a lot, but I think it's, again, more of a case that he's throwing the ball well and he's earned this. Q. As you look at last night did Tim Lincecum warm up underneath the tunnels last night, or was it just go out there, stretch a little bit, fling a couple of balls and he's in the game? BRUCE BOCHY: He's pretty close to doing that when he starts a game, too. He doesn't throw very many pitches. We placed him on toss and he assured Righetti that "I'm good to go. I'm ready to go," and he got confused there because he thought we were waiting for the pitcher to get up. He went out there and it probably worked well for him, there wasn't a lot of thinking going on and he got called out there and had some of his best stuff in command. Q. In talking to the Reds, they have pointed to a different between 2010 and this year when they didn't make it out of the first round as experience being a big thing for them this year. You guys are experienced team having made a World Series run in 2010. So is the lesson that the difference between this year and then is that the playoffs can be a little bit of a crap shoot? BRUCE BOCHY: Yeah, and you know that going in. You work so hard to get to the playoffs and you understand, especially in the first series, best out of 5, it can become a little bit of a crap shoot, when you catch a team, how well they throw, balls falling in, base hits, things like that and they have played very well. We haven't pitched as well as we have all year and they have done a petty good job on our pitching, and that's the unfortunate part of a short series, there is not a big margin of error. Hopefully you play your best ball and get great pitch and go get those timely hits which we have not gotten and they have on their side. Q. There is no way to tell if a team is playing and then at the end of Septemberwin a playoff series. Is there any indicator with your team coming down the stretch or you sort of enter and hope for the best? BRUCE BOCHY: No, we felt good with how we had been playing, after we clinched and had took the next two series, we lost the series in LA, but the first game could have gone either way. Won a tie game the second game and gave guys rest the last game, but I thought they did a great job of keeping their focus and continuing to play good baseball. We were all set. We felt comfortable starting when we did. But, again, our two pitchers were off a little bit when you compare what they have done all year, and the bats were quiet yesterday. You've got to tip your cap. Arroyo threw very well and the first game we did hit balls hard. We couldn't get a couple of them to fall in that might have changed that game a little bit, but we know where we are, and we have our work cut out. It is the best of five and we'll come out ready to go tomorrow. Q. When you speak about Zito you sound committed and comfortable in him. So why didn't you name him sooner? What advantage did you gain? What was the process of making you wait until today? BRUCE BOCHY: I don't know if there was really any logic I could give you why we delayed. I think more than anything we had a plan, but you never know what's going to happen. You saw what happened to them the first game. They lost their starter. Game could have gone extra innings yesterday. So it was just that we were waiting to see how the first two games would go and didn't feel like we had to name the four starters because we did want them available in the bullpen, if necessary. At the same time, they had a good idea. But they also knew that if we needed them the first couple of games, then we would change the rotation a little bit. So that's really the only reason I can give you why we didn't name our four starters, because we didn't want to have to change it if something happened in the first two games. Q. Did you at all or would you at all weigh what a guy has done for an organization in the past, or is it all about now? Talking about what Tim has done for with the team over the years versus what Zito has done over the last 11 starts, is that at all in the equation? BRUCE BOCHY: Sure, it is, you have to look at what Timmy has done, but you have to look at the present and that's what we have done. We've looked at this year and recent history with how Barry has been throwing the ball and I'll say Vogelsong, too. Now, with that said, Timmy is on the staff and we think we need some help in the bullpen and we think he has the possibility of really helping us in the bullpen if needed. He showed that yesterday, and, again, he's going to be available the next three games. It's never easy to make a call like this, but you want to do what you think is right in the present and that's what we did just like in 2010 Barry was struggling and was not on our roster. Q. Regarding the intensity level, when you guys clinched in 2010 you went right into the postseason, this year you clinched with more than a week to go and you lost your first two games. Is that at all part of this, is there any intensity‑‑ BRUCE BOCHY: I like to think not. Cincinnati clinched the same day we did. I think we were looking at really the same scenario, where we had quite a few games left before postseason. We had two days off. We felt like we had pitchers set to go. We were able to control that a little bit as far as just resting them a little bit or trying to limit their pitches, and I don't think it really has played a part in what's happened the first two games. Matt Cain went out there and gave us everything he had, just like Madison Bumgarner. I assure you these hitters are trying. They pitched great yesterday, really, both games but I'm not going to use that as an excuse, the fact that we clinched early. We got on a roll in 2010, but we felt like we were on a roll coming into the playoffs. We won 94 games and some of them after we clinched and I felt good about how the guys kept going out there and keeping their concentration and winning ballgames. Q. What were the conversations like that you overheard on the plane today? Last night Madison said there wasn't much conversation at all in the clubhouse among the players. What are the things that you were hearing on the plane now that the players had a night to absorb what happened in SanFrancisco? BRUCE BOCHY: I think more than anything, they just were relaxing back there, doing what they normally do. Some guys were playing cards. We did have some family on the trip, wives and they were watching movies. Not any different than any trip we take, so I can't say I noticed anything different about any conversations that were going on. Q. No National team has come from an 0‑2 deficit in a Division Series. The Reds haven't lost a series at home all year. What sort of mindset do you need to give your team to dig themselves out of a hole? BRUCE BOCHY: I think you have to remind them it's the best of 5 and you may be going against odds. You understand that, but it's happened before in baseball and there has been a lot of different teams that have mounted pretty good come‑backs. You can go back, Boston, they had to win 4 in a row. Sure, it's difficult but it's, again, the best out of 5, you have to win that third game. We are alive, and more than anything you have to have the attitude "never say die" and you come out here, you play hard and you see what happens. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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