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NL DIVISION SERIES: DODGERS v BRAVESOctober 3, 2013Don MattinglyATLANTA, GEORGIA: Game One Q. How is Dre feeling today and what's he going to be able to do for you, if anything, tonight? DON MATTINGLY: I think a lot like yesterday. We know he's kind of‑‑ my thinking is he's here to pinch‑hit. You're not going to see him in the outfield or anything like that. A guy that we can use off the bench to hit. Q. What role do you think you'll use Capuano in this series? DON MATTINGLY: It would depend on what kind of game. He could possibly be a guy that if something would happen early to one of our starters, could be a guy that we would use there. We could use him situationally, we feel like. If we got into a game, wanted to get one guy out, wanted to get a lefty out, use him if we got into an extra inning game that was extended, that would be another type role for him. I feel like one of the reasons for keeping Chris was we felt like there were multiple uses for him, that we could use him situationally during the game but also have a guy that covered us in different ways, also. Q. With Andre not able to play the outfield, are there some infielders, whether it's Michael Young or anybody else that you're looking at as possible emergency type guys in the outfield if that need should arise? DON MATTINGLY: Well, we've messed around with some guys in center, obviously tried Scotty Van Slyke, put him out there a little bit, let him get comfortable. We've put Dee Gordon out there in center, let him do some work with Davey. Scotty is really more of a viable option. Dee is more ‑‑ we look at it as more of an emergency, if he had to do it for an inning or two just to save you, depending on how we had to use him running and things like that. Scotty is more the guy that we would use in the outfield. Punto has done it before, but hopefully we don't get in that situation. Q. What's this year been like for you personally with all the early‑on struggles and then bouncing back and then the run and everything? DON MATTINGLY: Well, all's well that ends well, so it's been good. We're at this point, so that's the main thing. To me it's been a great year because you feel like you've been through a lot. You've had a chance to go through and learn and really grow.  So it's ended up well. Obviously from start to finish, it's been a little crazy from the expectations, this team and everything else, and then what we went through early. But then we put it together, so that's kind of the main thing. It's not where you start, it's where you finish, right? Q. Are you nervous? DON MATTINGLY: Anxious. But again, I think I should be. I think I should be. Again, I think I talked about it a little bit yesterday, just tried to cut out all the outside things that obviously you don't‑‑ you don't usually do a press conference every day or have to talk to the media in this format, just things are a little different. But once you feel like you get to the game, baseball is the game, will tell us what we need to do. Q.  Are the nerves different in your mind? DON MATTINGLY: It doesn't feel a whole lot different. I think as a coach it's just a little different as a coach than as a player. As a player you feel like you've got a chance to go do something. Coaching is somewhere in between. And I think managing is a little bit closer to the player because your kind of name is on it. You have to make all the decisions. I'm the one to have to answer questions about why did you do this or why did you do that and this, that or the other. So as a coach you're kind of stuck in the‑‑ you're in between the manager and the players. Q. Because you were such a great player in New York and you've been a coach and manager in both places for so long, there's this idea that the World Series is the one thing that has eluded you. And I know you're two rounds from it, but how much do you think about that? And I guess how great would it be if you were able to make it through and finally get there? How much does that drive you? DON MATTINGLY: Well, obviously it would be really nice to be able to do that. But it's part of, for me, what you cut out. It's the stuff around that you want to cut out and just keep it basically making good decisions, getting your guys in the right position. Because as the manager, hopefully you set a tone for your ballclub in some way. But you are at the mercy of your players. We're going to have to have our guys go out and play, ask Kershaw to do what he does and ask the guys to catch the baseball and get some big hits, and hopefully the ball bounces our way a little bit. You are at the mercy of your players. Again, those are the kind of thoughts that you kind of want to make sure that stays on the outside, not let that come into the dugout, not let that be a part of the decision making. Keep it for the most part simple and try to make good decisions. Q. What's the mood like in the clubhouse? Is it the same as what it was the last couple weeks after the clinch? DON MATTINGLY: It seems the same. I think guys like this time of year because really it's their clubhouse at this point until after the game. It's kind of the safe haven with all the extra attention that you get. We talked about that a little bit yesterday. You have all kinds of family and all kinds of tickets and all this other stuff, and all good stuff, but extra stuff. So I think the locker room is still that place that you can kind of hang out, talk ball. You can have the music on. They're watching the game in there now. I think the locker room, they seem to be really‑‑ seems to be really relaxed right now, so hopefully that turns into us being relaxed when we play. Q. When you guys were scuffling this year as a team and there was the expectation, when you talked about your job, did you draw on anything from your own career to help you and the team get through all that? DON MATTINGLY: Well, I think individually I just drew on the fact that you just keep working and knowing thatyou do your job. If your team plays well, you're going to be fine. So I think in understanding that's just the way stories work, it's like a storm for a small period of time, and there's another story coming. It'll be something else that happens that everybody wants to jump on. I think you just weather that storm as far as just the mass amount of attention on it, keep going to work and getting your team ready to play, and always get back to the basics of getting your team ready to play. Do your job, and just kind of keep living on that. Q. A lot of people feel like this series is going to be determined by your two big guns. How big of a luxury is it to have a Kershaw and then to come back tomorrow with Greinke? DON MATTINGLY: Well, it's nice. I'm not going to complain for sure. It's nice to have those two guys up front that you know are capable of going out and pretty much you're comfortable that they're going to at least keep you in the game. It's not something that‑‑ they're not going to waver, if they would give up a run or something early. They're still two guys that are going to lock down. They're not going to give in and say, oh, it's going to be a bad day. They'll go back out and throw zeros for you and keep you in the game. But it's been a luxury all year long. When you have those two guys going, it's like a one‑two punch. If you lose the first game of a series and then you've got those two guys coming, you've got a good chance of winning it. If they're split up at all and you've lost a game and one of those guys are finishing up the series and it's 1‑1 going into Game 3, you always felt like you were going to win that series. It's a luxury when you have two guys like that together that keep you from getting in any bad stretches. Q. Was it always going to be Kershaw in Game 1, Greinke in Game 2 in your mind? DON MATTINGLY: I think that's the way we were all year long. I think Clayton has earned that really from the way he's pitched from the start to the finish, and not really just this year, over the last three years he's been so consistent. Obviously we're not making decisions today based on two years ago, but it's really been that same guy and just getting better all the time, it seems like. It was a pretty easy decision for us to have Clayton go in Game 1. Q. How do you approach dealing with Zack? Do you try and seek him out and talk to him on a day like today before his start tomorrow? Do you try and stay away from him? DON MATTINGLY: I don't try to avoid him in any way. He's easy to talk to really. You let him do his work, prepare, but no real effort to either talk to him or not talk to him. I think that's been a little bit of a fallacy with Zack, how much trouble it is to talk to him. It's really pretty easy for us. It's really social in that locker room. I mean, he's involved with a lot of stuff that we do. He seems really comfortable. He's not a hard guy to talk to at all. He's pretty easy. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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