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NL DIVISION SERIES: DODGERS v BRAVESOctober 4, 2013A.J. EllisATLANTA, GEORGIA: Game Two Q. When you look at teams that have won the World Series in recent years, the Giants were known for their starting rotation, the Cardinals are the team that's never out of it. What do you feel like the identity of this Dodgers team is? A.J. ELLIS: Honestly, I feel like it's talent. We are so top heavy with so many talented players, guys like Hanley and Adrian and guys not even healthy right now, Matt and Andre, the list goes on and on, Clayton, Zack. That talent shines through. When we're out there on the field, it shows. And that kind of was the trademark of that run we went on. Q. Having said that, when you put that much talent together, it can go either way sometimes. Why do you think it worked with you guys? A.J. ELLIS: You've got to give a lot of credit to Don Mattingly and the way he kept our team together, even when we were really struggling. We were going through that rough patch earlier in the year, fighting through injuries, he kept us together basically through his consistency. He never changed. He was the same guy, the same man, the same manager throughout all that, throughout that storm. And he came through every day, positive attitude. Today is the day we're going to turn this around, and eventually we did. So we were happy that he was able to stick around and we were able to prove him right. Q. Yesterday Zack gave you a lot of credit for his success. How much goes into the game planning for that and how much does he contribute to that? A.J. ELLIS: Zack is very similar to Clayton, they are both amazing studiers. These are guys who really prepare not just physically but mentally before their starts. Zack has been watching a lot of video, as he does for every start. That's no different. Today we'll sit down and we'll share ideas, and generally we'll be on the same page from the get‑go. We'll take that game plan into the game and hopefully just create a some smooth rhythm between the two of us. Q. You've obviously seen Adrian González play for several years. Now that you've been alongside him for a year and a half, what have you learned about him? A.J. ELLIS: Adrian is probably the smartest hitter I've ever played with in that he hits to the situation, never gets too aggressive, never gets too patient. He just knows what the pitcher is trying to do to him. He is another guy who studies relentlessly in the video room, probably more so than any hitter I've been around. He has a great idea, great plan with every at‑bat he takes. He never wastes a single at‑bat. And he's been so amazing in run‑producing situations for us. There's nobody else we'd rather have up in a big situation than Adrian, that's for sure. Q. This offseason guys brought in Greinke and Ryu kind of for the situation, so how nice is it now that you have still got big guns like Greinke and Ryu the next two games? A.J. ELLIS: It's a nice luxury to have, but it doesn't really mean much until we out there on the field. We still have to play. They're a great team who's going to do everything they can to even the series tonight. It's going to be a big test for us a lot of energy. They are going to be playing with a lot of energy. Zack is going to do his part hopefully and just be who he has been this entire second half of the year, hopefully keep us in the game and give us a chance to win like we ask all of our starters to do. And hopefully we're able to scratch some runs across and have a good trip back to LA. Q. How are Zack and Clayton to work with, both going into the game and then when you're working with them out there? A.J. ELLIS: Yeah, well, Clayton is just so focused and he has such a quiet demeanor the day he pitches, very stoic. It's almost like you can't even look him in the eye because he's so serious and so prepared. Ten minutes before the start, Zack is going to try and work a fancy football trade out with me, trying to figure out how he can better his team. So definitely different personalities on game day but once the game starts these guys are seriously competitive, and they don't want to give anything away. They have so much pride. And they like to compete, not just against the other team, but there's some unspoken competition between each other, as well. These are two proud guys who are both Cy Young award winners, and it shows out there on the field. I think they bring out the best in each other, which is great to have on your team. Q. The team didn't particularly play well in September, didn't really have to. Was there a sense of flipping the switch for yesterday getting back into an edge on your game? A.J. ELLIS: Yeah, absolutely. That's something that we had to see if it was going to happen or not. Flipping the switch in baseball is really hard to do. Most of the teams who have had success in the past, teams who are hot coming into the playoffs, you see a lot of wildcard teams who get hot because they are playing all the way through the end of September. With us we kind of had the division wrapped up a lot earlier than I think any of us expected. We had the fortunate luxury to rest a lot of guys, get guys healthy, get guys back on the field hopefully 100 percent. Until we got to yesterday's game and saw if we could get that edge back that we had during that amazing run we had in the middle of the season, we didn't know. Fortunately Clayton is on the mound, you feel really good, and guys had great at‑bats the entire game. Q. Can I fast forward one game here, if you don't mind. Can you talk about Ryu's development this season and how you think he'll handle the stage of a Game 3? A.J. ELLIS: This is definitely not going to be the biggest game he's ever pitched, which is a nice thing to say about him. This is a guy who's basically the Clayton Kershaw of his country. Best pitcher there for years. He's a guy who's pitched in WBCs and Olympics, so he's pitched on the big stage before. We've even seen that this season, games where he's kind of raised his level. I can remember a game against Cincinnati when Choo came to town, and it was a big matchup between the two of them, biggest game back in Korea, from what I've heard, the most watched Major League game of all time. He's throwing 90 miles an hour from the first pitch, and this is a guy who usually throws 89 to 90. He can raise his level. I'm really excited to see what he's going to do on Sunday because he is a big game pitcher who's got so many different weapons, so many different ways to get you out, and he's been a joy to catch, a joy to have as a teammate. He's a guy who's all about us, all about winning, and I think he's going to be great. Q. There's a lot of talk about the format for the Division Series with the higher seed team starting at home this year. How much of a difference do you think that really makes? A.J. ELLIS: I don't think it really matters. I think you still have to play the game no matter what. For us, for whatever reason, we've been a really good road team this year. I think we come together on the road, some of the distractions of being in Los Angeles kind of disappear. We can kind of just gel and bond a little bit more. We've had some great success. It's kind of like we kind of enjoy that hostile, underdog environment, even though we'll probably never be underdogs, per say, with our lineups and the people we have. It's the one chance where we can feel like it's us against a big group. We really thrive in those situations. We enjoy playing on the road together. It's been great. Q. I remember after Ryu's first start you said you were learning a little bit of Korean to communicate with him. How is that coming along? Second of all, how has your relationship evolved with him? A.J. ELLIS: I probably know less than I did then, if that's possible. To his credit he's picked up a ton of English. We talk baseball a lot. He's such a smart, intuitive guy who has a great feel for the game of baseball. Baseball is a universal international language in itself. He takes the mound, it's my Dodger teammate, it's not anything else. We've really grown together, him and I working together. He's grown with a lot of guys on the team. My favorite part of the game is when he'll run over and cover first base and Juan Uribe will go to the mound to give him a little breather to kind of rest. See them out there talking with each. I mean, what can these two be possibly talking about because they don't know any languages between them. (Laughter). I always wonder what they're talking about. But he's been awesome. I love catching Ryu. And I look forward to those games when he's on the mound, just like I do all my pitchers. We've got a great staff here, guys that compete really hard, and that makes my job a lot of fun behind the plate with the great seat I have. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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