Ryan has a rubber arm, and I can put him out there for extended innings. I think Ryan's attitude has been great. We've talked a lot about it, and he's doing well. I'm very pleased with his attitude. He's a competitor and he wants to play and start -- I understand that. I wouldn't want him to feel differently than that. |
Ryan Howard is legit. And he's more than just a power hitter, too. He's capable of hitting for a high average, he's capable of hitting the ball to all fields ... he's done everything we wanted him to do, everything we asked him to do. |
Ryan Howard will have the same work habits. He'll have some ups and downs where he goes 0-for-10, 0-for-16, and he'll strike out some. But if he does the same thing he's been doing, he'll be fine. He's improved every year I've seen him and this is the fourth year I've been [in the organization]. If he keeps the same demeanor and work habits, he's going to be real good. |
Same reason as last year. We need depth in our staff. At 12, I feel more secure. When the day comes around when we can have 11, we'll be better. Now we have 12. |
Since (Jim) Thome went down, this guy's been like a savior for us. |
Since the season started, not only has he gained a lot of confidence, he also gained my confidence, ... He's come a long way. He's done a tremendous job for us. I have a lot of confidence in him. At the first of the year, I hadn't seen him a lot, and I didn't know a whole lot about him. But he's definitely gained my confidence in him. He's pitched very good. He's had a hell of a year for us. He's gone a long ways. |
Somebody said our backs are against the wall. I think we're out on a limb hanging over a cliff. And we're trying to find a way to get back. But at the same time, I've seen a lot of things happen in this game. You play it out. When a game starts, you play out all 27 outs. You never know what's going to happen. |
Sure, why not? It will be fun to watch him try. |
Surprised? Not really. As long as they stay focused on what they're doing, they can do some good things for us. |
That 3-2 pitch might have been a ball, but it was close, and he stayed aggressive, |
That concerns me, of course, but that's who we got. They've been pitching on regular turns and they're ready. Both are young, and both are going to be good big-league pitchers. The ability is there for them to give us five or six innings. |
That concerns me, of course. That's what we got, so that's what we've got to use. |
That didn't hurt him today. I'll look at him more. If we see him two or three times, we'll get a better idea of what he can do. |
That didn't hurt him. It was his first time out. He threw a couple of good splits, but he just hasn't been out there. I think if we see him two or three more times, it'll give us an idea of what he can do. |
That doesn't worry me. Setting up is a lot like closing. I've seen Gordon pitch a lot. I think he's still got good stuff, the same stuff as two years ago when I saw him. I think he's going to do the job for us. |