(Hernandez) settled down beyond the first inning. Their bullpen did a good job against us. We missed some opportunities and we should have done a better job situationally with runners in scoring position. |
(The starters) need to do a better job of getting us more innings. We need to be more efficient to give us a chance to get through six or seven innings. |
[CLEVELAND: SS Jhonny Peralta, who entered Wednesday's game in a 1-for-19 slump, was not in the starting lineup.] We're giving Jhonny a day off, ... They've been pitching him tough, and he's missed some pitches that he would normally get, but every hitter has a stretch like that. |
[Crisp's] a clutch player [who] plays with no fear. |
[It] just simplifies our focus a little bit more, ... The Wild Card's our path to the playoffs, so our preparation and our focus from day to day will remain the same. |
[It] just simplifies our focus a little bit more. The Wild Card's our path to the playoffs, so our preparation and our focus from day to day will remain the same. |
[Rhodes has] had to deal with a great deal this year. It's best for him and his family that he is with them. |
[This is a team that knows how to win. This is their third straight AL Central title, which they won going away with a 25-9 run in late August and early September.] They've got some strong personalities on their club, ... And they've got some veterans who have done it before. |
[We've] grown as a team, |
Aaron has a good feel for running the bases, anyway. Now he'll be a little quicker and stronger on the bases. |
Aaron is stronger and moves better this year. There's a lot more life to him. |
Again, that's an individual thing. The experience of going through what they went through last year helps, and I think the warm weather this spring has helped, too. |
All accounts were very good today. |
All five starters have been as consistent as you can be. And that's the way we'll play it out. |
All of them are depth for us, from a starting standpoint. You need to have multiple starting pitchers for depth, and we feel we have that with those guys. |