A big day for all of us. Hopefully, we can follow it up a little better than last year. |
Back when we went to the four-man rotation (in 2004), I said the more you do something, the better you get at it, whether you're pitching, swinging a golf club, whatever. Maybe we can get stronger and get off to a better start. |
But I got some sleep, got some fluids in me, and was able to wake up this morning and feel OK. |
He asks you what you want him to say to keep you aware of your keys. I told him to point at his shoulder if I'm flying open, and put his hands up (palms out) if I need to stay back. He has the best view of what I'm doing on the mound. |
He ranks up there with Sal Fasano in my book, and Sal had a big hand in my getting to the big leagues. That's not to mention he can throw the crap out of the ball, so you don't have a worry about the running game. |
He's really good. He ranks up there with Sal Fasano, and Sal had a big hand in getting me to the big leagues [in 2001]. He was awesome. And he can throw the [heck] out of the ball, so you don't have to worry about the running game too much with him back there. It's very relaxing to have him behind the plate. |
He's still Barry Bonds. He can get hot quickly and go 10-for-10 and hit a few home runs. He hit a lot this spring. He could come in here and get hot. |
I just tried to be more aggressive. Sometimes it takes a little bit at the beginning of the year to get comfortable with your delivery or just being in that environment again. You've just got to tell yourself to be aggressive. |
I think our fifth road win wasn't until the end of May. This is definitely a lot better feeling. There's a lot of confidence right now as far as the team goes. We're trying not to get too high, because we know it's only the second, third week of the season. But at the same time, [we'll] try to enjoy the success we've had so far and try to build off it. |
I threw him a good pitch and he flew out to the warning track. He's no different to me. I'll never pitch him different. |
I was really throwing my fastball on both sides of the plate and throwing my change-up a lot more. That is something I did in my rookie year a lot and something I kind of got away from the next couple of years. That is the big pitch for me, especially in Denver. |
I was up in the zone a little bit more than I was the other day, but I had better stuff and got away with some stuff (Monday). But overall, I'm attacking the zone, moving the ball in and out and feel good with where I am right now. |
I woke up (Sunday) at 5 a.m. with a fever and nausea. Fortunately, it was only a 12- or 24-hour bug, and it got out of my system just in time. I woke up (Monday) still feeling a little weak but not nauseous, so I was pretty happy. |
I'm going to win 90 percent of my games pitching like that. |
If I do that, I am going to win 90 percent of those games. It's frustrating, obviously, but I know if I do this and give us a chance to win every night, we aren't going to always be facing Hudson at his best. |