During the regular season, you might say, 'Let's go after this guy,' ... I think you play smarter in the playoffs. |
Early runs are big in this series. Tonight they jumped us. |
Edgardo is a guy that has played at a very high level for a lot of years, and he has an experienced right-handed bat. |
Ervin did what Bartolo [Colon] did the first night and what John Lackey did last night. [The starting pitching is] the heartbeat of our ball club. That takes the pressure off the bullpen; it takes the pressure off everybody. |
Ervin had great stuff and had it in the zone. |
Ervin had to really work for every out. He got on a run where he was behind a lot of guys, but he used his pitches to get back into counts and put some guys away. He was getting a little fatigued and wasn't as crisp as we know he can be, but for him to shut down a hot team like the Tigers for six innings is important. |
Ervin had to work for every out. He was behind a lot of hitters, but got back into the counts and made his pitches. Timmy got two huge hits. When he's healthy he's going to get some good swings. |
Ervin in the 'pen tonight gives us a lot more depth. |
Ervin made his pitches and was ahead on the count on just about everyone he faced. |
Ervin really stepped up and pitched to his potential at a key time, especially after a couple of tough starts. He had a good game plan coming in. His ball-strike ratio was terrific early and it got him some outs. He was very efficient in the early going and he finished strong. |
Ervin was a little bit shy on command, but when he needed to make pitches he did. |
Esteban is throwing the ball better than he had at any point last year so that is encouraging. There is going to be some decision to made that may or may not involve Esteban, but there is competition at every level. As long as he throws the ball like he is capable, then he should be a part of it. He had some rough spots last year. |
Every team in the playoffs is a good team. It'll come down to how you execute down to the end. |
Fin's very frustrated, ... We're all very frustrated with the year Fin's having. No one feels it more than Fin. |
Finley's been swinging the bat a lot better, ... It's good to see him chip in. |