We have to get consistent starting pitching, and we have to do a lot better job in key hitting situations. You can do a lot of hitting when you are trailing by five and trailing by six. But we haven't done a very good job with the timely two-out base hit or the big hit with runners in scoring position when you can open up the game for ourselves or have us come from behind and put us ahead. |
We have to get ebb and flow. We are getting some good pitching here as of late, but now offensively we haven't done much. |
We have two kids there. Both are very competent kids -- smart enough to understand what we're talking about -- and they will figure it out. We've got to find opportunities for both of them. We'll take it a day at a time and go from there. As I've said all along, with these two guys on the club, I don't want to see either one of them sit for too long a time and not participate. It's advantageous to both of them to do it that way. |
We have two more days and we have to look at it as though tomorrow and Sunday are games that we have to win. |
We haven't been successful enough when we have game-changing at-bats. We haven't been successful in getting the hit that puts you back in the game [and/or] the hit that puts you out in front and ends up making the difference in the game. |
We know he's very capable. He has the pitches to get major-league hitters out. |
We know what kind of defensive center fielder Chris Duffy is. To get him going offensively, it's not going to do us a lot of good, eight games in, to keep going back and forth. |
We made the most of three first-inning runs. The reason: Derek Lowe. For the fourth game in a row, he's been phenomenal. Not good, not great, but phenomenal. I can not say enough good things about Derek Lowe. |
We need some starts where we get seven or eight innings, and it would be great if we could even get one at some point in which the guys in the bullpen wouldn't even have to pick up their gloves one day. |
We need that one extra at-bat -- that one extra real good at-bat. We have not been able to get that. |
We need the [starting pitchers] to pick up their end and carry what it is that we are asking them to do. Nothing more than that. There are no unexpected expectations at all. Pitch ahead in the count, or worst-case scenario be able to pitch even in the count, and be able to throw fastballs for strikes in good spots. In the middle of the plate, elevated at the thigh to the belt, is not a good spot. It's a very bad spot. |
We need to get him back to where he is completely functional, rather than seeing parts of him here and there. |
We need to speed him up with his at-bats. He needs to catch up a little bit. But we can get him to 45 or 50 at-bats very easily. |
We obviously came to a point in Los Angeles where there was a difference of opinion between Paul and I as far as how players are evaluated. |
We obviously came to a point where there was a difference of opinion between Paul and I as far as how players are evaluated. It was basically how you look at and evaluate players, the process in which you go about determining how they fit in. When you get to that point, you're at an impasse. |