We're not dead yet, but we're tired. In the end if we hang in there, it's because of the way they go about their business. If we don't it's because we're not good enough, yet. But it won't be because of lack of effort or lack of preparation or lack of heart. |
We're not eliminated yet. I'm proud of the way the guys have played this year, they get after it. We're only going to get better. |
We're on a tough little stretch right now, no question. But we always seem to bounce back, that's the character of the ball club. In this business you take your lumps sometimes, it's just how you handle it that separates you. |
We've been swinging the bats pretty well. I really like how our offense is built. |
We've been swinging. We like the way our offence is built. |
We've got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Especially for young guys, it's tough to accept that, ... You know you're under the gun. Even though it doesn't affect us as a team -- in the standings -- there's pressure because of what the other team faces. |
We've got the right guy on the mound. [The day off] is big. Everybody can kind of regroup a little bit. Normally, you don't play six games without an off-day at the start of the season. Ours just was before the opener. |
We've had to offer guys a little more money, because we couldn't dangle that postseason carrot. We're banking on them [Ryan and Burnett], and they're banking on us. |
Well, I'll tell you, about a year ago in November the National Zoo had its first litter of cheetah cubs born. And when we had them debut, the very first day, we had over about 2,500 people file through just for them. And I don't mean to make it a popularity contest, but they were nowhere near as popular before their debut as this panda cub. |
What a difference an offense makes. From day one we've been swinging the bats, and that was big. If we don't have the offense we have, we don't come back. |
What a difference offence makes. That didn't start out too well, down 4-0. If we didn't have offence, we don't come back in that game. |
What are you going to do? The strong survive. |
What we want him to do is get up there and turn it lose, ... He has a track record to prove he's a productive big league hitter. It's been a tough year for him. I think his timing is back. |
When he throws strikes, he's as good as anybody. When he figures it out, watch out. He was on. Nobody's going to hit that guy today. |
When he's on, he keeps you off-balance. He picked the plate apart. |