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“Any time you’re out there with him you just try to get open and he has the ability to make a pass or skate it himself with his speed and his agility.” — Auston Matthews on Morgan Rielly who had four assists.
MAPLE LEAFS 4, WILD 2.
HEAD COACH MIKE BABCOCK
On the team finding a higher gear after trailing through a period: We had to. Obviously, we weren’t as good as we’d like to be in the first. I didn’t think we gave up much, to be honest with you, until they got on the power play, but I still didn’t think we were as sharp and good as we need to be. You always want to be real good at home especially and starting on time is important, so we’ve got to do a better job.
On the decision to move Moore to Tavares’ wing: I’ve just been watching it and noticing that he wants it. We just tried it and it seemed to be okay, so we just stayed with it.
On the second period as how he wants to see the team perform: Yeah, the first 15 minutes of that second period was real good. They played last night; you know what I mean? But, in saying all that – or, yesterday – it was a good 15 minutes for us. We played right; it was good.
On Rielly’s four assist performance: I understand he tied a record or something like that. Good for him. He’s a good player and is much better defensively, he’s always been good offensively. It’s important that he has good nights and feels good about himself. Any time your good players score and generate offence and that’s what they like to do, they get feeling good and your team is better.
On leaving an impression during the recruitment of Mikheyev despite the language barrier: I talked to him all year and you’re basically talking by text more than anything else and when you talk to a guy that much – or WhatsApp, whatever you call it – you’re bound to have some communication. In the end, [Mikheyev’s] understanding of the English language is fantastic anyway, he’s a very educated guy. I’ve said this a number of times, but his gal went to Boston College on a visitation or whatever. He’s been around it a lot so he’s way ahead of most guys.
On if the plan is to rotate the fourth line on the back-to-back: I don’t know what we’re going to do yet. We’ll get on the plane – that’s the good thing about it – and decide. Break down the whole game and by the time we land we’ll have a plan for tomorrow. Obviously, that’s two nights in a row our fourth line was really good for us.
MITCH MARNER (1 GOAL, 2 ASSISTS)
On what sparked the offence in the second period: I think we wanted to get our power play going tonight. That was huge for our team to get pucks back, get pucks to the net, screening, not giving up on second opportunities. We stayed patient with our game plan and that’s something we’ve got to keep going forward with.
On his screen on Tavares’ goal: It was a great play by [Moore] leaving it for him. I just tried to get in front of the net. I didn’t really think he was going to take a slap shot right away but I saw him wind up. It was a great shot, post-in, it’s a hard one to save. That started us off.
AUSTON MATTHEWS (1 GOAL)
On what led to a four-goal second period: I think our power play came up big and I think we needed that. A lot of nights that just jump starts momentum and get it back on our side. Good job by us, I think, on the power play. A couple of big goals there to kind of push the momentum on our side and we just continued to attack them.
On Rielly’s ability to make plays: Any time you’re out there with him you just try to get open and he has the ability to make a pass or skate it himself with his speed and his agility. I think any time you’re out there with a guy like that you just try to get open and get in a lane and let him dictate the play because he’s really good at it.
TREVOR MOORE (4 SHOT ATTEMPTS)
On joining a line with Tavares and Marner and seeing Tavares score shortly after the change: I don’t know if I had anything to do with that. I think John’s a ticking timebomb, he was going to start getting some bounces here. It was nice. A little learning curve there, but it was good.
On Tavares’ goal: I honestly didn’t see it, but I couldn’t believe that he scored from there. That’s pretty special.
On what it means to get the chance to play with Tavares and Marner: I think that [the coaching staff] hopes that I can bring something similar to what [Hyman] does – go retrieve the puck and get to the net, that kind of thing. Leave most of the skill stuff to them and just do the work.
MORGAN RIELLY (4 ASSISTS)
On what clicked for the team in the second period: I think we just talked about being patient a little bit and not trying to force too much. I thought we played a good first and obviously didn’t get the results we wanted. I thought we came out and just kind of stayed the course, took advantage some power play opportunities. Other than that, I think we just played simple and played our style of hockey. Just got it in and went to work. It’s good when we can stay patient like that.
On if he liked how the team transitioned from Saturday night’s win in Detroit into tonight’s game: Yeah, I think so. We talked about our starts improving and I think we did that, even though they got one relatively early. I thought we came out good. I thought we were skating. I think there’s been periods of time where we’ve played good hockey over the course of the past couple of weeks and I think tonight was another example of that. It’s good. It’s something to build on for tomorrow night.
JOHN TAVARES (1 GOAL)
On his goal: I think [Moore] just made a good play when it came around to let the puck come to me and I had a bit of time. I probably had a little more time and space to even get myself a better angle, but I saw [Marner] in front, cause a good screen, and I wanted to get the puck on net. Just good timing. I hit it pretty good so glad to see it go in.
On if he let Moore know to leave it: I think he just read the play. We were coming off the bench, I believe, and he just made a great play.
On if he’s ever reluctant to shoot from that far out: Just the way the circumstances were, and my instincts when I saw Mitch in front, just to shoot it then instead of carrying it in a little bit more and maybe give the goalie a little more time or them to recover a little bit. Just put it in a good spot and Mitch had a great screen.
ALCS GAME 3: ASTROS 4, YANKEES 1. HOUSTON LEADS SERIES 2-1.
ALCS GAME 3: ASTROS 2, YANKEES 0 THROUGH SIX. ALTUVE FIRST-INNING HR; REDDICK SECOND-INNING HR.
NLCS GAME 4 LINEUPS
ALCS GAME 3 LINEUPS
“You know, it’s huge, but it didn’t just start like miraculously. This has been something that’s been building since the end of May. I mean, we had our backs against the wall, and they stuck with it, and they believed in each other, and they believed that they were going to bounce back and this thing was going to turn around.” –Dave Martinez
October 14, 2019
Dave Martinez
Washington D.C. – postgame 3
Nationals 8, Cardinals 1
Q. Davey, with what Stras was able to do tonight and you’ve been around the game a long time, have you ever seen three as dominant a pitching performance in the postseason as you’ve gotten in all three of these games so far?
DAVE MARTINEZ: No, these guys, they started with Sanchez, Scherzer, and now tonight Stras. They’re feeding off each other, they really are, and it’s fun to watch.
Q. What do you mean by that, Dave, about feeding off each other as pitchers? We hear hitting is contagious. How do starters do that?
DAVE MARTINEZ: They sit there, and they watch, and they talk, and they communicate, and they get together, and they’re going over what they’ve done that helped them get successful that day. Then the next guy comes up. Even though Scherzer and Stras are hard, and Sanchez, they watch. They watch videos, and then they go out and they compete. They compete every day, and they compete amongst themselves. Like I said, it’s a lot of fun.
Q. So do you mean pregame in terms of the video study, they do it as a group kind of thing?
DAVE MARTINEZ: Yeah, they sit down, and they communicate, yeah. This is an unbelievably close group of guys, and they’re all — you know, they pull for each other. They all stand there and watch the first pitch. They don’t miss each other’s first pitch of the game, and they’re watching everything, and they’re learning from one another.
Q. That’s unique, isn’t it?
DAVE MARTINEZ: These guys — like I said, these guys, they’ve been good all year, and they’ve been behind each other all year, and when one guy seems to fail, I’ve never heard — they all congregate again, and they sit, and they get right back after it, and they pick him up. They said, here we go. Next start, we’re right there. Here we go. It’s been a lot of fun.
Q. Hey, Davey, your team obviously struggled early this year. Right now, they’re probably playing as confidently as they have all year. How important is confidence to a team’s success? And how confident are you that you can wrap up this series and go on to win a World Series?
DAVE MARTINEZ: You know, it’s huge, but it didn’t just start like miraculously. This has been something that’s been building since the end of May. I mean, we had our backs against the wall, and they stuck with it, and they believed in each other, and they believed that they were going to bounce back and this thing was going to turn around.
I’ve said it before, we’ve been playing playoff games since then. We had to play really good to come back and do the things we’ve done, and now, in September, they believed that they can do this, and they’re going out there, and they’re not taking anything for granted, and they’re playing really hard, and they’re playing to win one game every day. The big message, I say it every day, is to go 1-0 every day, and they believe that.
Q. At the pregame press conference, everybody’s asking Patrick Corbin about him relieving. It was obviously your idea to bring starters as relievers. Why did you decide to do that, and how does that affect the game?
DAVE MARTINEZ: For me, obviously, Patrick is going to start tomorrow. The other day when I put him in to face one-hitter, I went to go get him, and he actually made a comment about, you know, I could probably be a left-on-left guy, and I said, not right now you’re not. So just get your rest and be ready to pitch Game 4. And he’s ready.
But these guys, like I said, they get it. They want to do whatever they can to help us win. They believe in each other. I mean, I’ve said this before, they’re all in. They all care for each other. It’s one big family in there, and they just want to win every day.
Q. Davey, you’ve done a remarkable job of trying to keep Howie healthy all year and Zim, as well. Of course, Zim was on the IL with the foot problem, but to have both of them come up so huge in this game and Howie with three doubles tonight and three RBIs, can you just speak to what that means to the middle of that lineup?
DAVE MARTINEZ: Big. It’s huge for us. Him and Zim are both playing really well, on both sides of the ball. I know Howie’s hitting. He had his struggles in the Dodgers series, and he made a pretty good play the other day at second base. We’re getting professional at-bats from those guys. Everybody says they’re older, and I just look at him as just guys who have been around and veteran guys that have stepped up to the moment, and they’re a big reason why we’re here. Having those two guys healthy helps us out a lot.
Q. Being where he is in his career, do you get a sense of how badly Howie wants this?
DAVE MARTINEZ: He wants it, and the rest of his teammates feed off of that, and they see it. We’re all big fans of Howie. Every one of us in that clubhouse, and what he does on the field, off the field. I mean, he’s been that quiet leader for us all year long.
Q. Davey, all season long you’ve told the team, we just have to go 1-0 today, 1-0 today, and you guys have done that pretty consistently. Do you kind of allow yourself and the guys to start thinking, well, if we go 1-0 tomorrow, we go to the World Series. Do you allow yourselves to start thinking ahead of it or still 1-0?
DAVE MARTINEZ: Honestly, and I mean this sincerely, I have not thought about it yet. I’m worried about just getting through tomorrow, go 1-0 tomorrow, and we’ll see what happens then. Yeah, I never — I thought about lineups and stuff for tomorrow, and we know Pat’s going. I like the fact that we didn’t have to use Huddy or Doo today, so that was nice. So we’re prepared for tomorrow.
Q. That last inning mound conversation with Strasburg, what did he say to you, and what did you say to him?
DAVE MARTINEZ: He didn’t want to come out of the game. I was trying to explain to him, hey, you just grabbed your hamstring, so there’s a little concern. He said, no, I cramped up. It’s fine. I always cramp up. He said, I’m staying in the game. I want to finish this inning. I said, you sure you’re all right? He said, I’m in the game! And I looked at Suzuki, and Suzuki said, let him finish. I said, hey, you don’t have to twist my arm. You’re throwing the ball good, but I want to make sure you’re okay, and he was good. He finished the inning strong.
Q. There’s obviously a lot that was working for Strasburg tonight, but with his change-up specifically, what did you see there that makes that so impossible to hit?
DAVE MARTINEZ: I talked about this earlier with his change-up. For me, anybody that has a good change-up, their arm action is really good, and his was really good today. He has the same tempo as he does with his fastball, and the ball at the end just disappears, and he was really good. But I think, honestly, what made it really good today was his fastball, utilizing his fastball at the right moment made his change-up that much better.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
“We’ve got to figure out a way to create some offense early in the game and be able to hold it there. It’s the first time our pitching hasn’t been able to contain this offense. I’m confident we’ll be able to do that tomorrow.” — Mike Shildt
October 14, 2019
Mike Shildt
Washington D.C. – postgame 3
Nationals 8, Cardinals 1
Q. Mike, with you all in the situation you find yourselves in now, what’s the first thing you have to do to get things pointed back in the direction you want?
MIKE SHILDT: We’ve got to get the lead. We’ve got to get a lead at some point in this series. Hard to win a game if you can’t get a lead. We’ve got to figure out a way to create some offense early in the game and be able to hold it there. It’s the first time our pitching hasn’t been able to contain this offense. I’m confident we’ll be able to do that tomorrow.
We’ve got to play with a lead.
Q. Mike, what was your view of Marcell Ozuna’s attempt to make the sliding catch? Did you see that as kind of the full crumb of the game because, obviously, three runs scored after that, but Jack might have gone deep or you might not have had to go as deep in the bullpen.
MIKE SHILDT: It’s not an easy play any time you have to leave your feet and go a distance and slide. It’s a play that he’s clearly capable of making, but it’s not a play you absolutely expect somebody to make. There’s a lot of other plays in the game that were a factor that I can’t single that out as being the full crumb that led to the rest of the game.
Q. You mentioned some of those other plays. It seemed like — is it fair to say that a lot of the reasons you guys are here, the things you did right all over the course of the season seemed to get away from you tonight — base running, some defensive plays that might have been made in the past. It seemed like the offense we’ve talked a lot about, but the things that sustained the offense when it wasn’t coming through gave way a little bit?
MIKE SHILDT: It wasn’t our cleanest game, in some of those regard, not a lot of opportunities. Got called off at second base trying to move a runner. I think that’s what you’re alluding to. Could have gotten the lead at that point, trying to make a play. Not our cleanest game. Some nice plays defensively, no errors. Like you said, the Ozuna play, but, again, that’s not exactly a play you can expect a guy to make when he leaves his feet.
Just not a lot of opportunities to do as much. We had more tonight, some guys out there, and weren’t able to get that big hit. Took better at-bats. Their guy was good again.
We’ve just got to be — we haven’t been able to play our brand of baseball in full. We haven’t been able to get in rhythm or sync, but we still have more baseball to play.
Q. Can you pinpoint the reason why you say that about not being able to find the rhythm or be in sync? Can you pinpoint the reason?
MIKE SHILDT: It’s a combination. This is a group that right now is pitching very, very well. The other side’s trying, too. We’re in a highly competitive series, and they’ve done a really good job of being able to hold us off. They’ve been pitching really, really well. The length of their lineup showed up tonight and weren’t able to contain that. We’ve just got to be able to create more opportunities and put the pressure on them a little bit more. We just haven’t been able to get that.
They’ve had a lot to say about that. They’ve done a nice job. They played good baseball.
Q. What did you see with Jack in the four innings he got?
MIKE SHILDT: Stuff was great early, crisp, a couple ground ball hits, the play that Mark alluded to. Ground ball, bunt him over, ground ball, base hit, 1-0, tough play, and it’s 2-0. Then we had an open base, like the ability — you know, pick your poison. We could have put Kendrick on right there, but you get a guy in Zimmerman swinging the bat well right behind him, so didn’t make a pitch there. That was probably the biggest part of that was that pitch at that moment.
But I thought Jack was good. It’s 4-0, and unfortunately, we’ve got to hit for him.
Q. There’s only been one team who overcame this deficit that you’re in right now. Do you draw on that, or is it all about tomorrow for you right now?
MIKE SHILDT: It’s all about tomorrow. I can tell you this, and it’s appropriate for the area we’re at. There is no concession speech being written. This is a team that can absolutely win four games in a row, and clearly we have to start tomorrow, and we’ve got to get after it, which we will, and we have, but anybody that’s seen this team, we’re obviously clearly in a tough spot. There is precedent for it, but this team has created its own precedent this year a lot in a lot of things we’ve done throughout the course of this year.
So take care of business tomorrow, and then who knows, right? This group will bite, scratch, and claw. We’re going to figure out a way to win tomorrow.
Q. Specifically to the top of the lineup, you made some changes today and got results there in the middle. But when you don’t have those guys on, what are you seeing from those top three on a night like tonight other than just great pitching?
MIKE SHILDT: Great pitching and just weren’t able to put — string together the consistent at-bats we want. Again, a combination of both. We can’t and won’t pin it on anybody, but we need to get that production from the top. We got it through the middle. Jos�y rewarded and earned his start. We’ll get another one. Yadi takes good at-bats. Like the bats Paulie took, as well. Looked good. So we just have to be able to — and Ozuna, of course.
It happens like this, you know. If we could explain it, if we knew exactly what it was, we’d do it. Clearly, it’s not for a lack of effort or comprehension, but we’ve got to figure out a way to get it done.
Q. Mike, obviously, they’ve had terrific starting pitching, but are you shocked, surprised by just how little offensive production your team’s had?
MIKE SHILDT: Listen, we know — we played a series with them. You play these guys with that pitching, you’re going to be in for typically a low-scoring situation, but I’ve got to say this. As we tip our hat, we’ve also got to say that we didn’t expect to be — have scored two runs in three games by any stretch of the imagination. Like I said, we respect our opponent. These guys have done a great job of pitching. They’ve had a good game plan. They’ve executed their game plan, but by no means did we have anywhere close to the expectation that we would be pretty much shut down. Like I said, it can turn on a dime.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
NLCS GAME 3: Nats crush Cards, 8-1, move to within one win of World Series
NLCS GAME 3: NATS 8, CARDS 1. NATS LEAD SERIES 3-0.
NLCS GAME 3: NATS 7, CARDS 0 THROUGH 6.
Third inning:
Victor Robles singles.
Stephen Strasburg sacrifices Robles to second.
Trea Turner strikes out.
Adam Eaton singles. Robles scores. 1-0.
Anthony Rendon doubles to left n a sliding drop by Marcel Ozuna. Eaton scores. Eaton scores. 2-0.
Juan Soto walks.
Wild pitch by Jack Flaherty. Rendon to third, Soto to second.
Howie Kendrick doubles. Rendon scores. Soto scores. 4-0.
Ryan Zimmerman grounds out to second.
Fifth inning:
Tyler Webb replaces Flaherty
Eaton grounds out to shortstop.
Rendon singles.
Soto flies out to left.
John Rebbia replaces Webb.
Kendrick doubles. Rendon scores. 5-0.
Zimmerman doubles. Kendrick scores. 6-0.
Sixth inning:
Robles homers to center. 7-0.
Strasburg strikes out.
Genesis Cabrera replaces Brebbia.
Trea Turner grounds out to pitcher.
Eaton flies out to center.
“It’s a really greater good mentality. I appreciate and have conversations almost daily or consistently with our guys about, if something’s going to be out of the ordinary with their role, so they can hear from me and the explanation. Always welcome mostly the give-and-take and their retort to it. The guys all want to play, but they’re all respectful of being good teammates and being team-first kind of guys. Jose (Martinez) has been a great example of all of that.” –Mike Shildt
Mike Shildt
Washington D.C. – pregame 3
Q. Mike, yesterday you gave a lot of thought to — or you talked about the lineup and spoke a lot about loyalty. Can you walk us through then the decision to make a change today and what (Jose) Martinez brings to the lineup?
MIKE SHILDT: Josey has just had good at-bats, putting good swings on the baseball. Just looking to mix it up a bit, nothing too crazy, obviously. But Josey’s earned the opportunity to get in there and create some length in the lineup and in a spot where guys are in doing their part front of him and he can do some damage.
Q. Mike, what was the decision for (Matt) Carpenter to be the one that goes out?
MIKE SHILDT: Strasburg is not an overly splitty guy. He’s actually got a tinge towards reverse split, so a combination of things. But really, I had a conversation with Carp. He was great. He knows he’s done a great job for us off the bench in September, and he’s got some big hits for us in our run here, as well. He’s a team first guy. Just the opportunity for Josey to get in there made some sense and bring Carpenter, have him available off the bench for a double switch or pinch-hit.
Q. This is a arguably a cheesy question, but I might be able to get a good quote out of it. When you wake up on the mornings of Jack Flaherty’s starts, do you have a moment that hits you and you go Jack’s going tonight?
MIKE SHILDT: That’s a good question. I actually feel that way about all of our guys. I’m optimistic. We’re here for a reason. It’s been a collaborative effort. You look up, you’re down two, it’s not the best place to be, and you’re like, okay, we’ve got Jack going. All right. So it’s good to have that guy that is your — has been the guy that’s been the best pitcher in baseball in the second half. That’s really inarguable. It’s good to know he’s toeing the rubber for you tonight.
Q. Along those lines, for those of us who haven’t seen Flaherty’s second half, what has he done well, and how has he developed? What has made him the best pitcher in baseball during that time?
MIKE SHILDT: He’s just put everything together. There’s nothing that magically appeared. For 23, it’s pretty special. Me and Commish were talking about it yesterday, how many aces there were at that age. He probably had more perspective on that than I would, quite honestly, but the thing about Jack, he has all these amazing skill sets, first of all. I said this before the season started, and it rings true.
First of all, he’s physically gifted. He’s got a great build for it. He’s got a tremendous delivery that he works really consciously on, and then he’s got plus pitches. He’s got command of his fastball. He’s got a really, really good slider. His other pitches have developed as well with his curveball and his change-up. He’s got a tremendous desire to be elite and sincere about it in every aspect, whether it be his working out or whether it be his in-between start routine, the growing understanding of how to game plan for opposing hitters.
Then there’s the experience that comes with actually pitching in games, seeing what that looks like and getting a feel and when to back off and when to push and how to handle different situations and how to channel that competitive spirit that Jack clearly has.
I also appreciate the fact that Jack — and I love this about people in general — because it accelerates your curve. People talk about experience, and one of the reasons we have a 23-year-old guy in Jack Flaherty that’s an ace and the best pitcher in baseball in the second half is the fact that he’s developed and learned from his own experience, and he’s also been conscious about other experiences — Bob Gibson, Chris Carpenter, Waino, et cetera, and really, it’s helped him evolve. You put all that together, and sometimes it starts to kind of click in, and for Jack it has.
I’m not surprised, but very grateful.
Q. Mike, is there anything you could put your finger on on why the offense has had its ups and downs this season?
MIKE SHILDT: Yeah, that’s a great question, Pedro. It’s really — it really is. We’ve worked to be more consistent. I feel comfortable and confident that we have been. And you look at inconsistency, you look at how long those last. April was a very dominant month for us offensively, which allowed us to have the best record in baseball, you know, March, April. Then May was — I could call it maddening May. It just wasn’t — our offense wasn’t consistent in May for a long period of time, and then June came — I won’t go through the whole calendar for you. So don’t worry about it. (Laughter).
But the point I’m getting at is the inconsistencies became less frequent and not as long, which actually gives you and me optimism to say that now we are more consistent, which allowed us to be able to be in the position we are and to be one of the best second half teams in baseball and put us in this position.
So while we have been inconsistent in a total look at it, the consistency has actually increased, and that — those adjustments have been quicker, and that understanding has been a little more quicker. Some of it’s team conceptual, and some of it’s individual approach, and that could be mental or physical.
So the identification is there. The clarity is there. I think in the case of the last couple games, the pitching has had as much to do with that as anything else. I do feel like we’ve got more clarity on what that looks like individually and collectively and being able to be quicker to adjust to that. And the reality is most every team is going to deal with the ebb and flow of that. It’s the hardest thing to do in baseball and probably the hardest thing to do in sports. But that’s a good question.
Q. Mike, with the choice to put Jose today in the lineup, the corollary that comes with that is often the question about defense. Was there any consideration about maybe getting Harrison in there as well to kind of balance that, or do you need the offense?
MIKE SHILDT: Yeah, this is the question, and I kind of knew it was coming. When I look at lineups, I look at them holistically, and one of the things we’ve done really well is we play really, really good defense. That’s a big pillar of what we do and how we got here. That’s probably one of the reasons — I don’t know if — what the right, appropriate term for how I respond to all the lineup questions because they are driven offensively, and then you make a change, and rightfully so, people say now what are you going to do defensively? I’d love to have it all, you know?
And typically, I, we make the lineup, but we do it internally. I make that determination based on how everything else is going, but you can’t — and usually I err on the side of pitching and defense, and we’ll figure out a way. We talked about how we compete in a lot of different areas, how we’re able to win games, which we’ve demonstrated as well as anybody, I feel like, and then just looked up after a couple games. Again, tip your hat to the pitching, but we have to give up something at this point.
Josey is very capable of playing in the outfield. It’s not like he’s not, but clearly, we’re going to go with a little more offense today and look to get the lead, manage the game. As far as getting Harrison out there, we have regulars for a reason, and Harrison’s been a regular, but you’re looking for offense. So I understand the question, but we’ll play. We’ll get the lead, and we’ll adjust from there.
Q. With Hudson pitching tomorrow, he led the league in walks, but did you find that recently he’s had better command, and do you find that process will be even better next year, the second year he’ll be a starter?
MIKE SHILDT: I do. I’m glad you brought that up because I was looking at that actually recently. He has improved as the season has gone, especially against the lefties. So his numbers are improving. Much more optimistic, and, again, not surprising. Kind of alluding to a little bit of a similar answer to the Jack question. It’s evolution. You’ve got a very conscientious, talented guy that can figure things out, and experience usually lends itself to that for guys that have that ilk. So he has improved, and very excited about that. I do think it wins for him being able to continue to move forward, only going to get better.
Q. As a followup on Jack, was there any specific start in the second half when you realized this was a different pitcher than the first half? Part two, as a young guy, you’ve had no issues pushing him past 100 pitches. Do you feel like he’s getting stronger down the stretch here?
MIKE SHILDT: I do. So to the first question, I didn’t say — it clicked for Jack. Not that his first half wasn’t — didn’t have some success. Clearly, he’s had some success. But the San Francisco game the day before the All-Star break was magnificent, and you just saw in him, at least I did, just — and I use the term, and I use it a lot since then. Now it’s more normalized for him, just being in control. Just to control everything he was doing, all aspects of pitching. So that was probably the watershed moment for me that I thought he built on.
Then as far as the pitch count goes, pitch counts are really interesting. We know we use 100 as the barometer now. I don’t know when it came into vogue, but it has. I will say this. A couple things that have allowed us to put Jack in this position. First of all, Jack. Jack is, like a lot of our guys, very, very conscientious about how he takes care of himself, how he recovers. Also, I call him Mad Dog for this rightfully. Like Max, our pitching coach — who had a couple of hole-in-ones today, by the way. Hit two hole-in-ones in the same round. A 1 in 67 million chance and only three times on the PGA TOUR. He had two today.
Q. Where?
MIKE SHILDT: Army-Navy course.
Q. Did you witness it yourself?
MIKE SHILDT: I did not. Mo did. Mo witnessed it.
Q. (No microphone)?
MIKE SHILDT: No, this was an actual — I figured I’d segue it in.
Q. (No microphone)? The lineup?
MIKE SHILDT: How do you know he didn’t, Frank? But he did. Anyway, Mad Dog’s done a great job outside of his sixth hole-in-one today, of making sure Spring Training looked well, spacing guys out, and did a nice job of appropriately skipping guys or giving the guys an extra day during the course of the season. We picked our spots where we would give Jack that extra day, but also, in competition, if we felt like — clearly, we want to win every game, but if we could take an inning off Jack here and there, we took it off him.
And you look at the pitch counts, and stress is a big important part of that. A lot of the conversations I’ve had with pitchers and pitching coaches and physical therapists and people like that for years is the stress level that is on pitchers, and Jack just hadn’t had a lot of stress. You talk to some guys, they throw 72 pitches in 3 2/3, and they throw 115, and they feel much better after the 115 with limited stress. If Jack was laboring any of those starts or struggling or coming out of his mechanics, then we would do something different. He hasn’t had a lot of stress, big, strong kid, and he’s in a good position to pitch.
Q. As you saw in Game 2 and you saw in the NLDS, the Nats have not hesitated to use their starters as relief pitchers. How does it affect your strategy knowing you might get a front line starter in the sixth, seventh, or eighth inning rather than a third or fourth string reliever?
MIKE SHILDT: We’re always going to game plan for other team’s starters. So we know what we’re going to get. We’re not going to — I would certainly hope, and I’d be surprised — never say never, but we’re not going to get surprised, hopefully, by anything that comes at us out of the bullpen. So we’re aware that those gentlemen are available and ready to pitch. We’ve got an idea what we want to do and how we want to do it. So we just compete with who comes in.
Q. Mike, you guys have leaned on different guys at different times throughout the season. Jose set a pretty good example for the group as to when it’s not his time to start, being a good teammate. Curious what you have seen in him this season that has put him in this opportunity to get this chance, and also how he responded when you told him he was going to be in there today.
MIKE SHILDT: Josey is really indicative of our entire team. It’s a really greater good mentality. I appreciate and have conversations almost daily or consistently with our guys about, if something’s going to be out of the ordinary with their role, so they can hear from me and the explanation. Always welcome mostly the give-and-take and their retort to it. The guys all want to play, but they’re all respectful of being good teammates and being team-first kind of guys. Jose has been a great example of all of that. Multiple conversations, he understands; I’ll be ready.
People can tell you I’ll be ready, I’ll accept it, but he actually does. He does with a good attitude. He brings good energy. He gets the bench Mafia thing going and keeps those guys engaged. As far as him being in the lineup, he’s ready to go.
Q. Mike, what is it you’ve seen in Dexter’s at-bats of late that gives you continued confidence in him in that leadoff spot for you guys?
MIKE SHILDT: The walk to Strasburg, the bats in Atlanta in Game 5, the leadoff walk against Foltynewicz, tough at-bat, grounded out, that gives you confidence. Then comes up right-handed, hits a double down the line off Fried who had a nice series and does a nice job. Then there’s been a lot of deep counts with Dext. It’s not like he’s having one, two, three, and see you later. He’s having deeper counts, which usually speaks well, and he’s gotten some full count pitches that are tough. Stras the other day threw three or four different pitches with the four or five different counts. The full count is a tough recipe for hitting.
Then the walk, I believe, in the sixth, was a good indicator. And not to be out of school, but just a conversation with Dext. Like I have with guys like where are you? How are you feeling? And knowing that he’s going to shoot it straight, and he’s like I’m in a good spot. He came in yesterday, got good work in. Seeing the ball, my hands are in a good spot. You know, when you have guys that have played in this league for 11 years that you’ve had those conversations with that have also been us, like, man, I’m just not myself right now. All right. Let’s give you a day. Let’s get some work in, and then comes back.
When you have those conversation, you trust guys. This group’s been together since February, and it’s a very close group that’s very open with conversation, and like I say, very common goal oriented. When a guy’s having those kind of at-bats and feels like he’s in a good spot and has been a big catalyst for us to be where we’re at, it’s really a pretty easy decision.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
The view from left field 