PHILADELPHIA -- What was said by Braves manager Brian Snitker following his team’s 8-3 loss to the Phillies in Saturday’s deciding Game 4 of the National League Division Series. The Braves lost the series 3-1, ending their hope of defending their World Series title.
Q: There’s a lot to analyze from every series. What sticks out in your mind about this one?
A: Well, we ran into a really hot team, pretty much. They were hitting on all cylinders. They were playing great baseball. They got big hits. They shut us down offensively, and I think all the credit goes to the Phillies. They came in here, like I say, they got hot at the right time and played a heck of a series.
Q: What will you remember most about this team?
A: The resiliency, how these guys kept fighting like they always do, how we were kind of treading water there for a long time, and then they got it going.
Like I told them, the goal when we leave spring training is to win the division. Until you win the division, you don’t have a chance to do anything special because you never know what’s going to happen. You don’t know what team’s going to get hot, what things have to go right for you to go deep into the postseason. And we got in. It didn’t happen for us this year.
Q: You kept mentioning how the Phillies are hot. Sitting there, do you see parallels with what you guys did last year, with what they’re doing?
A: A little bit. They’re hitting on all cylinders at the right time. It’s a good club. They’ve got really good players, and they’re getting it going at the right time.
Q: How is Charlie (Morton)? Was there any need for X-ray or anything?
A: They did X-ray him. There wasn’t anything in the joint. I told him, he said I’m going to try it. And I’m thinking if it doesn’t go well, then I think we’re in a deeper hole. You know what, I watched the warm-up pitches and didn’t like -- I just told him my eye test wasn’t real good right there.
He would have kept going. I just thought we were at a point where we don’t need to try it. Because I mean he wanted to continue to pitch. I watched the warm-ups, I wasn’t convinced.
Q: Following that up, your starting pitching this year was obviously so good all season. And then in the postseason you have issues with (Max) Fried and (Spencer) Strider and Charlie today. Is there anything that you can say --
A: Just bad timing, I guess. We talked a lot about this. We had a rotation this year. And it was solid. And those guys were really good. And I’m never going to make excuses. We got outplayed this series is what it was. And we just didn’t make it happen like we should where we needed to.
Q: You guys have seen their pitchers a lot. How well do you think their staff pitched this time maybe compared to --
A: I thought it was really, really good. Strong starting pitching. They kind of identified their circle of trust in the bullpen. It’s deep. And they have weapons they can go to in the bullpen.
And they’re a good club. Like I say, nothing’s going to surprise me. They get in the NLCS and anything can happen.
Q: I know the ultimate goal was to obviously get back, win this thing again, but how would you want your guys to process this series and in general what they did this season?
A: They should be very proud of what they did this year. Like I said earlier, you just never know where the postseason is going to take you and what’s going to happen.
But we had a really strong year. The goal was to get into the postseason. We did, and it didn’t happen. So you know what, we’ll take a couple months off and everybody meet up in North Port (Florida) in March and get on and try and do it again.
Q: Do you think that considering the new playoff format that this needs to be a seven-game series now to give --
A: I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it.
Q: It seems to me that you de-incentivise the season when you win over 100 games and then you lose to a team that you beat by 12 or something games in the standings in a five-game series.
A: The Division Series has been five games for a long time, as far as I know. You know what, I think the system’s fine.
Q: I don’t think you’ve thought about it yet, but what if this was Dansby’s last game with you? What has he meant to you?
A: I mean, to me personally, everything. I love that guy, just what he brings, consistency. I’ve never seen a player that wants to win more than him. And like I say, hopefully, I get to reconvene with him. We’ll see.
But I can’t say enough good things about that kid and his makeup and drive and determination and the person he is. And I think the world of him. I have so much respect for him, how he goes about it.
It’s cool, too, because I’ve seen the first day he got in here until now and how he’s grown and matured and the player that he’s become.
Q: You mentioned being excited to get back to North Port in a couple of months and get this thing going again. With the extensions and the core you guys have, how confident are you that you guys will be back in this spot that you were in?
A: It’s going to be exciting. When we start up again, it’s going to be very exciting because of that, because we’re still young. We have talented players. I know (president of baseball operations) Alex (Anthopoulos) will get to work in the offseason. And we’ll reconvene in March, and the goal is going to be to win the division again.
