ALEX WOOD
On how he felt out there:
“I felt all right. I got a little tired there at the end but stuff wise I thought my stuff was a lot better than last week in New York. It was one of those random days where my fastball command wasn’t as good as it normally is. I think most of the walks I had – I think it was four – was all just fastballs out of the zone. One of those things where I had to battle tonight and me and Mac ended up making some pitches when we needed to and it turned out all right.”
On anxious to clean it up after start in New York:
“I wanted to clean it up stuff-wise but at the same time I wasn’t really too worried about it. The mound in New York was pretty hard. I think I might have brought over a couple bad habits from New York. But we competed out there and we kept the game close and that two-run knock by Elliot early in the game definitely took a little weight off my shoulders and I was glad that the pen could come in and shut it down like they always do and come out with a win tonight.”
On what makes Roger so effective when he comes out to mound:
“I don’t know. It’s just kind of a soothing factor I guess. He has an idea he watches a lot of video, like the rest of the starters too, and he comes out and he has an idea of what he thinks we should do to that hitter. That’s definitely a big help, and then we go and do it. As long as we execute it, it ends up working out pretty good. Lot of times just for a breather too. For me especially, I kind of get going pretty fast and I need to slow down sometimes. That’s one of the reasons he came out there was to slow me down a little bit and tell me to make my pitches and then go about my business.”
On confidence getting of jams:
“I felt like the only trouble we really got in was that leadoff double (in the fourth). I called Mac out there and asked him what he wanted to do, we had the pitcher on deck, and he was like, just wanted to attack him like we’d been doing all night. I think first or second pitch, comebacker right to me, and then you face the pitcher the next batter and then we’re out of it. So it’s one of those things you don’t really think about, you just kkind of go about the same game plan. You bear down obviously a little bit. I feel like that’s the reason I haven’t been giving up many runs lately because I feel like I’ve been able to get out of those situations. I make pitches when I need to. That’s such a huge part of having success anywhere, not just up here. That played a big role for me.”
On confidence with Simmons, Freeman making plays behind him:
“It’s unbelievable. Having Simba behind me – that barehand that he made, I was behind the mound telling him ‘Wow.’ I was in amazement. That gives me all the more confidence to pitch to contact, so you can go out there and throw strikes and hopefully get a groundball because if you know if it’s anywhere in the vicinity of Andrelton he’s going to make that play.”
On if anything Simmons does out there surprises you:
“Absolutely not. I would love for somebody just to make a reel of all his highlights from the year because it’s pretty unbelievable. He makes a new one every game pretty much. He’s pretty spectacular.”
ELLIOT JOHNSON
On nice to introduce himself to crowd this way:
“Of course. The guy almost caught the ball. He can really run. The ball hit off the wall and he still almost caught the thing. Obviously glad that it went our way and we got that cushion for Woody and he took it the rest of the way.”
On thoughts on change of scenery:
“Absolutely it was a fresh start. You can go out here every day and start over from scratch and try and make the most of the day that you’re presented with. It’s nicer when you don’t have to dig out of a hole you’ve created for yourself but I guess in interleague it’s kind of the same thing. I got a fastball out over and hit it well enough to get it out over Stubbs’ head and we get a couple runs off a guy that can obviously throw really, really hard, but Woody was the story today, really did a great job of commanding all of his pitches and keeping them off-balance.”
On Wood not rattling with guys on base:
“They never really came through it seemed like. Of course we got Simmons over at short making web gems every day, it seems like, or hand gems – whatever you want to call it – because he didn’t use his glove. That was the best play of the night for sure. He impresses me more and more every day. It’s pretty impressive to see how quick he gets to balls in the hole too.”
FREDI GONZALEZ
On understanding now why Fredi wanted him up from Double-A:
“He did a nice job. Today wasn’t one of his best outings. He sprayed it around a little bit, got his pitch count up, but he’s tough to take swings at. And the composure he shows for a young man who just finished college a year ago, it’s nice to see. It’s refreshing. But today I think if you ask him, but I thought today wasn’t as sharp as we’ve seen him before.”
On if seeing his confidence build:
“I think he had it going in. I saw that in spring training. And now I think the more comfortable he gets out there, the more he’s going to be able to get through those innings without giving up a big number.”
On what Roger told him, to settle him down:
“I don’t know what Roger told him but I tell you what, Roger is pretty darn good in those situations. I wish there was a way you could keep track of pitching coach visits and get him out of a jam. I bet he’s better than really, really good.”
On if Wood has maturing quickly, getting out jams:
“He seems fine, maybe pitching in a big program in Georgia has helped him do that. I think it comes from the individual too. I think he’s confident in his stuff, and I think he knows that he can get major league hitters out in the big leagues.”
On Elliot Johnson showing what scenery change can do:
“Sometimes it’s good. We played some really good defense today. Elliot and Simmons and we made some nice plays. The play that was second out of the eighth, the slow roller to Johnson that was a good play on both parts. Elliot Johnson, also Freeman. Elliot is only 30 feet from him but Freeman doesn’t now where that ball is going to come out of. We’ve seen Freeman, he can make the play there. Good defense. I think we got away with some walks early in the game but we got out of them. Elliot is a nice piece to have. He’s one of those prototypical National League players. He can run. He’s athletic. He swings the bat. He got us two runs today. He got a big hit on Sunday. Nice piece. Nice acquisition.”
On Uggla:
“I think Danny will be back and then we’ll figure out where Elliot, where we can match him up. Sometimes coming out of the bench is a bigger force.”
On Downs vs. Giambi:
“First and second two outs and Giambi’s got good numbers against him career but I thought Scotty got four big outs, that one and the following inning to get the ball to Avilan and to Kimbrel.”
On encouraging signs tonight from Uggla:
“We’ll check with him this evening, but I think he’ll be here tomorrow. He got seven at-bats the last two days. His timing is getting better and better, so hopefully we can get him to come up here and do what he can do.”
