Quotes from Julio Teheran, Evan Gattis, Brian McCann, Freddie Freeman and Washington's Bryce Harper following Tuesday's 2-1 Braves victory.
JULIO TEHERAN
On his outing:
“My pitches were working and it’s good that we got a win.”
On if surprised by Harper’s reaction to being hit:
“Yeah I was surprised. I didn’t know. I was just trying to get in there, like I don’t want to make a mistake like I did with the homer and that’s how I hit him.”
On if had any problems with way Harper reacted to his homer (he thought I meant if he was upset with way Harper reacted to being hit):
“Yeah I get upset, but I don’t want to hit him. Then when he say that to me, that’s when I start walking.”
On if upset with when he hit the homer:
“No, I didn’t get upset because it’s a mistake and everybody does that. But the next at-bat just tried to get in there, and I didn’t want to make a mistake again. So that’s why I hit him.”
On him running around the bases slower than normal:
“No I didn’t watch. I was like concentrating on the next batter. I didn’t watch at all.”
On if it surprised you then, his reaction:
“Yeah I got surprised when he was looking at me like that and I start walking, the same reaction that he have.”
On if he said he didn’t mean to:
“No. He’s not going to believe me if I say I don’t mean to.”
On keeping the win streak going:
“Just trying to keep it going. The team is winning. Trying to do my work to help the team.”
On if two-seamer he gave up homer on:
“Yeah, and then it was in the middle. The one I hit him was a two-seamer I pulled off a little bit.”
BRYCE HARPER (compliments of Amanda Comak of the Washington Times)
On getting hit by Teheran pitch:
“Something he’s got to do. It’s part of the game and it’s something I guess he’s got to do.”
On if he was surprised by it:
“Uh, I hit that ball pretty far off him, so no, not really.”
On if he was considering charging the mound:
“Nah, I wasn’t going to go out there. I mean, 14 1/2 games down and I need to be in the lineup. He’s got to do what he’s got to do. And it’s part of the game, like I said. If I walk-off on somebody and he wants to drill me, I’ll let him drill me and I’ll stand on first base and say some choice words and get over it.”
On McCann’s reaction:
“I mean, I’d do the same thing if I was McCann and I thought my pitcher was in danger. I’d jump in front of him and do the same thing he did. It’s just part of the game. It’s something that they had to do.”
On frustrated by problems scoring runs:
“I mean, when you lose a ballgame it’s always frustrating. The Braves are a great team and they’ve been playing great right now. It’s just part of what’s been going on. Try to go out there tomorrow and try to get Medlen.”
On if this race is all but over now:
“I’m going to go out there and play every single game like it’s my last. I play this game hard every day and that’s what I’m going to do and hopefully everybody jumps on that train.”
FREDDIE FREEMAN
On if surprised by Harper’s reaction:
“I don’t know. After you hit a home run and the next thing you know the pitch is coming at you, I think everybody is going to have the reaction but I think it’s all said and done. He walked on it a little bit, I guess Julio didn’t like it so…I didn’t hear anything that was going to be done. I don’t know what happened. I was just protecting my pitcher.”
On if Harper continued to say anything at first:
“No. Once he got down to first base, he said nothing. He was all, I think still mad. Usually I talk to everybody but I left him alone that time around. But when he hit the single and came down, he was totally fine, so I think it was just a heated moment.”
On Gattis hit off bench:
“Oh, that was huge. That’s the two biggest leadoff hitters in the game right there. It’s a huge hit. Gatti came up huge. The first at-bat he hit a line drive too that Harper made a great play on. For him to come in and get those two big ribbies, that won the game for us.”
On two teams going at it these first two games:
“I think after the Harper situation we wanted to win this game, so for Julio to get out that, it had been first and second with one out, with their big guys coming up, that was a huge momentum shift to us after they got the crowd going right there. Then obviously our bullpen came in and did what they always do and we’ve got a chance to sweep them and hopefully we can do that tomorrow. Zimmerman is going to be good though. He’s going to come out fired up, so we’ll see what happens.”
FREDI GONZALEZ
On Teheran’s outing:
“He pitched well. He pitched a hell of a ballgame. He left a ball out over the plate to Harper in his second at-bat and he hit it straightaway center. I thought he did a hell of a job for us.”
On Gattis delivering off the bench:
“Yeah that might be the two biggest leadoff hitters ever in a major league game, at least in one game, combined poundage about 500 pounds, and 6-foot-5 average. But yeah and he gave you a good at-bat the time before that Bryce made a hell of a play on him on that diving ball. And then he got a two-run single to give us the game-winning RBIs. And our bullpen continues to do an amazing job holding the opposition to no runs. That matchup there in the end was one of those break-in type moments around the league because you’ve got Bryce Harper, you’ve got Craig Kimbrel two young players and Craig got the best of him. Tonight that was a good ballgame.”
On if Heyward tweaked his neck on the swing:
“Yeah on the swing. We’re calling it a strained neck muscle. He’s day to day. Doctor saw him here. We’ll see how he is tomorrow.”
On what happened between Teheran and Harper:
“I don’t know. I think he was trying to go in on him, fastball in, the fastball that he hit for a home run was out over the plate. I think he was just trying to throw a fastball in and held onto it a little bit and got him in the thigh. Boys being boys. But I thought Joe West did a good job just giving everybody warnings. Everybody settled down and everybody went back to playing baseball.”
On if surprised Harper reacted that way then:
“I don’t know. I don’t Bryce. Nobody likes to get hit with the ball. It definitely wasn’t on purpose.”
On saying then, Teheran wasn’t taking exception to the home run trot:
“I don’t know. I think he was just trying to throw the ball in on him and just held onto it a little bit too long.”
On series where every play matters:
“Good ballgames. One-run ballgames and we’re fortunate we have played well, we’ve come out on the winning end of it. That seventh inning I thought Avilan did a great job navigating himself through that lineup with people one base and getting the matchup that he wanted after the inning should have been over on the play that took Freeman off the bag. But other than that, I thought Luis did a nice job.”
EVAN GATTIS
On coming off the bench to get a big hit:
“It was good. I got a pitch to handle and I shot it to right, just turned out to be just enough.”
On last time positioned in the leadoff spot:
“Never. But I really never was (leading off).”
On wanting to just put a ball in play there:
“Yeah just wanted to stay aggressive, didn’t want to leave those guys out there and just be aggressive in the zone, ready to hit.”
On being called upon at the last minute:
“The adrenalin kind of takes over. I’ve gone into a game catching before not expecting it. Hey, get ready. There’s not much time to think about it, just get ready.”
BRIAN MCCANN
On Teheran:
“From spring training to where he is now, he went from being a No. 5 to feeling out the league to a top of the rotation starter. I’d put him up against anybody. We’ve got a good thing going right now with our pitching staff. Everybody’s battling, making their pitches. The bullpen – I can’t say enough good things about what they’ve done to step up and fill in for some big shoes. And then our offense is clicking and that’s why we’ve won 12 in a row.”
On reaction to Harper’s reaction:
“I’m there to protect my team, my pitcher. That’s about it.”
On any intent on the pitch:
“I’m not sure. I don’t have the ball.”
On Harper’s home trot, took a couple steps up the line:
“Yeah he sat there for a little bit but it is what it is.”
