ERVIN SANTANA
On if thought night like that was possible after so little live pitching:
“Well nothing is impossible so I feel great, everything was how I wanted and for the most part I kept the ball down.”
On 20 straight strikes to start, if had a feel for that coming out of bullpen:
“Honestly no. In the bullpen I was all over the place. But when I stepped (inside) the lines, I focused and just threw strikes.”
On defensive plays by Heyward, Simmons:
“They’re both tremendous. You’re talking Gold Glovers right there. So that’s what we expect.”
On his base hit:
“Always when we have men on base, good to have.”
On if tried to talk his way back in for ninth:
“Yeah but they said because it was the first time, I just throw 90 pitches, they didn’t want me to pass that. So maybe next time.”
On if hard to take as competitor:
“Yeah especially when you have a game like that when you’re really really focused on your game and you want to finish them up, then we don’t get the chance but it’s all right. We’ve got a great closer so he took over and he got it done.”
On relish the chance to show what you can do in this situation:
“Well I don’t have to prove anything. Every time just take the mound, go up there and do my job. That’s it.”
On if as good a game as he’s pitched as far as command, even with no-hitter:
“This is better than the no-hitter. When you throw strikes all the time, it’s better. That means that you’re in control of the game. I just had a lot of groundballs and a couple flyballs. It was a very good game.”
On secret to his good command:
“If you throw first pitch strikes you’ve got a better chance to get people out than if you fall behind, it’s damage time. Just try to throw strikes first pitch and then after that, just try to finish them off.”
On the emotion he showed when Heyward, Simmons made plays:
“It’s tremendous, especially when you have Simmons and Heyward, two Gold Glove guys, you know you’re going to have a good chance for them to make a play.”
On turning around to see Simmons fielding a ball on his backside, throwing off one knee:
“I saw a play that he made last year too, kind of similar too. I was like he’s a tremendous guy behind me.”
JASON HEYWARD
On knowing he was getting close to breaking through after Tuesday night:
“I feel like I swung at a lot of strikes last night, which is a good thing, getting pitches in the zone and tonight I didn’t miss them. I was able to put them in play hard, get on base, make some things happen and I know the rest of the lineup was real relieved that the leadoff man was on. Just good to contribute.”
On battle first at-bat with Wheeler:
“He throws pretty hard. He’s got a couple pitches that you have in the back of your mind. I just tried to go up there and get a couple pitches to hit and fortunate enough to be able to put it in play.”
On if faced him growing up:
“No he’s actually a little younger than me but we work out in the offseason. He’s good people. We’re good friends and he works hard, but I haven’t faced him before other than the big leagues.”
On if will be some talk about this game later then:
“Just laughing. I was his first strikeout in the big leagues last year. It was funny. He was kind of afraid about asking me to sign the ball and I was like man, give me the ball. I don’t mind signing it. He’s a good guy, a really good guy.”
On the defense behind Santana:
“I’m always trying to be me out there in right field, whoever is on the mound try to help them out, help the team out. Him and Gat tonight worked really well, worked quick. That’s awesome for Ervin to come out first time out and throw that well. He just gave us a chance to win the game, threw strikes, made them put the ball in play, and that’s all you can ask of your pitcher. Just really happy to see Gat go out there and work quick with someone. That takes time, usually that takes a lot of years for catchers to be able to work that quick and good for him.”
CRAIG KIMBREL
On different feeling having to come in in middle of inning:
“I was ready. I was ready to go, ready to get in there. Glad we won the game. Ervin threw a phenomenal game today, our guys swung the bats well. I’m more frustrated for giving up Walden’s runs and making the game that close.”
On breaking ball for strikes early in count but maybe not usual fastball command:
“I left a hanging curveball to score those runs, after that fastball I felt I should have got but I didn’t. But yeah I’m more frustrated for giving up somebody else’s runs more than anything.”
On Santana’s outing:
“It’s great. It’s what we need. That’s what he was signed for, to go out there and dominate and that’s what he did tonight.”
FREDI GONZALEZ
On Santana:
“He was outstanding he really was. He gave us eight solid innings of baseball, got himself a hit, did a lot of great things for his first outing with us. Boy he gave us a really good opportunity to win the game. You can’t ask for anything more really. We swung the bats. Jason swung the bat. A couple nice defensive plays, Jason in right field in the seventh inning and Simmons on that ball to the hole. That’s wanting to catch the baseball. That’s wanting to get an out. And their kid too in center field, the ball that Freeman hit, that’s going after a ball and catching it, trying to catch it as soon as the ball is it. But again, a lot of good swings, last out Justin hit was about six feet off the ground the whole way.”
On first 20 pitches for strikes if ever seen someone that dialed in off the bat:
“Usually that first start after spring training you’re going to scatter the ball around a little bit. But you can tell this guy commands and commands all his pitches, changes speed on his pitches, fielded his position. It’s going to be nice watching him start 27, 28 more times hopefully.”
On if tempting to send him back out for ninth:
“No, me and Roger before the eighth even started, Roger and I said this is it right here because it’s your first outing and next thing you know, you’re (pushing) hundred pitches. We didn’t want to risk that. We wouldn’t do that with anybody really. I can’t wait for five days from now, run him back out there, see what he can do.”
On Heyward’s at-bats improving:
“He had four great at-bats. Yesterday the ball off Valverde in the ninth inning, he was right on it. You start seeing those guys start heating up. I see two of three guys in that lineup starting to do that.”
On Santana’s demeanor through last month:
“For a guy who showed up in the middle of spring training, he has been able to fit in right away with all his teammates. Everything we’ve asked him to do he’s done it with a smile and no problem. You never know what you see across the diamond until somebody lives with you, you get this perception of a different guy than the guy comes over to our place and he’s terrific. He really has been.”
On Kimbrel coming in with runners on:
“I don’t know how many times he’s done that. We wanted to get Walden some work. This was the fourth appearance he’s had. We wanted to get him some work there and also you could do that when you’ve got Kimbrel right behind him. And obviously we want Walden to go 1, 2, 3. He made a couple nice pitches to Wright, could have punched him out. I remember another time against the Mets he came in the ninth in a situation like this but I don’t know how often we’ve done that with him. But he got the save, got the last guy to strike out.”
