DALLAS — Braves quotes from Alex Wood, David Carpenter, Jason Heyward and manager Fredi Gonzalez after Friday’s 2-1 loss to the Rangers.
**FREDI GONZALEZ
On wasting another Alex Wood gem
“It’s unbelievable, some of the numbers… It doesn’t bother him, he’ll come back out the next time and give you another chance to win a game. We had some opportunities. We had some opportunities early on, we had bases loaded one out, and then we had (runners at) first and third with one out and Freeman hit a rocket to the second baseman and they turn a double play.
“It’s hard to win games (scoring) one run. Our pitching staff’s doing a tremendous job just giving up two and getting some losses. Just keep going. There’s nothing… keep going and putting guys in position, and see what happens.”
They’ve been bad, but Holland good in his 3 starts since returning from DL
“You can tell why he is what he is. He doesn’t panic. It was bases loaded early in the game with Justin Upton at the plate, and I mean he made every single pitch, and I think his 3-2 change-up on a ball in the dirt that Justin couldn’t lay off of. I mean, that’s stuff that … that’s what makes those good pitchers. They don’t give in.”
On missing opportunities
“We had some opportunities. It’s not for lack of trying or lack of putting people on base. We just can’t put the ball in play sometimes when we have to.”
On Carpenter
“He gets the first two guys out and you feel pretty good. I think his last four or five outings have been really good, so you run him out there in the eighth inning and he gets the first two guys out. Then, I’m not sure if a couple of those hits were two strikes or not, but they put the ball in play. You put the ball in play, you’ve got a chance to find those holes.”
On the last two hits he gave up against marginal hitters on pitches away
“Yeah, those balls were away, the last one was a slider. And that’s his pitch, he’s a fastball-slider guy.”
**ALEX WOOD
On again pitching well and not getting rewarded for it
“I mean, that’s not really how I look at it. We’re heading down the stretch here, you know? So the only thing frustrating is us not getting W’s as a team. Right now everything matters. We’re grinding, we’re battling. That was a pretty good pitcher on the hill for them tonight, so sometimes that’s how it shakes out, especially in their park on the road after an off day. Holland did a heck of a job.”
“I’m just going out there and trying to give us the best chance that I can. Coming down the stretch that’s all I’m kind of asking of myself, just keep us in ballgames and give us a chance to win some games down the stretch.”
On fourth inning, couple of walks and a hit-by-pitch
“The breaking ball that I hit (Arencibia) with in the foot, just a slide-step breaking ball O-2, that was stupid. I’ve got to get the hitter and get an out there instead of worrying about Andrus on first base. I ended up hitting him in the foot. Thank goodness me and Andrelton were on the same page on that pickoff there, that saved a run, so that was pretty big for us tonight.”
Any added pressure felt by you because the team’s not scoring runs?
“Anybody at this level will tell you they’ve got one goal every time they go out there, to put goose eggs on the scoreboard. Whether we’re scoring 10 runs a game or no runs a game, it’s one of those things where you should never have a different approach based on what’s going on around you. Go out there and try to put goose eggs up every inning and give the guys around you the best chance to win a game, that’s all you can ask of yourself.”
**DAVID CARPENTER
Gave up three straight 2-out hits, a couple of them on pitches away
“Just Beltre, that was the only ball that was really hit hard. Still beat him with a fastball. He was the guy we were most worried about beating us, and I don’t think a single to right is going to beat us. Next guy gets up there, make some good pitches and everything. He’s fighting off the fastball, thought it was time to give him the slider, and went back on video and he one-hands it out there to center; it was a soft single. Next guy comes up and basically the same thing on the 1-1 pitch, soft single. He’s beat – or he’s not beat, but he’s out front on it, and he just finds green with it. I mean, that’s basically all it came down to.”
“It stinks because Woody pitched his butt off again and we spoil a real good outing.”
“That’s a tough loss against a team that’s had some tough luck this year. We were hoping to come in here and try to put up some wins. But we’ve got to come back the next two days just prepared to grind it out and try to get two.”
**JASON HEYWARD
On Derek Holland
“The guy knows what he’s doing on the mound. He’s got good stuff. He knows when to make a pitch, how to make it – he did what he had to do.”
On Wood pitching well again
“To me, Woody’s been pitching like a man on a mission. Hat’s off to him for that, coming out and competing, One-run ballgame there. Came down to the bullpen, and they got it done with two outs.”
Tough to see him come away with nothing to show for another great start?
“Absolutely. You want to win those starts, because there’s going to be some days where they’re not going to have it. You want to try to win those for him. But the way the game goes sometimes, sometimes when you’re pitching that well you’re going to go up against a guy who’s also throwing that well on any night. Right now, that’s their 2-starter. When you’ve got Darvish being their ace, he could do well. He made pitches, came out and did what he had to do.”
