**FREDI GONZALEZ
Have you seen Sanchez that good before?
“Yes, I have. He was pretty good, and we weren’t. And that’s about it, boys. That’s all I’ve got for you. You guys have a good one.”
**DAN UGGLA
On Sanchez
“He was hitting his spots all night. He was in and out, throwing his off-speed (pitches) for strikes. Everything was moving. Cutting, sinking. He had it going. You’ve got to tip your hat.”
“It was really hard to pick up his off-speed. Everybody was having a tough time picking this spin up and making the adjustment. He took advantage of us and had a really good game tonight.”
Different pitcher than when you’ve faced him before?
“Yeah, from the times I’ve faced him, he was a different guy tonight. I was talking to Gerald (Laird) earlier, he said once he got over to Detroit last year he was a different pitcher. I guess a switch turned on and he just locked it in. He looked like the Anibal Sanchez I used to play with (in Florida). I’m happy for him. It sucks on our side, but we’ll come back tomorrow and make the adjustment.”
On the 18 strikeouts
“A loss is a loss, man. Strikeouts are strikeouts, outs are outs. You’ve got to get out somehow. We’re definitely going to put up a lot more runs than…. If people want to worry about strikeouts, they can worry about strikeouts. We’re not worried about strikeouts. We can strike out 18 times and hit two three-run bombs and win a game. You never want to see that, and obviously it doesn’t happen too often. We’re definitely going to get back to the drawing board tomorrow and make the adjustment to give ourselves a better chance to put some runs across.”
More on Sanchez, was there an adjustment that could’ve been made?
“He pitched a great game. Pounded the zone. Got us to chase. It wasn’t like we weren’t trying to make adjustments on him. It just didn’t happen. He was better than us tonight.”
Fredi Gonzalez seemed more upset than usual, is it frustrating for team, what’s happened past week?
“As a team we take pride in being good hitters. We know that we’re going to swing and miss sometimes, but we’re not going to dwell on it, that’s for sure. We’re going to come back and make the adjustment. We’re pissed off, we’re embarrassed. But that’s baseball. He pitched a great game. Like I said earlier, we’re going to tip our hat to him and come out swinging tomorrow.”
**ANDRELTON SIMMONS
On Anibal Sanchez
“He was pretty tough. He was working his off-speed a lot today. I think we were too aggressive against him, and he used that to his advantage. He made us chase a lot. He made good pitches, though. Got to give it to him. It was his night.”
So he was getting ahead in count, then able to what he wanted?
“Yeah, he was throwing a lot of stuff out of the zone. Or maybe when you’re taking he throws a fastball and now you’re behind in the count and chasing again.”
Which pitches were particularly effective for him?
“His slider. His slider and changeup, pretty good, pretty deceiving. Just got to let it go. Just forget about it, come back tomorrow. It’s kind of good we’ve got a game tomorrow. Just go home, rest up and be ready for the next game.”
Were you aware of how many strikeouts he was piling up?
“Yeah, you get conscious of it, like in the fifth inning you see, hey we’re not making contact.”
**PAUL MAHOLM
On the game and his bad outing
“Obviously I didn’t pitch good. It seemed like every ball hit, we’re one step away. Obviously we didn’t swing it very well, so you tip your hat to Anibal. We’ve got to be right back at it tomorrow and expect to win.”
“It sucks. We’re going to have a couple of games like this during the season. You move on and get ready for the next one.”
If B.J.’s throw doesn’t hit the top of the mound with two out in third inning and the score 1-0…
“Well, I mean, yeah, if B.J.’s throw doesn’t hit the mound, if the pitch to Miguel was called a strike, if we turn the double play, you’re talking about two runs rather than 10. It’s part of the game. You get over it. But still, you give up two, we still lose 2-0.
“Baseball is a humbling game. Obviously I was pitching really well, and the last whatever (innings) I’ve given up some runs. You kind of forget about it and get ready for the next one. In five days I’m going to face the Nationals, and it’s not going to matter whether I put up zeroes today or not.”
Did you think after you got out of the jam in second that you might get into a good rhythm?
“Yeah, obviously I was looking to find the groove and be able to make pitches. But it was more of, my curveball was a little bit loopy, my changeup was thigh-high, not knee-high or below. They did a good job. Whenever you face that lineup you’ve got to be on your game. Obviously I wasn’t. Not that they crushed balls or anything. There was a few hard-hit balls, but there were a few walks that shouldn’t have happened, and a few pitches that weren’t executed, and it was kind of a snowball effect. Then when you look at how he was pitching, it’s tough to climb back. You know you’ve got to put up zeroes, and unfortunately I wasn’t able to do it.”
