**KRIS MEDLEN
On his night
“I’m just upset I didn’t get even honorable mention for Brandon Phillips all-swag team. Not even considered, I don’t think. But that aside, yeah, it was just an unbelievable day, having to face a team that has literally had my number my entire career and I just go through them. It’s a good feeling. It’s the furthest I’ve ever gone without giving up a hit. I think before that was Washington when I went three, at any level.
“It was good. Gat went over the hitters like we always do and it was good. Just a great night and playoff type pitcher that’s we’re facing. Cliff Lee is one of the toughest in the game and for CJ to come through whether I was in the game or Craig was in the game or whoever. I really didn’t care at that point. I just happened to come out of the game and he hits a bomb. It was great. It was a great night.”
Did demeanor in dugout seem normal?
“Yeah, it was my last start of the regular season, kind of getting ready for the big stage. You don’t get too hyped up with anything. You just stay level-headed whether you give up a hit, give up a bomb, whatever it is. I’m going to be the same pitcher on the mound, the same guy in the dugout, whether I win or lose.”
On being around the zone and using change-up well
“I felt like we didn’t really waste any time trying to establish my fastball. We just went right to everything. Any pitch, any count. I walked a couple guys 3-2 curveballs. I don’t remember the last time I threw a 3-2 curveball. So no inventing but just, I’m throwing 89-90, maybe I give up some more hits because I like challenging guys but tonight was just a night of mixing my pitches against a quality team that I always have trouble with. Like I said, I’m flying high right now. I feel great.”
On matching zeros with Cliff Lee
“As a pitcher you’re always just trying to keep your team in the game, whether you’re putting up zeros in the hit column or whatever. For guys to do that for nine innings, it’s absolutely insane. I think you can really appreciate those kind of guys. But back to your question, just Cliff Lee is one my (most) fun pitchers to watch. Obviously it sucks when it’s against my team but as a pitcher, you can really appreciate how he plays the game and what he’s done in his career. I think it brings out the best in you, and you know you’re going to have to go zero for zero with him. And I did my best and we got a win out of it.”
“We’ve played plenty of one-run and two-run games, we’ve faced plenty of good pitchers. What do you do with Cliff Lee? He’s an unbelievable pitcher. He shut us down. You make one mistake – which I was trying not to do – and it’s a different game.”
On finishing the season strong, going through without missing any starts
“I think it’s great. Questions from you guys or even myself about durability and whether or not I could do it. It was a goal for me. I had a number of goals. I just wanted to be an innings-eater and a horse for us. I may be a tiny little horse, but I’m someone you can give the ball to and you know what you’re going to get from me.”
“That’s all I was trying to do. I prepared myself with the help of (strength and conditioning coach) Phil Falco – he’s been huge for me. Days when I show up at the yard and doing anything, he wills me into doing some stuff. It’s a grind, it’s been a grind the entire year, some ups and downs, but I couldn’t be happier.”
Can you say what you said when Johnson hit that home run?
“No, I can not.” (laughter)
“But, just excited. Very excited for him, very excited for us, and our goal of home-field advantage in the playoffs.”
On expected Game 1 starter in division series
“It’s awesome. They haven’t told us anything, but whatever it’s going to be, it’s going to be. We have three, four, five pitchers who are confident in their stuff, and we’ve won games all year. Just go out there and do our thing.”
On beating Phillies
“They’re just a team that I’ve had so much trouble with, so to have success even for one game felt pretty awesome. Just take it into the playoffs.”
“I’ve come up in this league with them being absolutely dominant. For myself to go out there and compete with that team, whoever’s in the lineup, it’s just a … I’m so used to them absolutely dominating. For me to go out and us beat them, it was big for me and obviously for our team.”
As sharp as you’ve been since September?
“I’ve been on a little bit of a roll, just simplifying. Like I said from Day 1, when I don’t do a good job, it’s me not locating and me thinking about what I’m doing. And I just got the ball and went, didn’t disagree with Gatty too much, and we came out on top.”
**CHRIS JOHNSON
That the kind of game Braves will experience next few weeks?
“Ah, I hope not (laughing). Looking back it was a fun game, those two guys, it’s tough to score runs when you get big league studs on the mound like that and on their game. I can’t tell you how hard those at-bats are. No part of me was trying to hit a home run on that swing. I was just trying to keep my swing short and got my barrel to it.”
Just waiting for him to make a mistake
“He’s one of those guys where he starts the ball in the same spot, it goes 14 different ways, and you walk back to the dugout, like, I don’t know what to do. He’s tough, man. He’s one of the best in the big leagues. And Medlen showed that he’s one of the best in the big leagues, too. I feel like he can go toe-to-toe with anybody. If you can go toe-to-toe with that guy over there, you’re a stud, you’re an ace. He’s our ace, and he’s proved it for a while now.”
On the homer pitch
“Slider, down and in. I think he was trying to get it on the ground, being 0-2 (count), and I was just trying to get my barrel on it…. I knew I hit it well. It was one of those balls that felt good when you hit it, but I wanted to make sure. I got out of the box and didn’t look at it, just in case it didn’t go out and I could get to second base.
“I looked at it (on video later). It looked like a pretty good pitch.”
On the ground ball that he fielded bare-handed from front edge of infield, the single that broke up no-hit bid
“I would have liked to have been in one more step and get that guy out, because it seemed like (Medlen) had something going there. And usually when there’s a no-hitter there’s a great play, so I screwed it up.”
On home-field advantage, tied with Cardinals but have tiebreaker on them if remains that way
“Yeah, ball’s in our court. If I’m correct, we win two games we have home-field advantage. It’s nice, because then you don’t have to worry about what other people are doing. Just win some games and have home-field advantage. That’s our goal.”
**REED JOHNSON
On his first start since Achilles injury put him on DL
“To be involved in a game like that is exactly what we wanted. But as far as I’m concerned it’s good to get out there and obviously get tested in the first inning there, a ball over my head and took some good at-bats, hit a couple balls hard and just kind move from there.
On how Achilles held up
“It felt fine. The test will be tomorrow. I mean, I’m not going to be starting tomorrow so I’m going to be fine to pinch hit and do all that stuff. We’ll see how sore it is tomorrow. I’m sure it’s not going to be too bad. I’ll probably ice it a couple times and go to work tomorrow, be ready to pinch hit.”
On Medlen's performance tonight and in the past couple of months
“I just remember watching him last year from center field, and watching him on TV it’s the same: When you’re trying to guard against that change-up, and you’re throwing that front-door two-seamer to lefties, I mean it really makes him tough. And then all of a sudden you become conscious of that front-door two-seamer in, and he throws you the change-up.
“Both guys tonight were really mixing their pitches well, and it’s refreshing to see a couple of guys out there who aren’t throwing 98 miles an hour, they’re just actually out there pitching. Because there’s not a ton of those guys left. Those are probably two of the best at it right now.”
On reaction from Braves when Johnson homered
“Oh, it was awesome. Because, I mean, you’re just hoping to scrap out a couple of runs. For us to be able to string together two or three or four hits in an inning to be able to score one run is almost unrealistic when a guy’s throwing like that, so you almost need somebody to run into a ball like that. And that’s exactly what happened.”
On if Medlen was like Maddux tonight
“Yeah, it was pretty good. And he took some good at-bats too. He was making everybody look back. He’s hitting line drives. We’re like ‘C’mon man, take it easy.’”
On making a play like that in game like this set the tone
“It feels good and obviously with those type of pitchers, Cliff Lee, he gives up a couple hard hit balls in the first inning and Medlen gives up a hard hit ball in the first inning, if you can play good defense and get outs and let those guys settle in, you saw exactly what they can do. And they did exactly that for about eight innings.”
**FREDI GONZALEZ
What you’d expect in Lee vs. Medlen matchup?
“That was one hell of a pitching matchup and I’m not so sure that you could call the home run Chris Johnson hit a mistake. I’m thinking it was a pretty darn good pitch. I haven’t seen the videotape or anything like that but it almost looked like the ball was on the dirt. It was a hell of a pitch that he was able to get out of the ballpark. But what a pitching matchup both Cliff Lee and Med. That was a playoff-type game right there and CJ – we had tough at-bats against him the whole night. He had four or five different pitches that he was throwing for strikes. Two different fastballs, two different cutters, his curveball, change-up, and Medlen matched him pitch for pitch. He had his stuff working today also. What a nice win for us to be able to hit one out of the park, a home run, and then Kimbrel at the end of the ninth inning there.”
On Lee pitching so well….and Medlen pitching no-hitter into 6th
“Yeah, I was kind of reminiscing a little bit and the last time I saw a game like this that one guy had a no-hitter was Halladay against – when I was manager of the Marlins – Josh Johnson. Halladay pitched a perfect game and JJ I think gave up either two hits or three hits and gave up one run. Obviously it wasn’t a perfect game or no-hitter but it was that type of game today.”
On last six starts for Medlen, similar finish as 2012
“It’s a hell of a finish, really, he’s been outstanding.”
On if nice little tune-up for Game 1
“Well, we’ll see between now and then, but you guys got to do the math – that’s all.”
On Kimbrel’s 50th save
“Good for him, and he had a streak there a couple weeks ago, 37 in a row. And I tell you what, it’s nice to know that you have that type of individual at the end of the games where you can hand the ball off and you got a pretty good chance that you’re going to be shaking hands afterwards.”
Good to see Reed on the run making that catch?
“It didn’t take long. Two hitters into hit and here we go. And he came out of it OK other than, he got three at-bats and I’m sure he wasn’t pleased with the results, but I was pleased at him getting three at-bats, him going out there, running around a little bit, and that’s a big piece for us coming off the bench as a pinch hitter.”
That’s kind of game you could see more in next few weeks in playoffs
“And our team responded and we played some good defense and Medlen was outstanding.”
