SAN DIEGO — Braves quotes from Cameron Maybin, Williams Perez and Fredi Gonzalez after Monday’s 5-3 loss to the Padres.
**FREDI GONZALEZ
On the loss and his team not quitting, getting guys on against Kimbrel and scoring a run in ninth
“We don’t (quit). We had runners at first and second with nobody out there. That (hot giving up) is never a question; that’s never a doubt. That’s one of our traits that we have in that locker room. There’s a lot of guys who deserve that credit for keeping us fighting.”
On Williams Perez
“I thought Perez did OK, just one (bad) inning. It started with Norris’ chopper (for infield RBI single); we couldn’t get an out there. And the base hit by Venable scored two. But other than that, I thought he did a nice job. Came in and out of his command a little bit during the course of the game, but he kept us in the ballgame. He did a nice job keeping us in the ballgame.”
“Other than a couple of command situations – I think he walked two in a row at one point – other than that I thought he did a nice job. Couple of ground balls (for hits). He’s a sinkerballer, so…. He’s a young kid who’s got a lot of upside.”
We’ve seen Kimbrel do that before, put a couple of guys on to start an inning, then get out with little damage
“He’s got plenty of stuff to get out of it. He can get a punchout any time he wants. It’s hard to square him up, 96-97 (mph fastballs) and he’s got a breaking ball. So, yeah, we’ve seen that before. I thought our guys put some pretty good at-bats against him.”
On Maybin’s five straight 2-hit games and back-to-back homer games
“He’s playing good baseball. I thought today – both teams really, because Justin (Upton) made one heck of a play on that fly ball there by Ciriaco in the eighth inning – but how ‘bout the catch Bourny made? I’m going to the bullpen signaling for the left-hander, and it’s a double play. There was a lot of good defense out there.”
On Bourn not struggling with move to left field despite not playing there in a while
“Not at all. Except the one play in Tampa, where it was two guys who haven’t played together (fly ball landed between them for hit). I think that was the second or third game where they played together, that miscommunication. But other than that, (Bourn) has gone to his left to catch that ball, and (to his right) to catch that ball (Sunday)…. You’ve got two Gold Gloves in that corner, and you’ve got two Gold Gloves in the other corner in Markakis, and then Maybin in the center of the field patrolling. That’s a pretty good outfield.”
**CAMERON MAYBIN
On getting back in a groove after All-Star break
“You’re going to have little ups and downs, it’s about how long those stretches are. You never want to go through those, but I’ve had my fair share of knowing what it feels like to go through those. I think this year, growing as a player, maturing as a hitter, with my approach even when I go through a (rough) stretch I still feel like the consistency and quality of at-bats is still there.”
On how hard he hit the ball on the homer
“I didn’t hit it that hard. It got down the barrel a little bit. But I’ve always been a guy that had power. It’s starting to come out a little bit. But it doesn’t really matter how far they go, just as long as they go over (the fence). That’s all you’re looking for.”
On the great outfield defense with Bourn in left field
“That’s the luxury of having a guy like that over in left, having a guy like myself in center. It’s just amazing how much room he can cover. Again, that just shores up the defense a little bit more. Helps our pitchers go out and feel comfortable in making a pitch, knowing you have some pretty good defense out there behind you, starting with Simmons in the middle, then you add us in the outfield, and Jace (Peterson) is getting better and better every day. Gives those guys confidence they can go out and pound the zone, be aggressive.”
Surprised how quickly Bourn has adapted to left field despite playing there almost none since his rookie year
“No, he’s an athlete, man. He’s a special type athlete. Not a surprise. I think either one of us could have made the transition. Just one of those things, you feel fortunate to have an athlete like that. He can do a lot of different things out there.”
** WILLIAMS PEREZ (translation by Eddie Perez)
On his performance including the three-run second inning
“In the second inning I didn’t pitch well from the first hitter (Justin Upton single). After the (walk to pitcher Colin Rea) I made an adjustment and started pitching better.”
On the Padres getting more aggressive in the 2nd inning
“I knew they started swinging at first pitches, and then balls started dropping where nobody was.”
On Bourn’s running catch at left-center warning track to start double play
“That was an excellent play by Michael, because I knew we had guys in the bullpen throwing. That helped me get out of the inning, and I felt very good about that.”
On Matt Kemp’s opposite-field homer
“The first time I faced him I threw three sinkers away and got him. He’s a good hitter, I tried to do something (in the fifth inning) and left one up, and he got me.”
