Braves quotes from Adonis Garcia, Williams Perez, Andrelton Simmons and Fredi Gonzalez after Saturday night’s 6-4 loss to the Mets.
**WILLIAMS PEREZ (through translator Alex Cotto)
On keeping Cespedes in check and getting four double-play grounders in six innings (Cespedes was 0-for-3 vs. Perez, then homered off Edwin Jackson)
“My sinker was working and I was getting it where I wanted it, which caused the ground balls and got me out of some innings. I had confidence in the pitch, that’s what got me through some tough times.”
Does anything Andrelton Simmons does surprise you at this point?
“Everything he does now, it doesn’t surprise me. I’m very confident in the guys behind me. Everything Simmons does is kind of natural now, it seems easy for him.”
On having two quality starts in a row after struggling for several weeks when he came off the DL
“I feel a lot more comfortable now, lot more confident in my pitches and my delivery and my mechanics then when I first came off the DL.”
**ADONIS GARCIA (through translator Alex Cotto)
On coming off bench to hit tying three-run homer
“It was a good feeling. Like most of the other players on the bench, we were preparing ourselves in case that moment came where we’d be called. From the fourth inning on, me and a few other guys were working out in the cage and keeping an eye on the pitchers. When my time was called, I was glad I was able to come through.”
On being 1-for-30 with runners in scoring position before that 3-run homer, but having 3 homers in late-and-close situations
“I know I’ve struggled with guys on base and left a few guys out there. But it’s just part of the game, and it just so happens at the times when I’ve been called to come out and try to help the club with a base hit or whatever, I’ve been able to help coming off the bench. But it’s just part of the game.”
**ANDRELTON SIMMONS
On coming back to tie in eighth, then losing
“We fought. They threw a good pitcher out there. We got some runs late in the game, but they’re a ruthless team. They’re offense has been really good, and they find ways to get runs. They got Vizky (Vizcaino) again today, one of our best arms. So you’ve got to tip your cap to them, too.”
What did you see from Syndergaard
“A hundred (miles per hour). He throws really hard. He had a change and a split he was using that was really effective at times, and he was throwing some curveball/sliders. But you’ve got to respect 100.”
On Cespedes, you seen anything like his hot streak since you’ve been in the league?
“You see guys on hot streaks, but yeah, he has that cape right now. He’s feeling like Superman right now. He’s getting big hits. He’s a good player, a good hitter, and he’s hot right now.”
On Garcia’s three-run homer
“That was big. That was at a time when it was a big boost, got us back in the game, energy came back. That was good to see, good for him and the offense, too.”
**FREDI GONZALEZ
On Williams Perez
“He wiggled out of some trouble. He induced, what, four double plays himself? Our defense was, my goodness, that might have been one of the best defensive games we’ve played in a long time. We made some double plays. But your turn four double plays, that means there’s a lot of people on base. But he stayed with his sinker and he got the ground-ball double play when he had to, and we turned it.”
On the three-run homer from Garcia to tie in eighth
“Adonis has been coming up big off the bench. We get a three-run homer there; he’s really the only one on the bench that we have that gives you a chance to do what he did. And he did it, and we put Vizzy back out there. Again, we’ve touched on it a little bit, how we sometimes try to hurry up the process of being up here in the big leagues. Sometimes it takes a little patience on our part for him to grow into that role. But for the most part he’s been pretty darn good.”
On Kelly Johnson (and Juan Uribe) being latest former Braves to come back and help beat you
“They’re good players. Kelly been there, done that. He knows what he’s got to do, and Terry (Collins) has done a nice job matching him up with the guys he can handle. That’s a great pickup; both those guys. They’re professional players, professional character and teammates – it’s a good pickup for them, both of those guys.”
Do you remember seeing anyone go through a streak like Cespedes is right now?
“Yeah, I was a coach here when (Carlos) Beltran got traded from Kansas City to Houston and pretty much carried that franchise all the way to the World Series. That’s what I’m seeing here.” (Beltran had eight homers in first two rounds of playoffs in 2004 after the trade, including four homers in seven-game NLCS loss to Cardinals.)
On Syndergaard
“He’s pretty darn good. They’ve got a nice future in young pitching.”
