**B.J. UPTON
On B.J. chants when he came up in 10th
“That’s pretty cool. At that point you’ve got to try to block it out and focus on the AB. That’s what I did. Got a decent pitch and was just praying that it fell.”
On Huddy and Kimbrel
“Huddy’s been doing it a long time, and he knows how to pitch. He threw a great game against a good lineup, and the bullpen came in and handled business. Craig got himself in a little bit of a jam, and made some pitches to get out of it and kept us in the ballgame.”
Didn’t matter if your hit was a broken-bat or a homer, right?
“Didn’t matter. We got the job done and got a win.”
Can two hits like that take the weight off your shoulders and start something?
“I hope so. Like I said, still got some work to do. Still got a long way to go. It’s a long season and hopefully it’s a step in the right direction.”
On Kimbrel
“That’s why he’s the closer, man. He got himself in a jam, got a strikeout and made a couple of big pitches to get out of it.”
On all his teammates running out to mob him on the basepath
“It was a little crazy, man. We’ve got a crazy bunch of guys. But overall it was pretty fun.”
More on his big night
“Most importantly, we got a win. We’ve had a couple of guys get big hits for us this year. I’m just glad that I was the one tonight.”
**TIM HUDSON
on his performance and the win
“Oh, man, it was just a great baseball game. It was a tight game from the start, and I felt pretty good out there. Roger and I did some pretty good work in my bullpen session between starts, and I think it was evident tonight in how I was throwing the ball and the quality of my pitches. But man, it was a great game. It was fun. Awesome. B.J. came up with a huge hit right there. I know it’s something that he’s really proud of, and so are we.
“It was a big win for us. This is a game that you look back in September and think, man, if we could have just squeaked out that one-run game right there. And we were able to do it.”
On celebrating the walk-off win and much-needed big hit for B.J. Upton
“Man, everybody knows how hard he’s been working to try to get things back on track. Hopefully this is just a small sign of some really good things to come. Everybody’s really happy for him. It was exciting to see.
“It was tight ballgame, could have been anybody’s ballgame, and we were able to scratch it out and get it right there. Craig did a great job coming in. He was in a little bit of a pickle there in the ninth inning and did what he does, pulled something out of his rear end and gave us a chance to win the ballgame.”
On the big, noisy crowd
“It’s awesome when our fans are able to pack our seats and get behind us like they were tonight. It helps us out. I don’t think they really understand how much it does help us out, but it really does. Tonight was a game that was exciting. I hope they appreciated a well-played baseball game from both sides. Well-pitched from both sides, and some timely hitting. It was a fun game for a true baseball fan to be a part of.”
On pitching well again against rival Nationals
“The Nats are a team we’re going to be competing against all year. We need to play well against them. Our head-to-head record against these guys is probably going to determine who wins our division, between us and them and the Phillies. They have a good ballclub over there. Can’t take anything from there. We need to take advantage of a time when they’re battling some injuries. We’ve had our fair share of those problems throughout the season; now’s the time we need to take advantage of other people having those problems.”
On his improvements since last start
“Better location and better quality stuff. It felt a lot more consistent, like I didn’t have to put so much effort into it to get better quality pitches.”
**FREDI GONZALEZ
On B.J. Upton’s walk-off hit
“That’s big. I thought he had good at-bats the whole game, even the very first one. That’s good for a guy who’s been getting beat up the last few weeks. This is good for him, especially at home to get the crowd behind him, and hopefully that catapults him for two or three months.”
On Tim Hudson’s performance
“Huddy was outstanding. He had no earned runs. He did have that one little miscue with the first baseman throwing the ball over his head covering first, but he was outstanding. The whole bullpen was outstanding. Even Kimbrel came in and got second and third, nobody out, and did a terrific job. A lot of good things, Schafer stealing a bag there in the last inning and getting himself in scoring position. Good win in front of a great crowd, and we get to see Run-D.M.C. if you guys are staying.”
On Hudson stepping up with improved performance in big game
“That’s his veteran leadership on the mound. It doesn’t matter if it’s June or April. When you’re facing a division rival, it’s always a big game.”
On Kimbrel’s escape from the ninth-inning jam
“Second and third, nobody out, facing a pretty good hitter with Desmond, punches him out, does a terrific job. Then Walden and Avilan, very nice pitching.”
On the crowd
“Really, really good. It was energized. Hopefully they’ll stick around for Run-D.M.C., so we can sneak out of here without any traffic.”
On crowd chanting B.J.’s name when he came up in 10th
“I couldn’t hear that; that’s outstanding. Doesn’t surprise me with the Atlanta fan base, but that was very good because like I said earlier, he’s been getting beat up pretty good, and for him to hear that, I’m sure it feels good for him.”
