**DAN UGGLA
On the past two days, three homers, some walks – nice to contribute to wins?
“Yeah, it is. You always want to feel like you matter and feel like you’re a factor. It sucks when you feel like I’ve felt a lot this year, like a non-factor. Get some homers, get some runs, drive in some runs – it feels good.”
On coming into weekend batting .183
“The batting average is what it is. It ain’t the first time I’ve batted .180, .170, .160. I throw those numbers out the door. I look at, we’re up seven or eight games right now, and that’s without me doing anything at all. I know what I’m capable of doing, and if I can be more consistent and help these guys score some runs, that’s all that matters.”
Already 13 homers, only 18 last season
“Last year I got in that funk and I didn’t know what caused it. We identified the problem (since then) and it’s just a continual thing every day to try to get my swing the way it was, and keep it that way. Be more consistent with it. Now that we identified the problem, should be able to bounce back.”
Freeman as good an RBI guy as you’ve played with?
“Definitely. If there’s a guy on first base, second base, I don’t know what happens, he locks it in that much more. He almost wills himself to put the ball in play and find a hole and anything else you can do. I think he’s turned the corner this year with his mental makeup. The last couple of years I think he’s gotten down on himself a little too much, and this year he’s shaking it off and he knows he’s a bad dude out there.”
On Minor
“Mikey’s been doing that all year. He hasn’t been in too many jams like that, but he’s been in some sticky situations and showed his maturity, and how much he’s grown since last year. He didn’t give in, made pitches. It didn’t matter how many pitches it took, he got out of that inning with one run and should have got out of it with no runs.
“It’s fun watching him grown and learn how to use his stuff.”
**MIKE MINOR
On the first-inning, bases-loaded, no-outs jam
“First pitch, base hit. Then a push-bunt for a hit. I still felt good, still felt like I could get out of it. Then Schumaker got the swinging bunt to score (a run). But I just tried to go one pitch at a time, tried to get a ground ball.”
To get out of there with only one run scoring…
“It felt really good. Any time you get bases loaded with no outs, one run is great. I was upset, there was a swinging bunt when I made a good pitch. But there’s times in the game where they smoke some balls and made some good plays.”
On damage control, a key to his improvement
“Just not letting anything bother me, really. I knew I was just a couple of pitches away from getting out of it. Or it could have been really bad. But I knew if I made quality pitches I could get out of it. I pitched aroung Gonzo just because he’s hit me pretty well in the past.”
“I’ve been in those situations plenty of times. Just getting to know the game and knowing that you can get out of it. So it really doesn’t surprise me when I’m in those situations. I’m not as vulnerable as I was last year. I know if I can make some good pitches, I can get out of it.”
On Uggla
“It’s funny because a lot of guys’ averages don’t really show the hard-hit balls and everything that’s going on. But I guess if you put them out of the ballpark, the average will go up. But yeah, we’ve seen it. He’s walking, he’s hitting balls hard. Couple of homers the last couple of days. Everybody knows he’s got it. That’s why he plays every day.”
**FREDDIE FREEMAN
On the game
“Mikey pitched well today, and we worked some walks and got some timely hits. We didn’t get the most hits, but we got them when we needed it.”
On his three-run double
“When you’ve got the bases loaded and two out, you just want to try to get at least one more in there. I was just fortunate to get one to the gap and luckily he didn’t make that play. It’s always nice to kind of blow it open a little bit and get up by six, let Mikey settle in really nicely right there.”
On Uggla
“He’s been swinging the bat great. He’s been having great at-bats and spitting on a lot of (pitches). It’s come full circle now, with the amount of work he’s put it’s just finally paying off. You see what he’s been doing this weekend. Hopefully it carries over into next week.”
On the roll the starting pitchers are on
“They’ve been doing it all year, especially with the bullpen, too. They keep us in the game. It took us a few innings but we finally got going, and Mikey kept us in the game and we got some runs for him.”
On his penchant for hitting with runners in scoring position
“I can’t explain it. I just go up there and try to hit the ball hard every single at-bat, and for some reason they seem to fall when people are on base. But I’m not trying to do anything different, just trying to make good contact.”
**FREDI GONZALEZ
On Uggla
“He’s swinging it pretty good right now. That’s the stuff he can do, right there. What we saw today. He can run the ball out of the ballpark and get your three runs in a hurry.”
On Minor
“I thought Michael was outstanding, especially after that first inning. He got himself on the ropes, but this is the stuff we were talking about earlier – the Michael Minor of the past would have given up a big number. But somehow, some way, he found a way to minimize that damage to one run, and we were able to come back.”
“He got top the 100 pitch mark in the sixth inning, we thought that was enough. Didn’t want to tax him. Put Woody in there.”
On Freeman
“He’s been the most consistent hitter we’ve had, definitely. Come up with some big hits, two-strike hits, puts the ball in play and gets some big RBIs.”
On Pena’s diving defensive play with two on
“He made a nice play. He’s a special guy. He’s almost like Punto for the Dodgers, you can put him anywhere, and he gives you a good chance to win the ballgame.”
On drawing walks
“We really were patient today.”
On Heyward’s resurgence
“He only had about 50 at-bats before the appendicitis, and 50 since. So he’s getting going again.”
On Pena, Gattis leaving game
“Pena kind of pinched his shoulder a little that second time that he dove. That’s the reason (he came out). With Gattis, that was just to try to get Woody two innings, the double-switch with Gattis and Laird.”
“We’re calling (Pena) a day-to-day, and go from there. Nothing major.”
