**FREDI GONZALEZ
on Maholm’s performance
“For the first time in over a month, I think he did a nice job. It’s a tough lineup to navigate, especially (for a left-hander) with all those really good right-handed hitters they’ve got. But I thought he did a nice job, kept us in the ballgame, gave us an opportunity to win the game.”
See any rust after his layoff?
“Not really. I thought he was outstanding for the first four innings. He mixed his pitches well, he changed speeds. I didn’t see any rust. Other than the third time through the lineup. We didn’t help him, either, kind of kept that (sixth) inning going a little bit (with the Simmons error). But I thought he did fine, for the first time. It was almost a month to the day the last time he pitched. So just go on to his next start.”
On the three consecutive two-out RBI doubles
“That’s that kind of lineup. They can run at you there, especially with those right-handed hitters they have.”
On walking No. 8 hitter Kozma in the fifth
“If you’ve got to put your finger on an at-bat, walking the No. 8 hitter – it brings up all the guys who come back into play (with the doubles). But other than that, I was pleased with his outing.”
On newcomer Elliot Johnson getting two hits
“Good for him, coming in here on an 0-for-31 slump and to come in and get a couple of knocks, it’s nice to see. You see the athletic ability on the base paths. He made a nice play on a ball to his left there, knocking the ball down and coming up and making a nice play to first. Yeah, that’s a nice piece to have.”
On Simmons error
“I think it was one of those situations where he just tried to force it a little bit there.”
On Justin Upton
“Big two-run homer to give us the lead there. We had a couple of guys offensively who swung the bats well. McCann got a couple of hits, Simmons got a couple of hits, Elliot Johnson got a couple of hits. We just didn’t quite keep the line moving. But we’ll go get ‘em tomorrow.”
**PAUL MAHOLM
How’d you feel?
“I felt good the first four innings. The first inning I walked two guys, but I was able to manage the lineup and got out of it. Till the fifth, I made my pitches. I still put myself in position to get out of (the fifth) with two outs and two strikes, and nobody had scored yet. For three hitters I made three bad pitches.”
“Depending on how I got them out earlier in the game, they were probably just sitting on (the breaking ball). The biggest thing was the walk to Kozma. I’ve got 7-8-9 (hitters to start that inning). I get the first one, I walk him.”
That walk the biggest regret of game?
“That and getting in situations where three straight guys I could have put them away. They put good swings on it; obviously I didn’t make the pitches I wanted to, but they’re a good lineup. It’s a challenge to go through. The first four innings I made my pitches, then I got to where I missed, and they take advantage of it.
“I wouldn’t say I had command (issues), because I got ahead and got to a position where I could have got out of it. But again, it was just not getting a shutdown after we went ahead 2-1.”
More on how he felt
“I felt way more comfortable today than I did in the three starts before I went on the DL. I feel like my mechanics are pretty close to where they were early in the year, and I’m able to make pitches. I’m not going to light up the radar gun, but I was able to mix speeds and throw some good cutters in, and keep them off-balance.”
On the huge disparity between excellent home numbers and terrible road stats
“Believe me, I know they suck. I’ve made two-thirds of my starts on the road. I don’t know. I guess it’s just the draw that I got, and I’ve got to figure it out on the road and got to make better pitches and manage the lineup, not put yourself in situations that can hurt you.”
**JUSTIN UPTON
On Cardinals pitcher Joe Kelly
“He’s got a lot of velo, has some good movement on his fastball, and he mixes in his breaking pitches well. He did a good job of keeping us off-balance and throwing his fastball in the zone.”
You feeling like you did in April, similar feeling, seeing the ball like you did then?
“I’m seeing the ball pretty good, I’m getting pretty good pitches. That’s about it.”
On first game after Heyward injury
“That’s took a toll on us yesterday, losing Jason. It’s rough, but we’ll get back on our feet and be ready to go.”
