Braves quotes from Manny Banuelos, Jace Peterson, Cameron Maybin, Andrelton Simmons and Fredi Gonzalez after Thursday’s 2-1 win against Nationals.
**CAMERON MAYBIN
How good did it feel to get that opportunity in the ninth?
“It didn’t feel great at first, because I didn’t feel like we should even have been in that situation. I got a good jump on the ball and felt like I should have caught it. At the time, it’s one of those things where you’ve got to keep going. I’ve been pretty comfortable in that situation all year, so you just try to stay relaxed, just battle against a guy like that. Sometimes the baseball god will smile down on you, and they did for me. Pedro did a great job; he’s been doing an awesome job all year coming up with big hits to drive guys in or get a guy on when we need it. So he’s been awesome, and Jace is doing a good job of staying in the game, continuing to battle, getting a guy over. Those little things were a big key. The team did a great job of picking me up after that play. It’s a play that I feel like I should have made, it just felt routine to me. But again, our team did a great job, the bullpen did an awesome job of keeping us in the game.”
On another Braves starter performing well in debut against a formidable opponent
“Manny was awesome. It seems like whoever we bring up, they step in with confidence, not too bright-eyed, not too awestruck or anything like that. And they continue to go out and show the kind of competitiveness that you love to play behind, especially for young guys. It’s important that they have that, and it’s been fun to watch.”
**MANNY BANUELOS
On being calm in big debut
“It’s pretty good, a lot of confidence. I worked a lot. When I started warming up, it was pretty comfortable.”
On cramping up — did you forget to drink enough fluids with all the excitement?
“I drank a lot of fluids yesterday and today, because that happened to me a couple of weeks ago when I was at Gwinnett. So I’ve been drinking a lot of water, but nothing you can do with that.”
“I don’t want that (exit). I tried to finish the inning, but I started feeling bad, and it got worse and worse.”
Fredi said it was cramping in the calf?
“It was in the calf and fingers.”
On facing Scherzer in his major league debut
“I heard a lot from friends, when they found out I was getting to the big leagues, they looked at who I had to face. They said, ‘that’s a pretty good pitcher.’ But I just wanted to do my job, you know.”
Which calf?
“The left one.”
And fingers on which hand?
“Both, but more on my left.”
Obviously affected your control?
“Yeah, on the 3-2 change-up, I hit him. And the second one … I couldn’t control it.”
Did A.J. pick up on it, that’s why he signaled to dugout?
“I called him, and then I told him and he got Fredi.”
On the debut and how it felt, after years of working and coming back from Tommy John surgery
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for years and years. I got an injury and all that, but thank God I made it.”
“I was excited. I was feeling a lot of feelings, but I just tried not to think too much, to not get nervous and do my job.”
On improved changeup
“We’ve been working hard on that. I have a lot of confidence with that, so that’s what I used tonight.”
**FREDI GONZALEZ
On how tough it was to see Manny Banuelos go out during such a good outing
“He was pitching really good. He locked up with one of the best pitchers in the game, and he matched him pitch for pitch. And just a shame that he had to come out there with a cramp. We knew he was a sweater, with the reports we got from (Triple-A manager Brian) Snitker … they said that this guy sweats a lot, so we’ve got to make some adjustments. But he really, really commanded his fast ball. Did a nice job with his changeup. You can’t ask for anything more than that.”
On cramps Banuelos experienced
“It was a calf. The calf got him first. I think (Tim) Hudson was prone to that. It’s happened one time before in Gwinnett and it happened tonight. But what a shame for him to come out of the game because of that.”
On Banuelos’ performance
“Not (fazed) at all. We saw it a little bit in spring training, but today for his major-league debut against (Max) Scherzer, I was really impressed. He even handled the bat.”
On Cameron Maybin coming through in the clutch
“He puts the ball in play. He made a couple nice plays in center field. … Good to put the ball in play and just got it in the bag, I think. Just looking at the replay. I just, the way the ball hit foul – was really close to the foul line. I think, just by common sense, that ball went over the bag. If that’s going to be that ball, that much on the other side, that’s got to be over the bag. And good for us, we got a break there.”
On Pedro Ciriaco consistently contributing
“Yeah. You know what, and against some good pitching. Right now he’s either getting a tough right-hander or he’s facing the back end of somebody’s bullpen. Because we feel he’s that valuable that we hold him to that thing. But looking forward, looking ahead, he’ll get a start this week, maybe two starts. Get him some at-bats again.”
On 4-0 record with pitchers making debuts
“I know we’ve got a lot of trade and a lot of depth. … You see a little bit of the trades. You’ve seen Banuelos, you’ve seen (Mike) Foltynewicz, you’ve seen (Matt) Wisler. You see some of those guys that have come in trades and have come and made some nice starts.”
On if there’s added energy after a game like this
“Well we won the series, and we haven’t won a series in a while. Against a tough and a tough pitcher, and he’s out there in the ninth inning. You don’t see that very often anymore, and giving their team a good chance to win ball games. Proud of the club. We scratched and clawed and we got two runs.”
** ANDRELTON SIMMONS
On the win against Scherzer
“We were fortunate to get some guys on base in scoring position, and fortunate to get them in. We had to battle. He was good. Had his slider working, his fastball beats you almost every time just by a little bit, but we grinded our at-bats and got the big hit.”
On manufacturing runs
“Got to give yourself a chance. Banuelos did great, the bullpen came in and kept us in the game, and we got guys on base like we’ve been getting, but we finally got the big hits.”
On importance of series win
“More because we’re playing a division team. They’re playing well, and in order to get to our goal we’ve got to take some games away from them. So that was a pretty important win today.”
**JACE PETERSON
On the walk-off win in the ninth against Scherzer
“Cam came through with a big knock. Ciri (Ciriaco) did a good job of getting on base. Worked out, got the win.”
On Ciriaco coming through as starter or pinch-hitter
“Yeah, he’s a great player. We know when he’s on the bench and we’ve got a big situation, we can bring him in and he’s going to come through. That’s what he’s been doing. In that situation we’re comfortable. He got on, we got him over, and Cam got him in.”
On Banuelos
“Good. I saw him a little in the spring. He threw well, if he wouldn’t have cramped up I think he would’ve given us at least a couple of more innings.”
On winning against Scherzer
“It seems like everybody that comes up with us, their first start’s against the No. 1 on the other side. So for us to come out with a win is big.”
And series win against Nationals, to boot
“Yeah, we need to win multiple games, especially against them in first.”
