Quotes from manager Fredi Gonzalez, pitcher Kris Medlen and other players after the Braves' 11-3 victory over the Miami Marlins Tuesday at Turner Field.
**FREDI GONZALEZ
On all the extra-base hits
“We split the gaps with a couple guys. I thought the biggest double was Chris Johnson’s with the bases loaded. I thought Webb was going to get out of that inning. Chris put up a good at-bat and snuck that ball right inside the first baseline and gave us not only two runs but a couple more opportunities to put a big number up.”
On how funny it is things can change that quickly
“It’s funny this game of ours. It starts so innocently. A walk or a base hit, or somebody misplays a ball and next thing bloop, and next thing you know somebody puts a big number up – you on somebody or somebody on you, that quickly.”
Good to see Justin Upton get three hits?
“Yeah. He’s fine. He’s swinging the bat good. I think everybody forgets sometimes the stuff he did in April – it’s hard to keep that pace up. I think at the end of the year the numbers are going to be right where they’re supposed to be.”
On Medlen working out of some jams early
“He did. I think he had some people on base. Through six innings, I think four or five innings he had some people on base, but again a couple of the balls went through the infield. I think the only ball that was hit hard for me off the top of my head other than the line drive that Simmons caught was the home run on a ball that just came back over the plate against Logan Morrison. He did a nice job competing. I don’t know how none of the guys got hurt on the play at first base with Morrison and also Medlen. You saw he pitched with a scrape in the back of the elbow the whole game, or the forearm actually. But he’s a competitor. He wants to be out there.”
On B.J. Upton’s injury
“It’s kind of cramped up, a spasm. I’ve never seen anything like that with a hand. You see guys spasm calves and legs and that kind of stuff. Our trainer brought it up here and it didn’t do it again. We’ll keep an eye on it and see how it is tomorrow.”
Did he feel it the 2-2 pitch before?
“He kept saying he couldn’t open his hand. His two middle fingers were clamping. He couldn’t open them. And it did that a couple times in the dugout when he came in, when (Jim Lovell) was checking him. So we said, ‘you know what? Forget it.’ If it’s a cramp it’s a cramp. If it’s something more significant we don’t want to make it worse. Right now hopefully it’s just a cramp.”
On Schafer pulling up on that infield hit
“Here you go again. He tells you that he could probably jog. You tell him ‘OK, well, then jog.’ And he hits a ball up the middle and he sniffs a base hit and the competitive juices take off and you saw it, it bothered him. Hopefully today was a step forward and tomorrow he keeps getting better and better.”
On ‘moving the line’ Saturday and today
“We see some good at-bats. Keep the line moving is the (saying). Get good at-bats. You can live with a punch-out here but I thought we did a nice job in the first inning scoring a run. Leadoff double, get him over and Danny with a fielder’s choice RBI. We did a nice job.”
**KRIS MEDLEN
You and Morrison get to know each other in first few innings?
“Ha. Yeah, I told him after he was on the ground, ‘Dude, 1-for-2 with a bomb? You’ve got to stay in the game.’”
On his first major league multi-hit game
“I don’t think the first one (bunt single) was meant to be a hit, but when I saw where it was going, I realized I might be able to sneak one out. And seeing Huddy come back down to earth (hitting-wise), I figured I’d pounce on that and try to get a couple of hits.” (joking)
“Pitching-wise, it was one of those grinding games where you don’t necessarily have your best stuff. I don’t think I was as crisp as I have been the past few starts. Couple extra days off in-between, not that it threw me off, but I just didn’t feel as crisp as I have been in my past few starts. Good to be able to sneak out with a win, and like I’ve been saying all year long, just try to keep us close, try not to give away too many leads, and wait for the big inning. And that’s exactly what happened today.”
On Chris Johnson’s two-run double down RF line
“Huge. That’s my least-favorite hit to give up, that righty-righty double down the right-field line. It’s miserable. But when it happens for you, it’s a lot different. Huge hit. He had a great game. Mac had a few hits, too. Just try to keep it close and then let our guys do their thing.”
On getting past a shaky first couple of innings
“You’re not going to go out there with your best stuff every time, and I’ve come to realize that because it happens a lot for me. Me and Homer Bailey (of the Reds) had contrasting stuff tonight. I’m looking up (on the clubhouse TV) and he’s throwing 97 in the ninth inning, which just pisses me off. (Smiles)
“But you’re going to go out there and not have your best stuff more times than not, honestly. And it just comes down to heart and relying on your teammates. I gave up some pretty hard outs, but they’re outs. My guys ran the ball down and made some pretty good plays behind me, which is what I need to be able to pick up these wins.”
On pitching with a big scrape on his right forearm after colliding with Morrison
“Yeah, I haven’t had one of these (shows off the bandaged arm) since college. Bleeding everywhere…. Whatever. No big deal.”
On collision with Morrison
“I picked the right sport, I know that. I don’t need to be playing football anytime soon.”
On getting a good lead off first after his bunt single
“I was (just) leaning. I wasn’t going anywhere, especially after that (collision). My right butt cheek’s pretty sore from that fall.”
On picking off Morrison in top of third, then colliding with him in bottom of inning
“There aren’t too many times when a guy takes you deep in the first inning and you can get him back, you know?” (joking)
“No, it (collision) was just one of those thing where I couldn’t do anything about it. I was just trying to run hard and get a hit. We both couldn’t do anything (to avoid collision).”
**CHRIS JOHNSON
On his two-run, two-out double with bases loaded
“That’s what it’s about. I’ve not gotten the guy in this year when it was my turn, too. So I was just trying to pick up the guys in front of me (who had struck out). That’s just part of being a complete ballclub.”
On picking other guys up
“That’s what good teams do. You’re not going to always do it; Webb’s got good stuff, and against a righty he’s tough. I was just trying to get something out over the plate and get it through there.”
On him hitting well with RISP and two outs
“Right now, we’ve had a couple of times where we haven’t done it (as a team), and I think when you get in that kind of a rut, everybody’s pressing to want to be that guy to get the hit. It’s a good thing that we’ve got a lot of guys on our team that want to be that guy, to get that hit to get the guy in. We’ve just got to back down a little bit and I think we’ll get it.”
Must’ve felt good to get that hit and kind of open the floodgates
“Yeah, it felt good for our pitching staff. They kept us in the ballgame all night, did a good job letting us have all nine innings to try to get something going. All the credit to them.”
On Medlen staying tough after getting behind early
“Our whole pitching staff battles. They give up a couple of runs early, we know they’re going to battle and keep us in the game, and that’s not something we’re worried about. He did a great job after giving up a couple of early runs.”
**B.J. UPTON
On his forearm and hand cramping
“It’s just weird man, one of those weird things. I’ve had it happen before, in the past. I never just really had my hand lock up like that before, though. That was a new one for me.
“Just some of the things I did today, some of the drills I do in the cage, maybe overuse, so to speak. It definitely didn’t bother me all day, didn’t bother me before the game or during batting practice. I got in there that first AB and it just completely locked up. It’s just one of those things that you can’t explain. It just happened.”
“It wasn’t working. It was like I could get it to calm down, but as soon as I went to grip the bat again, it’s almost like my hand would lock up around the handle of the bat. It was different. I tried to grind it out, and once I got into the dugout, I kind of knew what it was, but at that point, you gotta make a decision whether to stay in or take me out of the game. Obviously, it’s not something you want to risk, but having it happen to me in the past, I knew I’d be okay.
“I feel fine. I’m looking to play tomorrow, and if I can’t, then that’s just what it is. I’m almost 100 percent I’ll be able to play tomorrow.”
**ANDRELTON SIMMONS
On Chris Johnson’s hit opening the floodgates
“Yeah, it became a party…. We got a couple of fortunate hits, a couple of big hits. It was a mixture of every single one (in the lineup). It was good to see.”
Lot of production in top five spots in lineup
“We’re a team that’s capable of doing a lot of damage. It doesn’t show every day, but, I mean, some days some guys will be off and somebody else picks it up. But we’re capable of doing that every once in a while.”
16 hits and 11 runs without a homer
“Yeah, I was kind of surprised. I was trying to think (if there were any homers). I know there were a couple of long balls hit, but they didn’t make it out.”
“It’s nice to win a game without a homer every once in a while.”
