Braves quotes after 3-2 victory over Cardinals.
**FREDI GONZALEZ
On Matt Wisler’s composure
“That’s a pretty good lineup out there and I liked the seventh inning against (Matt) Holliday. That was the biggest at-bat of the game. Earlier in the game Holliday got him for an RBI double and tied the game up, but he competes. He does a lot of good things right. Fields his position, got himself out of a jam with the pop up on the bunt and was able to turn the double play. He does a lot of good things. He’s really impressive for a young pitcher to able to do that in a major-league environment and be successful.”
On the at-bat against Holliday
“He wasn’t going to give in. He kept making quality pitches. I thought the umpire maybe Holliday against Wisler, Holliday gets the call there. He didn’t buckle. He kept making pitches. He didn’t waiver and he gave us a great outing. Go out in that seventh inning and face that lineup again, that’s pretty good.”
On Ryan Lavarnway’s RBI in the second inning
“That was nice to kind of break the ice. We had some good at-bats against (Micahel)Wacha. I think in the second and third innings he was in the high 50s pitch count and we battled. He kind of settled in a little bit and gave his team a chance to win the game but we had some good at-bats, we really did. (Adonis) Garcia driving into the bullpen in right field for his first home run, that was nice. He’s got seven, eight at-bast in the big league but I like the at-bats he’s give us. He’s made some nice plays at third base. That’s a nice addition. We’ve got to find a way to keep him in the lineup somehow. (Ryan) Lavarnway did a terrific job handling Wisler, handling (Arodys) Vizcaino. We talk about a backup catcher that goes unnoticed, it’s a good thing because balls aren’t getting by him. He’s framing really good pitches. I think he deserves a shot out because he caught well today.”
On the bullpen
“I’m really pleased with our pitching staff. We lost 1-0 yesterday. Our bullpen has been pitching well. I can’t complain about our pitching, I really can’t. We’re not going out and giving eight or nine runs and we are keeping the offense in ballgames.”
On Eury Perez’s arm
“He’s strong and he’s accurate. You don’t know what’s going on in New York with that they are seeing (with the replay challenge). What they told me on the field was that Jason (Heyward) got his foot in there. It wasn’t violation of the lane. I could only see what was on the (video board). His arm strength is above average and his accuracy is above average.
On if Lavarnway will catch Wisler
I don’t know. We’ll see how it matches up. Sometimes it’s maybe coincidence. I think (Shelby) Miller-(A.J.) Pierzynski there’s enough starts there, enough data there that you like that. Shelby and Pierzynski since back in the Cardinals days they’ve hooked up and had some nice games. A.J. is 38-years old. He’s going to need a breather every once in a while. That’s something we can look at. If it works for us and works for ‘Wis’ and Larvanrway it’s something we will explore.
On Garcia moving up in lineup
“I like the at-bats and plus Pierzynski wasn’t in the lineup so we moved him up. But I like the at-bats. Bryant Snicker, our Triple-A manager, has given him great praise on his at-bats and his approach. Even defensively, he made a couple nice plays today. So far, two games seven, eight at-bats we like what we see. To drive the ball out of the ballpark to especially in this ballpark which is a fair ballpark, to drive it into right-center field that’s some pop.”
**MATT WISLER
On his start
“I felt good today. My bullpen wasn’t sharp. One thing I’ve learned is forget about that and get to the game. Once we got to the game I felt pretty good. I had good command of my fastball today, working in and out both sides to lefties and righties. Slider was also working.”
On his comfort level
“I was a little bit nervous. This is the best team in baseball. They have a very good lineup, very talented. I was trying to attack guys the same way I would normal hitters. They had a couple guys missing in the lineup but they are still very talented. They can put up runs in a hurry, which they showed in that fourth inning. I was lucky to get out of there with one run.”
On the at-bat against Holliday in the seventh
“That was a big at-bat for me. I knew that with one pitch he could put them in the lead so I had to bare down and try to stay focused on that at-bat, pitch-by-pitch. What is he looking for, what is he looking for right here. Pitching him differently than I was the rest of the game.”
On four wins in his last five starts
“The offense has picked me up every time I’ve pitched. I’ve had really good offense behind me every time. That’s something that’s great. When you have run support it’s easy to pitch. I’ve been lucky with that and the guys have picked me up.”
On Adonis Garcia’s homer
“It’s huge. I blew the lead again, he comes up and puts me in the lead. Got out there and got two more shutout innings and give those guys a chance.”
On not getting the call on 0-2 against Holliday
“You’ve just got to stay relaxed. All right, on to the next pitch. You can’t let that get to you. If you let that get to you then you start thinking other stuff and that’s when you hang a pitch. You’ve just got to let that go.”
**RYAN LAVARNWAY
On Matt Wisler
“He’s a competitive guy. He’s going out there and giving is his all. He’s got great stuff. As he continues to grow, I’m excited to watch him.”
On his performance against a good lineup on road
“They are obviously the class in the league right now. Forty-five thousand people out here screaming for them. Great atmosphere to play in. Any time we can get a win here it’s good.”
On what was working for Wisler
“Fastball command. That’s one of the most important things every time. He brought a slider pretty good. Third time through the order we started mixing change=ups and curveballs in.”
On his seven-game hitting streak
“I’ve been working with Seitz (Brian Seitzer) and he really understood my swing. He remembered seeing me when I was real hot with the Red Sox and he was telling me how he felt about me as an opposing coach then and trying to get me back to that.
On if he thought Seitzer could help him before he signed
“I had heard good things about him, never met him before, but I’m really enjoying working with him.”
**ADONIS GARCIA (Spanish interpretation by Braves coach Horacio Ramirez)
On hitting his first career home run
“I accomplished my dream of getting here to the big leagues and now I’m twice as happy I hit my first home run. I’m just happy I was able to help the team win.”
On if he thought he hit the ball hard enough to clear the wall
“I was just running until I saw the ball clear the fence. I wasn’t taking anything for granted.”
On if he got the pitch he was looking for
Yes, the first at-bat they opened with the breaking ball so I was looking for the fastball away.
On if he feels most comfortable at third base
“When I was back in Cuba my normal position was third base. Other years in other organizations I was playing outfield but my natural position I feels is third base and I’m finally feeling comfortable there again.”
On if he will get the home run ball
(Laughs) “I got it already.”
