—Quotes compiled by Michael Cunningham
**FREDI GONZALEZ**
On finishing the home stand with a victory
“We finished strong. (Ervin) Santana set the tone. He gave us every opportunity to win the ball game. Between him, (Andrelton) Simmons at shortstop and (Evan) Gattis got two runs, that was an exhibition of baseball. You don’t get to face a guy like Jason Lane very often. He is almost Jamie Moyer-like, without the breaking ball. He’s got the 86-, 87-mph fastball. He kept us off balance. I think that’s his first career major-league start after being an every-day player. He did a nice job. Those three guys made a difference: Santana throwing strikes, getting early outs, good breaking ball; Gattis solo home run; and then Simmons at shortstop, he must have been part of 20 outs.”
On Gattis’ progress since returning from the disabled list
“Now he’s starting to see major-league pitching again and getting his timing. That’s good to see.”
On what adjustments Santana has made in his last few starts
“I don’t think there is any adjustment. I think he is just pitching good baseball right now. He’ s throwing his breaking pitches for strikes and then expanding with his breaking pitches and making a lot of swings and misses.”
On Jason Heyward’s status after back injury
“Day-to-day. He came in just before his first at-bat and said, ‘Skip, my back is tightening up on me.’ Hopefully tomorrow he wakes up and feels better. I know the trainer has been working on him since the third inning so hopefully we get him back in the next couple days.”
On Phil Gosselin getting a hit in his first at-bat
“It was nice to get him in there and make something happen from the get-go. He’s a nice piece to have in the National League. If you feel like you want to give somebody off, you can run him in at a couple different positions and you will be fine.”
**EVAN GATTIS**
On his adjustment returning from back injury
“I’ve been healthy the whole way through. After my first few days of BP that was the biggest concern for me physically. I feel healthy and the timing is slowly sure but slowly coming.”
On being in a groove with Ervin Santana today
“We had a good rhythm. There was a couple times shaking (signs) off. But he had unbelievable game plan and command and everything.”
On figuring Jason Lane out
“I think it took a second to figure out what he was throwing. He located well and kept the ball down. He was pretty tough.”
**ERVIN SANTANA**
On his rhythm with Gattis
“It was good. Me and Gattis was on the same page the whole game.”
On how difficult he is to face when his slider is working
“I don’t know but it gets everybody off balance and that was one of the keys for me. It was working very good today.”
On being fired up by good defensive plays
“Of course. Every time we got those guys making a great play for me, it’s huge. It gives me more energy to keep pitching.”
On being fired up after Justin Upton threw out Yonder Alonso trying for a double
“Of course. You see the kind of play he made today he just throw it on the money so I had to get (excited) about it.”
On the importance of getting Gattis back in the lineup
“We need that bat. He’s good behind the plate, too, so we need him.”
**ANDRELTON SIMMONS**
On his play in the field today
“It felt good to contribute defensively. I felt good today. I was seeing the ball good off the bat. Santana was dealing and it keeps your defense in the game when he’s pitching like that. It showed today.”
On if that’s one of the better outings he’s seen from Santana
“Definitely. His slider was untouchable. His fastball was jumping out of his hands and he was hitting his spots. Gattis was blocking his pitches when he wanted to bounce it. He worked great today.”
On Gattis getting back in the groove
“He’ll hit. He’s a great hitter, strong hitter. He’s going to get back to what he’s been doing from the beginning of the year, his entire life. He just has to get the flow going and feel comfortable again.”
**CHRIS JOHNSON**
On Jason Lane making the switch from outfielder to pitcher for the Padres
“You can’t take anything away from Jason Lane. That’s pretty cool stuff.”
On if the Braves started figuring Lane out later in the game
“Yeah, it’s tough against a guy you see for the first time no matter how soft he throws or how hard he throws. It’s tough to kind of get that arm slot and see what he’s trying to do to you, what he likes to do, tendencies.”
On if it’s good to see Gattis homer
“It was just a matter of time and getting his swings, getting his timing. Gattis is a big part of our lineup.”
On the importance of Santana throwing strikes
“It’s great as a defense. It’s fun to play behind. You better not look down for too long because you might miss one. It’s a lot of fun when he pounds the zone. When he’s like that, that’s his game.”
