Braves quotes after 5-0 victory over Reds Sunday at Turner Field.
**FREDI GONZALEZ
On Julio Teheran
The biggest thing is the shutdown innings. We scored and we scored early against a tough, tough right-handed pitcher, one of the premier right-handed pitchers in the National League. We scored early and we went back out there and (Teheran) shut them down. I liked the way Julio used his fastball. For me, the name of the game was the shutdown innings.
On Teheran’s fastball setting up other pitches
I don’t know the percentages the exactly but it looked like it was a lot more than the 50 percent we had the last start. He’s got to pitch off his fastball. I liked 94, 95 (mph) a couple times. I’m glad to see that.
On bouncing back from three bad starts
This is more the Julio Teheran that we’ve seen in the past than his last three starts. He commanded his pitches. His teammates gave him some runs in a couple different innings and he took advantage of it.
On the offense taking advantage of mistakes by Reds starter Johnny Cueto
I’m not so sure he made mistakes. Kelly Johnson had a good at-bat. Jonny Gomes, he ambushed him. Christian (Bethancourt) got two hits, one of them a double down the line and then an infield single because he’s an athletic catcher who can run. I like the way we jumped on him early. If you would have told me we’d score five runs against Johnny Cueto and he would only go six innings, I might have stopped and got some lotto tickets also. Because he’s tough. His last three starts he had rattled off going seven or eight innings and he only gave up three runs. Maybe we caught him on a good day but our guys battled.
On playing Kelly Johnson after considering giving him a day off
That’s why we make lineups in pencil. You see the at-bats. Sooner or later we’ve got to give him one because he’s not a young kid anymore. It was one of those game-time decisions this morning when I came in. I had the mindset of giving him a day off and I started messing around and gave (Alberto) Callaspo a day off instead. He made me look good, I guess. It was a good day. His son’s team was on the field before the game and he was over there at third base and then he hit us a home run. That was a nice day for the Johnson family.
On bringing in Luis Avilan to get the last out after Michael Kohn walked a batter
You come in and you give a young man an opportunity a pitch and all of a sudden you get two outs in a shutout situation and you walk a guy on four straight pitches, that’s only a message only baseball people would pick up.
**JULIO TEHERAN
On his outing
I was feeling I really needed to concentrate for this game and just was try and throw pitch by pitch and that’s what I did today.
On throwing more fastballs
That was my plan coming out to this game. I was trying to use more of my fastball. I was trying to do the same thing I did a couple years ago and it worked.
On striking out five in a row spanning fourth and fifth innings
I was feeling good. My fastball was coming out good from my hand. All of my pitches were good. I was really focused in this game.
On throwing 94, 95 mph
Sometimes I feel that I need to use it. Other than that I was just trying to command my fastball and command all of my pitches.
On if he came out fighting because he was bothered by poor starts
My mind coming into this game was trying to fight and trying to really focus on this game.
On the early run support
That’s big, the run support, and I know they have been doing that. My last game they did it and I didn’t fight like I was supposed to but today I feel like I needed to focus and fight.
**JONNY GOMES
On getting to Johnny Cueto early
That was it. Julio got out there and shut them down early. Of course the early runs helped him get that monkey off his back. Good defense behind him. Tough matchup. Cueto is no slouch out there. We jumped on him early . The approach was to not let him get to his secondary pitches and it worked out.
On if Teheran had more life on his fastball
I’m never going to sleep on Julio. If our backs are against the wall, I feel we are going to go to him more often than not. The other four starters we are running out there are holding their own, as well. I’m sure they’d all like run support early on. Julio got it and ran with it.
