Braves quotes after Wednesday’s loss to the Giants
— quotes compiled by Matthew Bain and David O’Brien
Braves quotes from Williams Perez, Chris Johnson and Fredi Gonzalez after Wednesday’s 6-1 loss to the Giants.
**FREDI GONZALEZ
On Williams Perez having a tough outing
“Well, you know what, if you’re looking at the numbers — six-plus innings pitched, you’re going to go, ‘Well the outing wasn’t very good.’ Because he gave up, what, five earned runs, six earned runs – something like that. If you evaluate him on other stuff – the way he went about it – it’s better than the numbers show, it really is. But that’s not what we’re here for, we’re here to win ballgames. But I think if you look back and you look at the game today, you could say, ‘You know what, ground ball here, fly ball that we catch there, and he might have a little better outcome.’ He gave us six innings, three runs, you run him back out there because he had 70, less than 80 pitches, and that’s when the big runs came – in the seventh inning.”
On performance of Madison Bumgarner
“He was good. He was commanding his fastball on both sides of the plate. He was throwing the slider backdoor to right-handed hitters and he was pretty dominant today against us.”
On missing chances to score, like in the sixth inning when Johnson struck out with two on
“Right. You know, we get (runners at) first and third with guys that he has a tough time getting out. Jonny (Gomes) has a great at-bat and he gets the base hit and gets it first and third. You feel good about Chris (Johnson) coming up there. Maybe make it a tie game or a two-run game or any of that kind of stuff, and he made some good pitches to him.”
On competitiveness of Bumgarner
“He’s the whole package. He’s such a good pitcher and good hitter, that in the second inning you got (runner at) second and third and two outs and you’d rather face (No. 8 hitter Kelby) Tomlinson than face him. Because (Bumgarner’s) got, what, three home runs? He’s a bat. So, he can beat you. He’s a force – he’s not just not a normal, regular left-handed pitcher than don’t swing it real well. He does a lot of good things.”
On performance of Nick Markakis against tough pitcher
“He gives you professional at-bats. He doesn’t give any at-bats away. You notice – the score could be 10-0 us, and he’s facing the right fielder and he isn’t going to give that at-bat away. He’s going to try to give you a base hit. And that’s what makes him good; that’s what makes him a special guy and a guy that has been in the big leagues for a lot of years and being productive.”
** CHRIS JOHNSON
On Madison Bumgarner’s performance
“You get in the big leagues and you face a guy like that, and he’s on? That’s the result you get, plain and simple. We knew what we were getting into once the game started. Had a couple of opportunities, but just couldn’t get (a big hit).”
On Nick Markakis
“Professional hitter. We say that all the time, every time he gets a hit: He’s a professional hitter. The guy knows how to hit, knows how to get on base. It’s impressive. It doesn’t matter who you face – best lefty in the game, (he gets) two hits. He’s impressive.”
**WILLIAMS PEREZ (through translation by Eddie Perez)
On how he felt tonight
“I felt really good, but I’m sad the game didn’t turn out the good way.”
On approach to facing Tomlinson with 1st base open and Bumgarner on deck
“I knew the pitcher was up next, and I know he can hit, too. But I should have thrown a better pitch (to Tomlinson).”
Has it been difficult to get back into the groove you were in before the foot injury, in these two starts since returning from DL?
“The first one after the injury, I did feel weird. But now I’m feeling normal again.”
More about his stuff tonight, his pitches
“I feel sad that we lost the game, but I feel really good about my stuff.”
