Braves quotes from Ervin Santana, Craig Kimbrel, Justin Upton, Andrelton Simmons, Chris Johnson and manager Fredi Gonzalez after Wednesday’s win against the Dodgers.
**CRAIG KIMBREL
On the excitement of the ninth inning
“Well I don’t like to get that excited. It’s not a situation I wanted to put our team in, but I was happy we were able to work out of it.”
On the Justin Upton throw to second
“When the ball was hit at first it looked like a single to left, then I thought he might’ve had a chance to catch it, then the runner got crossed up and thought we might’ve had a chance at third but that didn’t happen. Just getting into that situation, got to figure out a way to get out of it. Stay calm, try not to do too much and make your pitches, and that’s what we were able to do.”
On how memorable the save was
“It’s a situation you never want to get yourself into. Any time you have to rely on a double-play ball to get out of an inning in the game, you’re not at a good spot. So hopefully next time I go out there I go 1-2-3, and make it a lot more easy and a lot less stressful.”
On talking to pitching coach Roger McDowell
“When he comes out he says, ‘You’ve thrown a lot of pitches in a row, I’m just giving you a breather.’ It just gives you a moment to step off and catch your breath and collect the situation that you’re in and kind of see what you can do to get yourself out of it. It kind of just slows things down. We were able to do that tonight.”
On McDowell’s instinct as a former closer
“He definitely knows what he’s doing. Not just in the ninth inning but through the entire game. It always helps when he comes out there and slows the game down.”
On the Braves needing a win
“We needed a win. I feel like each game we play, we’re going to be playing as hard as we can. We know what kind of hole we’re in and what kind of baseball we need to play to get out of it. We can’t let games get away from us and that’s what the emotion I showed tonight was (about). I was that close to letting the game get away from us there and to get that double play to get out of it and get the ‘W,’ it was big. Hopefully we can take that momentum into tomorrow.”
**ANDRELTON SIMMONS
Right back into the fire, huh?
“Yes. But it’s always good to come out with a win. It was a good battle today. I’m happy I helped out a little today. Everybody battled, though. Everybody did their thing. C.J. bunted a guy over, trying to just chip away instead of just driving him in himself. I mean, everybody battled. Santana battled. Kimbrel didn’t look like he was feeling good at first, but he battled through and we came out victorious, so it was a great game.”
How’s the ankle, do you feel like you might be ready to go again tomorrow?
“It feels OK. It feels like it hasn’t played nine innings in a while, but it feels fine. If they think I’m OK to go tomorrow, I’m down to play whatever.”
Did resting the shoulder for several days help, especially when you had to make some tough throws tonight?
“Yeah, it’s a lot better. They (team trainers) try to look out for me. I’m always trying to go out there, and they (told me to take) a couple more days. It showed today. I was moving like it was normal, I didn’t feel the air cast I had on.”
On scoring some runs via small ball, like Braves did during winning streak earlier
“Yeah, we haven’t been hitting like we’re capable of, but we took advantage of people getting on base and moving them over. Just doing the small things right and driving them in.”
On reaching out for pitch and poking that single to right field
“I was trying to go that way. I saw they were giving me that hole, thinking that I was trying to pull or whatever. I was trying to stay that way and I stayed enough, even though I was a little in front. I stayed that way and went to where I wanted to.”
**ERVIN SANTANA
On the matchup against Hyun-Jin Ryu, who has been as hot as you’ve been lately
“He’s nasty. But we take a good swing off of him and we make an adjustment and we score four runs.”
On the importance of winning against a team that’s had its way lately against the Braves
“For me, I’m just trying to be simple and throw strikes and just trust my team. I know we’ve been rough for a little bit but at the same time we just have to trust our teammates and know that we are going to be good.”
Was this the best all-around game the team has played in the last couple weeks?
“It’s one of them. We just have to keep it positive and come here and score runs.”
On how he felt after striking out the side against the top of their order, one of the best in baseball
“Great. They are tough. They work a lot of pitches. At the same time, I am just trying to throw strikes and keep the ball down.”
Do you like having Andrelton Simmons back at shortstop?
“Of course. What a question. He’s Gold Glove.”
Where were you watching the ninth inning?
“I was here (in the clubhouse). I was watching it here. It was tough but we found a way to win.”
On his secret against Yasiel Puig (0-for-3, 3 K’s vs. Santana)
“I just tried to throw strikes and keep the ball down. He’s done a lot of damage against us before, and I just tried to throw strikes and keep the ball down.”
On if he was having some fun with Dee Gordon
“A little bit. (Smiles.) I know he was just trying to get me out of my rhythm. I know he’s not going to go nowhere after second and I was like, you’re not going nowhere.”
**JUSTIN UPTON
On his play to short-hop Gonzalez single in ninth
“Late in the game if it gets past you that could cost you the game, so I was trying to be aggressive. I came after the ball, I was able to catch it on the hop. It kind of sucks I didn’t get an out there, but it kept the (lead) at one and let Craig get a chance to get a ground ball.”
On winning tonight, doing all the little stuff, did it feel like an important win?
“All of our wins are going to be important for us going down the stretch. But to do it the way we did — C.J. giving himself up early in the game so we could try to respond to their two-run lead, the little things. There’s going to be times we face good pitching like Ryu tonight and we’re going to have to fight and battle, and that’s what we did tonight. It was a hard-fought win and we did a great job.”
On Santana’s season, great first month and strong again in past 10 or so starts
“We’ve seen him before when he’s like this. It’s just good to see, when he goes out and pounds the zone, makes people hit his stuff. He’s really a pitcher. Hopefully he can build off the momentum and continue to pitch well for us.”
**CHRIS JOHNSON
On his sacrifice bunt in the second inning
“We had to get something going. With a lead-off double we can’t afford to let that guy not score. I took a hack at the first one, gave myself an opportunity and then once he got a strike on me I was doing whatever I could to get the guy to third base.”
“I know I’ve got good numbers off lefties, but I felt – and this is my opinion – I felt like we needed that run, no matter what happens. We couldn’t afford, after them scoring two runs and after the way it’s been going, we couldn’t afford to let a leadoff double go to waste. And I had all the confidence in the world that Andrelton was going to get him in. And it was nice for him to come back and be able to hit a ground ball and kind of get his feet wet again, and it all worked out.”
Do you remember in your career sacrificing in the second inning?
“No. I had a sacrifice in extra innings a while back. But we needed the run. They scored two runs. We’ve kind of been in a little funk and we just needed something positive. It was able to get us an RBI on just a groundball.”
Is that a change in approach for you as opposed to even 10 days ago?
“Yeah, it’s just a do-whatever-you-can approach. Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes to win ballgames, whatever it takes to score runs. We’ve got to do that. We can’t sit on our ego or anything like that. If I’ve got to bunt, I’ve got to bunt.”
Is that as good as the team has played all around in last couple weeks?
“It was fun. It was a lot of fun. We did a lot things right. We played good defense, we got good pitching, timely hitting, got guys in when we needed to. It was a good game.”
What was your reaction on the game-ending double play
“Stoked. From my angle I can’t really tell where at second base it’s hit, so once it’s hit it’s panic and then as soon as I saw him behind it, it was nice. It was a good win.”
Do you the confidence Kimbrel has the stuff to get out of jams like that?
“You can’t count him out at all. I don’t care what the situation is. That’s why he’s one of the best closers in baseball. He can strike you out at any time so no matter what happens he’s always in line for the save.”
On Simmons’ return
“He’s impressive. Ankle seems to be fine. On that play with Gordon (running), I’m surprised it was even close. I can’t imagine there anybody else in the league that makes that play even a bang-bang play like it was, because that guy flies.”
Could it be a big win for momentum, get things turned around?
“Baseball’s weird. You’ve got to play every single day. So we’ve got to come out tomorrow and get a win, and if we don’t get a win we’re right back in the dumps where we were. So we’ve got to come back tomorrow with the same intensity, the same do-whatever-it-takes attitude.”
**FREDI GONZALEZ
On if manufacturing runs was the key tonight
“We did, and right after they got two guns against us we manufactured one. The double by Gattis, Chris Johnson unselfishly put the ball in play and (Andrelton Simmons) put the ball in play, a productive out like we were talking about earlier in the day. And then we were able to tack on some runs afterwards.
“Our pitching was outstanding. (Ervin) Santana was very good. Got himself in some trouble but he never gave in, he made some pitches when he had to. I think the MVP of the game in the eighth inning was (Phil) Gosselin. He made a couple plays that weren’t easy plays: ball going over the bag at second and then a ball that came up a little bit and we had to replay it and we got the (call). He made some nice plays defensively. It was a nice 6-4-3 double play there to end the game.”
There have been games where Chris Johnson could have bunted but didn’t, was his bunt tonight a change in his approach or the team’s?
“I think it’s his approach. This guy is, what, third (in the league) against left-handed pitching? And he did it on his own. He felt like he was trying to get the runner over. At this stage of the (season) with 40-something (games) left, I’m OK with it. He unselfishly did that.”
Was your heart in your throat on Justin Upton’s play on the short hop of Adrian Gonzalez’s line drive in the ninth inning?
“It’s one of those things where I’m sure the fan at home is wondering why didn’t he throw the ball to third base. For me, that ball could have easily been at the warning track. That’s a tough, sinking line drive that he short hopped and he’s got his head down and he probably never saw the runner, (Andre) Ethier going from second to third. He’ s just looking to second. That was a great play just to keep that ball in front of him because we’ve seen that play ball get away with great outfielders.”
On Braves pitchers getting out of innings despite leadoff hitters getting on
“Santana got himself in trouble but he made some pitches. If you get the leadoff guy out you eliminate a lot of stuff. In the ninth inning you eliminate the bunt with Dee Gordon, which, when we walked Ethier there, I’m going, bunt’s going to turn into a base hit or maybe even turn into a ball that’s going to be thrown down the right-field line because he’s so fast. But Craig (Kimbrel), he doesn’t … the moment doesn’t get away from him. I think maybe that’s just maturity. He’s been in those situations closing big games. But he doesn’t get rattled a lot. After he got one out you felt pretty good that we were going to get out of it. Not real good, but pretty good.”
Yeah, but you eliminate the Kimbrel thrill ride if he gets the first out… (Joking)
“Yeah, but I think we should maybe go through the ‘Kimbrel Love Tunnel’ or something. Something more relaxed.”
This is as good an offensive night you’ve had, being able to do the little things, etc?
“I think so. We had a really good approach against a guy that was throwing different pitches. He had a couple different breaking balls, a couple different fastballs. We had some good approaches right from the start.”
On Santana’s season, a recent string of 10-11 good starts, after strong first month and mid-season slump
“You can’t complain. He’s teed it up every single start. Knock on wood. He’s been good, really good.”
On whether having Andrelton Simmons back at shortstop stabilizes the defense
“I think (he) settles everything. Here’s a guy who’s a marquee shortstop in the middle of the diamond and I think he settles everybody else down.”
On Simmons’ two RBIs
“That’s the one we needed, the little flare behind the first baseman. That was big. And then putting the ball in play there in the infield.”
What was your reaction on the game-ending double play
“You would have thought we won Game 7.”
