**FREDI GONZALEZ
On putting the ball in play that sixth inning
“You put the ball in play and funny things can happen. I didn’t see it live, but I thought Jason Heyward’s head’s-up base running made a big difference to add on another run. I had turned around and talked to Roger (McDowell) about getting (David) Carpenter ready and I missed the play. But he never stopped running and he never put his head down. That got us an extra run. (Christian) Bethancourt put the ball in play and getting us two runs, that’s a big at-bat. Woody (Alex Wood) was outstanding again. Carpenter came in the seventh inning in a tough situation, first and second with nobody out, and was able to get out of that.”
On Bethancourt throwing out Michael Taylor trying to steal
“At third base and with a guy who can run a little bit – he can run a lot. It’s a good win and we’ve got a day off tomorrow and then the Metropolitans coming in for the weekend.”
On if it was a tough decision to take out Alex Wood in the seventh inning
“You know he wanted to stay out there. He will go out there and face anybody in those situations. But it was one of those things where you have a gut feeling. It’s nice—we talk about it now that Carpenter gout of the inning with no runs—but Woody likes to stay out there. Maybe if it’s a different situation for us you give him that opportunity. But now every game for us is big. Every game is Game 7 and you’ve got to try to win every game you can.”
On Jason Heyward’s injured thumb
“He got hit in the thumb and it just kept getting stiffened up on him. He couldn’t even throw the ball. That’s why he came out. He definitely couldn’t swing the bat but he would had trouble gripping the baseball.”
On Andrelton Simmons’ injury
“Ankle. His last at-bat he fell. He had trouble running to first base on the first at-bat, but then he made a great play on a slow roller. It’s the same ankle he sprained (before) but it’s not a sprained ankle. It’s more of an Achilles thing up high that bites him every once in a while. I didn’t want to take a chance on it. With a day off tomorrow and (him) playing only three or four innings we may be able to get him back on the field this weekend.”
On Phil Gosselin getting on base as lead-off man
“Knock on wood. He’s been everywhere. You play him at short, second, third. He gets good, solid, major league at-bats.”
On the good feeling with finally winning
‘Absolutely. We get to play the music (in the clubhouse). Our chairman came in and said, ‘It’s nice to come down the hallway when that music is blaring. That’s always a good sign.’ So let’s keep the music going for a long time, see what happens.”
**ALEX WOOD
What was the approach tonight facing guys you mostly of hadn’t faced much if at all?
“It’s harder because all the guys I hadn’t faced and we didn’t have a whole lot on, so the first time through you’re kind of feeling them out and seeing what their approach is, what they’re trying to do, and then going from there. I thought I had all three (pitches) going pretty good for most of the night.”
On Bethancourt’s contributions defensively and offensively
“No doubt. He’s been swinging really good, and then behind the plate we’ve been on the same page for the most part. And obviously his arm is nice to have back there, too. Throwing Taylor out at third in whatever inning that was (the sixth), it’s fun to watch him throw the ball, that’s for sure.”
On being pulled after two hits to start 7th
“You always want to stay out there. I was going pretty good. But we’re out here to win. We ended up getting the W tonight, and that’s all you rally care about. Skip wants to win just as bad as us. That was the best move for the club. It turned out pretty good.”
**PHIL GOSSELIN
On Bethancourt’s big hit
“It was great. We finally got a guy to come through in that big spot with a couple of guys on. Bet’s been able to do that since he came up; he’s done it a few times. He’s done a great job offensively and defensively.”
What have you seen as his biggest improvement?
“Offensively he’s gotten a lot better. With two strikes he’s kind of spread out, just sees the ball deep and does a good job putting it in play, stuff like that. He was probably, like, 19 or 20, or 18, when I first played with him. So he’s just matured a lot since then. Defensively he’s just smarter, calls a better game, all that kind of stuff. So he’s improved a ton.”
On giving Wood some run support
“He deserves about 20 runs one of these games, as good as he’s pitched. It’s nice to get a few there. He did a good job, as always.”
On importance of winning this game
“We’ve pretty much got to win the rest of them if we want to have a chance. So just start it with tonight and carry it over to the Mets series.”
**JASON HEYWARD
How is the thumb?
“Pretty good. It’s sore, obviously. Numb.”
Did it get stiff on you those next two innings after you got hit?
“It definitely swelled up as time went. I couldn’t throw. Gripping the bat was out of the question. If I could have thrown I probably would have gone to the plate and stood there and play defense. But I couldn’t do it.”
Did you get the X-ray results?
“X-rays negative, no fractures. Pretty good swelling.”
Is it good to have the off day to get it well?
“It is good, but (injuries to) the thumb suck. I’ve dealt with it before. We’ll see what happens. Once the swelling is in there it’s tough to get it out.”
On scoring from third in the sixth inning with the ball in the infield
“Just always trying to be aware of your surroundings. I saw the guy receiving the throw had his back completely turned. I saw the throw go up and I said, Hey, we can get there. It worked out.”
Big night for Christian Bethancourt?
“Absolutely. He likes being in the big spots and the best way to get comfortable in situations like that is to be in them. He’s come through for us every time. That’s good. It’s good to get experience. It’s good to get experience in big games when you have the opportunity to play for something.”
**CHRISTIAN BETHANCOURT
On his big hit with bases loaded
“I was not trying to do too much. I was just trying to do my job, get some runs in with the bases loaded and two outs, basically put the ball in play. And that’s what I did. People say when you put the ball in play, things happen.”
On trying to stay in wild-card race
“That’s what we’re trying to do. Unfortuately we couldn’t get the division, but that doesn’t mean anything. We’re still battling. We’re going to still go out there on the field every day and try to get the wins every day. We’re just going to fight until the end.”
