Here is what Braves manager Brian Snitker said after Monday’s 5-4 10-inning loss to the Cardinals in Game 4 of the National League Division Series. The fifth and deciding game will be played Wednesday at SunTrust Park.
Q. You had a couple of innings in a row where you stranded the bases loaded and a bunch of guys left on base. Did you have any sense that might come back to bite you?
A. Yeah, usually when you leave those spares out there, you know, seventh inning, then we triple and can't get him in. They seem to come back and haunt you, those little add-on runs. And we're a hit away from -- just some productive outs -- from continuing to add on.
Q. I want to ask about the bullpen was (Max) Fried not available?
A. No, he wasn't available today.
Q. Just basically a case --
A. He went four out of five days. I'm not going to do that to him. He's been unbelievable in doing what he's done. But he's not conditioned and built to do that. He'll get two days off now be ready to go in Game 5.
Q. Do you have a starter for Game 5?
A. Folty (Mike Foltynewicz).
Q. The Yadi (Molina) hit that tied the game. You seem to have had a pretty good handle on him throughout the series. And that seemed to be a pretty good pitch that (Shane) Greene made?
A. Even (Paul) Goldschmidt broke his bat down the line for a double, and that one just out of Freddie's reach. Greeney threw the ball really well and made good pitches. So it was just one of those things in baseball. Like when they score that run and not getting those spares earlier in the game, that makes it, a run like that, obviously all the much more important.
Q. Is there anybody -- I mean there's a few good hitters out there but Yadi in clutch situations --
A. No, he's -- you know, him, they've been through -- they're battle tested been through the wars. They've got rings. This guy's a Hall of Famer. And he hits to the situation, stays within himself, doesn't try to do too much. Takes all the cliches, everything, that's him. I mean, he's a ball player. He plays the game, he plays the game in front of him probably about as good as anybody in the game.
Q. I know yesterday we were talking about unlikely heroes, but the middle of your order -- three, four, five hitters -- are really struggling so far. How much has that hurt you?
A. You know, it happens. This whole postseason thing is timing and we had the deck stacked I thought pretty good in our favor, more than once today. And we just couldn't get a hit. It's like all those guys have carried us all year and they did a good job of pitching to them.
Q. Freddie (Freeman) seems to be really struggling. I know he hit the home run earlier in the series, but how much do you think he's hampered by the elbow, if at all?
A. You'd have to ask him. I don't know if it's bothering him a lot. It could be. He's not going to say -- he's going to go out and he's going to play and he's our guy. And so I don't know that it matters. He's not coming out, that's for sure.
Q. Was Julio (Teheran) in for the duration?
A. Yeah, he was in -- he was in until we took the lead. Then we'd go with (Mark) Melancon. That's why we held off of him. And he could have pitched into the night if we hadn't -- if this thing would have stayed tied. And if we would have taken the lead, we would have taken a run at it with Melancon.
Q. You've seen (Marcell) Ozuna a lot, obviously since he debuted in Miami and now here. How have you seen him just kind of grow as a player, and what's made him just so difficult -- how have you seen Ozuna grow up as a player since he started in Miami?
A. You know what, he's one of those guys, I know when he was in Miami, he was always one of those guys I characterized he hits good pitching. He's got such a short -- that's a very simple swing he has. And it's quick, and I know playing against him a lot with Miami that this guy can -- he hits good pitching, and he's some kind of really good hitter.
Q. I know you know the history of the Atlanta Braves, 18 years without a postseason series win. Pretty close to it today and then you see the way it unraveled. Do you ever think, well, you know, maybe this is going to get us again, or do you think --
A. No, I don't think that. I saw the game. And you know what, today's game was more about the runners that we left at third base, I think, because for as long as my career goes, if you leave it in the fourth inning, the fifth inning or the sixth inning, it's going to come back and get you later in the game, those spares that you need to get. Sometimes you do, sometimes you don't. I mean, it happens. I look at it more -- I was kind of more focused on that part of it. Like I say, this is my second postseason series. So I feel like we haven't won one in a year.
