Notes from the 2013 MLB Postseason on TBS – October 3, 2013
The MLB Postseason on TBS continues today, Oct. 4, at 2:30 p.m. ET with MLB Postseason Pre-Game on TBS presented by Jeep followed by a tripleheader — Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox (Game 1) at 3 p.m.; the Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves (Game 2) at 6 p.m.; and the Detroit Tigers at Oakland Athletics (Game 1) at 9:30 p.m. The night will conclude with The Postseason Show on TBS presented by Johnnie Walker.
Quotes of the Night
Prior to the game, Tom Verducci on Braves Freddie Freeman and Brian McCann – who went a combined 1-for-7 in Game 1 – facing Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw: “What I like about this match-up for the Dodgers, two of the best hitters for the Braves, Freddie Freeman and Brian McCann, are left-handed. Is there a more difficult assignment for a left-handed hitter than Clayton Kershaw? The onus is going to be on the right-handed hitters in the Braves lineup.”
Mark DeRosa on Atlanta’s Game 2 starter Mike Minor: “He has to step up. If the Braves lose two at home, this [series] is over. He’s been their best pitcher for most of the year. It’s his moment.”
Pedro Martinez on Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig: “People are amazed by the things he does, but you haven’t seen anything yet. He is poised to do a lot of good things.”
Ron Darling on the Braves decision to leave Dan Uggla off the LDS roster in favor of Elliot Johnson: “The feast or famine Braves have lived and died with the home run all season long. Would you rather have Elliot Johnson at the plate four times in a game or Dan Uggla? That’s how I see it. They’ve done it all year [with Uggla]. To try to change now in the postseason seems counter-productive.”
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MLB Postseason Pre-Game on TBS presented by Jeep
Keith Olbermann (host), Mark DeRosa, Dirk Hayhurst, Pedro Martinez and Tom Verducci (analysts)
DeRosa on the challenge for a hitter to deal with shadows on the field: “In this moment, you can’t let it but I’d be lying if I said that guys don’t get frustrated with it. You’re asked to put your best foot forward, thousands of people in the stands, your season is on the line and you don’t even know if you’ll be able to see the ball.”
Verducci: “It’s so hard for a hitter to read spin when it looks like a grey blob.”
Verducci on the Pirates: “I’m not a huge believer in momentum, but I think they’re riding something here. If they can get [their momentum] into this game, it could be a long series.
Martinez: “If they were [dreaming], they better wake up and realize that they’re the real deal. They need to go out there and be confident, execute and understand that they have a lot to gain and very little to lose.”
Martinez on Pittsburgh’s Game 1 starting pitcher A.J. Burnett: “A.J. has all the tools to beat any team, but I’m concerned about him because if he could just be the ‘loose goose’ that doesn’t buy into the hype of the moment, he should have good results.”
DeRosa on St. Louis’ Game 1 starter Adam Wainwright: “He’s a beast. He’s what you want your organization to be represented by.”
Verducci on how to beat Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw: “You’re not going to beat Kershaw with runs, you’re going to have to out-pitch him.”
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Pittsburgh Pirates (1) at St. Louis Cardinals (9) – The Cardinals lead the series 1-0
Dick Stockton (play-by-play) and Bob Brenly (analyst) with Matt Winer (reporter)
Brenly on Pirates veteran outfielder Marlon Byrd: “He’s a steadying influence [on the Pirates]. He’s a really good defender no matter where you put him in the outfield. He can hit for some power and he’s a high energy guy.”
Brenly on Cardinals All-Star catcher Yadier Molina: “He’s one of the most complete players in the game no matter what position they play.”
Brenly on Pirates catcher Russell Martin: “He’s a catch-first, call-a-game-first [player], his offense comes secondary. He has provided a lot of offense for the Pirates lineup, but his main value is how he’s handled this [pitching] staff.”
Brenly on the bullpens for the Cardinals and Pirates: “Like most postseason series, the bullpens are going to play a big part. The Pirates are very happy with the guys they have in their bullpen and the Cardinals bring one flame-thrower in after another.”
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Bank of America Game Break
Olbermann, DeRosa, Hayhurst, Martinez and Verducci
DeRosa on Dodgers third baseman Juan Uribe: “He’s handled this [postseason] moment many times and I look for him to come up with some big things.”
DeRosa on Yasiel Puig’s approach at the plate: “This guy is doing it on sheer, raw ability. I don’t know what he’s thinking at the plate with some of the pitches he swings at…can you imagine him in a couple of years when he has a plan and has had time to work with some other great hitters? It could get scary.”
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Los Angeles Dodgers (6) at Atlanta Braves (1) – The Dodgers lead the series 1-0
Ernie Johnson (play-by-play), Ron Darling and Cal Ripken (analyst) with Craig Sager (reporter)
Ripken on Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig: “He plays with reckless abandon. Sometimes you want to pull him back a little bit but, with the type of player that he is, you kind of want to let him go. That’s a tough task for [Dodgers manager] Don Mattingly.
Ripken on Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw: “Clayton Kershaw’s ball jumps on you. He’s got good velocity but also has hesitation in his motion that’s very deceptive to the hitter.”
Ripken on Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons: “He makes things look easy and that’s a really good trait. There are some shortstops that make every play look really hard. Watching [Simmons], he makes everything look easy.”
Darling on Clayton Kershaw’s curveball: “That pitch is what separates him from everyone else. He’s got one of the best curveballs I’ve ever seen from a left-handed pitcher.”
Darling on Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman: “Freeman is a big man but he has great quickness at first base. He’ll win some Gold Gloves [in his career].”
Ripken on the Dodgers performance in Game 1: “It was a perfect game for the Dodgers. They got everyone going.”
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The Postseason Show on TBS presented by Johnnie Walker
Olbermann, DeRosa, Hayhurst, Martinez and Verducci
Verducci on the Braves vs. Clayton Kershaw in Game 1: “When you’re going up against Clayton Kershaw, runs are going to be at a premium. You have to play a clean game and [the Braves] did not.”
Martinez on how the Cardinals lineup wore down A.J. Burnett: “The St. Louis Cardinals lineup was structured to make [Burnett] labor. The only chance I gave him was if he was perfect mechanically, mentally and stuff-wise. Even though his stuff looked good, he was laboring from the first inning on. It’s all because of the way [the Cardinals] approached Burnett.”
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