Bud Black Rockies Workout Day They're Crazy Good, and Then Even Better the Last Q
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NL Division Series: Rockies vs Brewers Wednesday, October 3, 2018 Bud Black Rockies Workout Day they're crazy good, and then even better the last Q. Craig has announced it's going to be a bullpen three or four weeks. What do you make of that, day for the Brewers tomorrow. What's the and what do you do -- I know you've got some hot challenge for your offense to get ready for that, guys, too. especially at this level of the season? BUD BLACK: Well, what a player. I think we've seen BUD BLACK: Well, I think we'll adhere to rule number him grow up, right? Obviously we haven't been in the one, which is be ready for anything, which our guys will division as Christian has in the NL East or in the be. Whichever way they start this game out, we'll be Central, but I've seen enough of him to see a talented ready for any number of pitchers that might come our player emerge. That's what's happened is his way. We've probably faced most of them at some emergence as a -- what an all-around great player. point, so there's some history. We saw it recognized by an All Star birth. And just the Again, I think the ultimate challenge is just have good second half has been phenomenal, what he's done. at-bats, play baseball, have a good approach against What I appreciate is doing it in September, what he's any pitcher that the Brewers throw out there. done. That tells you a lot about a player, what they do when the stakes are the highest. I think that's the thing that will stand out for us coming to the ballpark tomorrow is whoever that might be, we I mean, good for him. And I got to meet him at the All- know those pitchers. We've faced them. So let's have Star Game and engage with him a little bit, which was good at-bats. Let's do what we do. great. You can't engage with everybody, but I found time to engage with him. And what a nice kid, I mean, Q. Do you have any projected starters for Friday really, really great to talk to, and really in a way humble and Sunday? and sort of shy, right? That's sort of how I got it. But BUD BLACK: Well, yeah. We're working through some what a great kid. So I'm very happy for him. things. Senza is going to throw tomorrow, and we're probably leaning towards Tyler Anderson on Friday. Q. Was Trevor's story a little bit like that for you guys down the stretch? Q. Nolan Arenado, it's his first extended BUD BLACK: A little bit. Maybe -- I'd say the whole postseason series. Is this a good chance for him year of Trevor was really good, and then down the to kind of show off to the country what he has, and stretch, obviously not Yelich numbers, but there were I guess really just embrace that playoff spot that he some big performances, you know, the three-home run relishes? game. And there were some other big nights from BUD BLACK: Sure, I mean, not only Nolan, but Trevor, but yeah, you could make sort of a comparison everybody, our entire team I think is on this stage, and of really the emergence of those two. hopefully it gets bigger as we go. But I know this means a lot to Nolan. I know that he has said that, Trevor's second half got him in the conversation about obviously, about where he's hoping that this club gets the MVP, right, especially the last six months when all to, and now we're here, hopefully to keep going, and that talk, all that talk starts to really heighten. Trevor play in these types of games. became a name in there with Nolan and Yelich and Carpenter and Baez and all the guys that are being But it's also the same for Charlie and DJ and CarGo talked about. It was really cool for Trev. and Desi, our core position players, Trevor, even though he's a three-year player. This is a great stage Q. A number of times during the year you would for him as well. So all our guys, man, they're excited mention there's nothing wrong with a starting about it. They're pumped to be here, as you can tell pitcher going six innings or seven innings, and from last night. you've had that a lot from your guys. BUD BLACK: Right. Q. What do you make of what Yelich has done in the second half? If you look at his numbers, Q. That's kind of counter to the trend in baseball Rev #1 by #166 at 2018-10-03 22:43:00 GMT page 1 of 3 right now and with your opponent here. just the big-league level, watching Nolan, watching BUD BLACK: Right. Charlie, DJ, not many of the pitchers I saw from the other side -- I saw a lot of these fellows. Q. Starters going with some length for you guys, how much is that a result of talent, and how much So I didn't really know what to expect on the total team of it is old-school philosophy? personnel and even the Minor League players who BUD BLACK: I think it's more talent. I think if you have ultimately came up to us last year and this year. So those types of pitchers who have that talent who can once I got into this job and into our organization and work their way through six, seven innings three times into our player development situation, I realized that through a lineup and you feel good about where they this is a good team with some talent. are stamina-wise, stuff-wise, still having the ability to make pitches, when you get to pitch 80 to pitch 110, I And if we pitch, I always thought that we could think over the long haul of the regular season, that contend. Last spring, I saw the Marquezes and the works. I still think that works. Freelands and the Senzatelas and the Hoffmans and the Castellanis and Lamberts and Tyler Anderson and As it relates to a playoff series, which is different than a Jon Gray and all the guys, Bettis. I saw our bullpen a playoff game, right, because anything can happen, little bit because it was an experienced bunch, right, you've got to watch that game with a real critical eye, a with Holland and Davis this year, McGee, Dunn, I'm one-game situation like last night, you have to watch it, familiar with these fellows. and the ability to do that is great. But if you have a poor performance, man, you're out of there early. But the starting pitcher group, which is going to throw 850, 950 innings, whatever that might be, I didn't know But in a playoff series in your -- and maybe five games much about these fellows. But once I saw them in is a little bit different than seven, but you have your Spring Training, the first initial glance was, hey, these pitching staff, you have your roster, you have your guys are okay. But you don't know. Then the season maybe seven, eight relievers, whatever there might be, started, and then I saw what they're made of, and I four starters, it's all talent related. It really is. thought that if we could hold the fort a little bit with the pitching, our position player group would do their thing, I think the strength of a pitching staff for me is the sum and we could maybe make a run at it. of its parts, man, you have to have good pitchers, 1 through 12 or 1 through 11, whatever that might be. Every year is different, and I definitely thought this year based on what I saw last year that we could contend Q. Five-game series, seven-game series, do you with the Dodgers who had won the division the last have to tweak the philosophy at all? number of years, the Diamondbacks coming off a good BUD BLACK: Well, maybe some, because every game year, the Giants with their group of -- with Posey and is important, right? And it helps now when you have -- those guys are always viable. we had today off. The Brewers have had two days off. There's a day off on Saturday. There's another one on I thought that we could do it. We could contend and Tuesday, right? match these teams. And sure enough, we have. It's a current expectation for sure. That's where we want to So I mean, that helps keep certain bullpen members be. fresh and the ability to go to them, where maybe during the regular season, you might not have that luxury. Q. Getting back to the bullpen theme a little bit, given how you leaned on your relievers to get here In October, there's sort of light at the end of the tunnel, and given how those guys operate on the other and you can sort of push guys a little bit out of that side there, can it be understated just how much bullpen. But it probably changes a little bit because this series might hinge on the performance of you probably want to get certain pitchers into the game either bullpen? to try to win it or try to win that inning, that type of BUD BLACK: Well, I think that's the case nowadays in philosophy, for sure.