NL Wildcard Game: Rockies vs Cubs Tuesday, October 2, 2018 Joe Maddon Cubs pregame plan and choreographed it, but will it be a little Q. Can you tell us about Strop's and Edward's different knowing that this is a one-and-out game? situation? Do you kind of go by the vibe of the score of the JOE MADDON: Yeah, first of all, Carl had a little bit of game or how long Jon goes? How do you look at it like a strain in the forearm the other day, so we wanted differently? to be very careful right now, and we thought if we did JOE MADDON: Well, we have both Cole and Kyle not push him right now, he would be available for the available to us tonight, which is unusual. But before next series. that, so is Chávez, so is Strop and so is everybody else. The guys that are normally relief pitchers Stroppy on the other hand is doing well. Stroppy is normally do have an edge coming into the game out of doing well, and he's able to play tonight. the bullpen. The other guys aren't used to it.

Q. I guess over the weekend, we were told that However, if they're utilized I will not shy away from Strop had thrown twice off a mound. Can you talk either Kyle or Cole at the end of the game or extra about what was the last box he had to check innings is a possibility, too. Like you said, we'll just because we hadn't seen him field out there. watch how the game unfolds. I do have an idea what JOE MADDON: Yeah, just to do that actually because I'd like to do in a perfect world, and most of the times his arm has been moving the whole time. He's been it's an imperfect world. You have to have plan B throwing the whole time he's been injured, and that's available to you, also, but I do like -- I think Chávez is in the difference between an injury like a hamstring, good shape for tonight, Strop is in good shape for where you're just unable to do your normal baseball tonight. Even though Mills threw a lot of pitches the activity. He was able to. other day, he's in pretty good shape for tonight, too, and all the lefties are in really good shape. Going into this moment right now, the arm has been moving the whole time, so we don't feel like we're We kind of have a full pen, but perfect world you'd like putting him in jeopardy. He feels good about it actually. to see Jon go as far as he can and based on their I haven't watched the bullpen sessions but they say lineup construction, Chávez can be very pertinent and he's throwing the ball really good. We feel comfortable so can Strop, and then a lefty at the end, too. about it. He feels comfortable about it, so we'll use him. Q. You've talked a lot about David Bote and his emergence this season. What makes you think Q. (Indiscernible). he's ready to own the moment in October tonight? JOE MADDON: No, he's gone through some of those JOE MADDON: Well, I don't anticipate him being drills with the training staff. Also they try to simulate as anything different. The one thing we do emphasize, I much as they can, and he's passed all those tests. try to emphasize, I want to play the same game all the time regardless of the date. I really anticipate David to Q. How would you describe the mood in the be exactly the same. I mean that. He handles things clubhouse going into tonight's game? well. He's got a really good head on his shoulders. He JOE MADDON: Oh, it's typical. We've been through processes things well. To this point nothing has these things before. We've had a tough run of it lately. overwhelmed him including his opening day in We've won some prominent games. We lost one Colorado, and he's from right down the street there a yesterday, and if we win today's game, we move on just little bit north of Denver. like we had won yesterday's game, except maybe for home-field advantage. I'm really both pleased and So I don't really see David being mentally impacted by proud of our guys for the way they've handled this whatsoever. Like having him at third base with Jon situations. I think they've done a great job with that. pitching, a lot of right-handers in the lineup for them. I We'll be ready to play. actually feel really good about him.

Q. As far as your pen goes, you've always had a Q. You've addressed this on the radio; you've

Rev #1 by #166 at 2018-10-02 21:44:00 GMT page 1 of 4 mentioned several times in the last few months the recent past where it's gotten tight, I see him get off that you would rather have Justin Wilson go with the mound, he gathers himself, he gets back on it. He his fastball, and obviously a good executed pitch, makes a good pitch. He's very calculated in what he's different story. But has that conversation been doing. He doesn't give in, and he knows -- like I said, had? I know every batter is different, but he's done he normally knows how to control motion on the bases it several times where you've mentioned it. or stuff that's going on. The fact that we've done a JOE MADDON: Well, it's one of those things, that's our good job with him also eliminating the baserunning game planning when it comes to that has a lot to do game against him, we've done a pretty good job of with Hick and and Lester. Things have that, that's helped, also. But primarily he slows things been talked about. down, and that's what I see, and he's able to make a quality pitch when it's necessary, and that's what Q. What are some of the things that stand out makes him really good this time of the year. about this Rockies' lineup and dealing with Freeland? Q. Oakland is going with Liam Hendriks tomorrow. JOE MADDON: Well, their lineup is very good. Listen, Zach Britton was asked about it today. He especially when you play them out there on the moon, attributed this to how you used your bullpen in it's always a little bit different. But they have a really -- 2016. What is your reaction to that, and do you they have a really good lineup top to bottom. They think this trend of openers and that style, like have good lefties, good lefties on the bench. They Tampa used this year, becoming more prevalent? have power. They're just purely good hitters, guys that JOE MADDON: I think I've kind of talked about that. I'd utilize the whole field. A lot of their righty power can have to study it more. It's just so hard to -- first of all, I come into the right-center field gap. They play strong love the tried and true starting pitcher. It really permits defense on the infield. Also they're very good you to, I think, work a game more formulaic in a sense. defensively. So they've got it all going on, and their But if you plan on that and that's what you have, I don't pitching has gotten better. That's why they're so good. even know like with the 10-day DL if that permits you to become even more able to do this based on sending The kid Freeland tonight, I've been a fan of for a bit. guys down and bringing guys up. My point is to not get Actually bought a bike in Tampa the last couple years guys too tired or overwhelm a bullpen by being able to and his brother is one of the guys that worked at the shuffle parts in and out, and I think you have to have a counter there, and I've talked about him, how I like his lot of really good relief pitchers. I think the Rays have brother for the last couple years. So he's a really good done it so well because their arms are pretty good. pitcher. I know it's on short rest, but that's not going to They've got good arms there and they've got good bother him I don't think in the least today. arms on the shuffle, too.

It may impact how long they want to choose to leave I don't know exactly what Oakland looks like. I haven't him in the game, but this kid has been good for a bit. followed it that closely. I know that they have good He's got good stuff. He's a great competitor. arms. I know what they've done with -- the training has been unbelievable this year, too. Q. In your four years with , he already had a reputation as a big-game pitcher before you That's one of those things I think down the road needs got here, but what have you learned about him in to be nurtured, and it needs to be nurtured starting in those big moments as to how he's able to usually the Minor Leagues, and you have to have a really good have the best version of himself? supply, I think, of legitimate relief pitchers. Just to say JOE MADDON: He's able to slow it down. If he gets -- you're going to start a relief pitch every is one thing, but he's always normally been able to get out of a bad he's also got to get outs. How often you can do this, I situation. He pitches even well with traffic normally. In don't know, I haven't studied it closely enough, but for the beginning when I first started to get to know him, right now it's working for them, and I understand why him and were together a lot, and I saw they're going to continue with it. them working together and was a great synergy between the two of them. They really fed off one Hendriks has got good stuff, too. Does he only pitch another well. one inning? I mean, I saw him in Toronto. This guy has got really good stuff. I don't know exactly how they Since David has been gone, I've really seen Jon are planning it out, but necessity can't become the grown. He's grown a lot, I think in a sense, even mother of invention. Maybe they just have to do it that though he's been a veteran for a while, obviously. way.

He handles these moments well. I'm thinking about in Q. Your reaction to the (indiscernible)?

Rev #1 by #166 at 2018-10-02 21:44:00 GMT page 2 of 4 JOE MADDON: Oh, I have no idea. That was never Sosh came in, and I interviewed for the job and Mike my intent. In 2016 we just had one guy that was got it, and they made the right choice, and I became incredibly different than most pitchers you ever had. the bench coach. Pepe became the pitching coach, so The ability with his stuff and his durability. A big part of we're going to Hermosillo to play a Spring Training that was at the end of the season, that was the Cahill game against the Diamondbacks because I think Buck year, right? Was that Cahill and -- yeah, it wasn't an was managing there, and we're driving up to the opener. What we did during the game might have ballpark in Hermosillo, and we're on the bus together, been different. Maybe that's what he's talking about. and I'm really just getting to know the guy. I knew But we never really consciously tried to start Buddy, I knew who he was but never like that. He said, somebody, then bring somebody else in. Joe-Joe, I won the Caribbean League championship in this ballpark. I said, that's pretty cool, man. What did Q. Given what you accomplished the previous the papers declare the next day, buddy Negro pitches three years, what would you consider to be a and wins championship? He said, no, Pepe Negro. success in this postseason and what would you consider to be a disappointment? So from that moment on, he became Pepe Negro to JOE MADDON: Well, obviously we wanted to win the me. So after that game we're leaving the ballpark, this division, and we had that much of the way. That just dude comes down with the hat, and he wants us to did not occur. sign it, and he threw it at Pepe, he started to sign it. He said, no, no, no please sign it Pepe Negro, and he Obviously our goal is to continue along and continue to did, and that's where the legend began, and he threw it play. It's always disappointing when you don't reach back into the stands. So from that moment on, he's your ultimate goal, which it should be on an annual Pepe Negro to me. Whenever we talk, he's Pepe. basis, and that's to play the last game of the season and win it. He's wonderful. He's everything you guys have noticed when you work with him. Just a straight-up, straight Even the last two years -- well, last year, getting to the shooter. He's old school, Pepe is old school. Very NLCS three consecutive years, the two that we did not bright and funny. Very, very funny. We've always had a go to the , we consider them good time together. disappointments. I'm not rooting for him quite as much as I normally do So whenever you lose a game before you get to play today, but we are good friends. that last game of the year and win it, you're normally disappointed when you go home. Q. You'll be surprised Javy was incredibly confident when he was in here, of course. How Having said all that, under the circumstances this year, have you seen that kind of confidence build what our guys have done to this point, I could not be throughout your clubhouse through a lot of more proud of a group, and this is not any kind of a adversity this year for your club and allowing them concession speech, I'm just saying the 40-some games to turn the page quickly like they have to tonight? almost in a row, to be able to be in this position winning JOE MADDON: Yeah, that's one thing we tried to breed 95 games, which did tie for the most wins in the from the beginning is you have to be able to turn the this year, pretty good stuff. Pretty page quickly. I talk about the win hard for 30, lose hard good stuff out of our guys. for 30 and move on for 30 minutes. Start talking about that in 2015, and if he's saying something like that, that So for us, we're always aiming for playing the last game really indicates that they do listen. Just like kids of the year and winning it, and if we don't, we just don't sometimes, you wonder if they actually do listen. like that. So it does not surprise me. Very confident young man. Q. Did Hendricks warm yesterday, and would there By saying that, you've been around enough to know he be any sort of limitation on him today? has kind of taken one of the leadership roles in that JOE MADDON: He didn't get real hot. He's fine for clubhouse. today. Just saw him walking by. He's good. Beyond the numbers you see on the field, the numbers Q. Could you talk about your relationship with Bud that you see in how he plays on the field, he has Black? I know you guys go back a long way, how become more vocal. When we're playing the game on you met and any good stories? the bench, he always is involved vocally, and I love it. JOE MADDON: Pepe and I go back. I met him when He's not afraid of anything, and I really respect that he first got to the Angels. I had been there, and then about him. And it's just the beginning for him. I mean,

Rev #1 by #166 at 2018-10-02 21:44:00 GMT page 3 of 4 this guy is going to keep getting better, and there's still different things he's going to do better in his game. But I love the fact that he's that confident and he's not afraid to say it.

Q. You may have addressed this on the radio today, but if you're fortunate enough to advance, do you know anything at this hour of 's possible availability, and would? You be concerned that he would be in good baseball shape? JOE MADDON: I don't know anything, honestly, right now because that's out of our hands. It's hard to determine anything. That would create conjecture if he'd be able to play or not based on being in baseball shape or not. But I don't know anything regarding the investigation. We haven't heard anything there yet.

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