Mike Scioscia Quotations

We are at the point of the year where if you push him back, it could mean one less start at the end of the year. We need to make sure that he can pitch. If we do push him back, we want to make sure we have the matchups we need at the end of the season.

To move Erstad, it would have to make the whole lineup better. It would be a significant move. You would expect significant results.

We're going to need Tim and it was good to see him square one up.

What he has to do now is regain some stamina to become a starter again. He has as good a stuff as anyone.

What's really been impressive is to see his work ethic and how much his defense has picked up. We're really excited about that part.

We're going to have to face him (eventually), we don't look at it as catching a break. There is no denying he's a special pitcher, but the last couple nights (Joel) Pineiro and (Ryan) Franklin have pitched as well as anyone.

We're going to have to do a better job on offense, getting guys on base early and doing some of the things we want to do,

We're not as crisp in areas that we need to be in. One thing is pitching. We have a couple of things where pitchers have gotten into their starts and they've been a little bit erratic and getting into deep counts. That is where it starts, with pitching.

We're seeing a steady progression with Bart, but Escobar is going through the roof. He's ready. He's really picked it up.

We absorbed non-production from some guys the best we could,

There are some things in our offense that have started to come together. We have some of the guys that we will need to be productive this season starting to swing the bat.

The only way you can beat Oakland is with good pitching. You've got to match them pitch by pitch.

The only way to overcome this is to grind it out. There's no easy fix. We're a good club and we'll get it back.

We're good at situational baseball. And running the bases well is more important offensively than anything we do.

This win was a good win for the team and gave us a big lift. We have to focus on winning from here on out.

We've talked about that for awhile, ... It's something we'll continue to look at very closely. ... His velocity is good and at times he throws to his pitching spots, and that needs to continue. ... We feel he has enough in his tank to do what any of our starters need to do down the stretch.

When he had to make a pitch, he did.

We want to make sure that when Bart gets back on the mound, he's ready to be there for a long time.

Should the game have been pushed back? Absolutely. But that's not our call.

No, I'm not in favor of replay at all.

Nobody worked harder than Maz. I know he worked very, very hard at getting that team and their whole organization going in the right direction. But when it doesn't happen, you're accountable. That's the life of anybody who's in this position. If you're not moving the organization forward, they make you pass the baton to somebody else.

One thing about these guys, ... They will not melt.

I wouldn't say we're concerned, but ... his command was off and sometimes that's a sign of weariness, ... He's in uncharted waters.

I guess I haven't seen that play work since Willie Mays Hayes (movie Major League). It's a great hustle play. I don't think we'll design it or use it again, but it worked out tonight.

If we had a lineup that had seven guys with the potential to hit 25 to 30 home runs, it would be a bit more sit back and slug baseballs. We don't have that ability. I think it's great. I think it's baseball. I love it.

I'd be surprised if Jon missed 12 pitches all night. His first-strike ratio was incredible. Those guys are horses. We have to do a better job of getting to them early.

But we're not going to get there if we don't play better baseball.

Bart has been a little stiff the last couple of days. It started to knot up in the sixth and I said enough is enough. He's a little tight right now, but we don't think it will affect his next start.

Give him credit. We had some opportunities, but he made some pitches and shut the door.

He's had bouts of it over the past couple of weeks. We hope it will only be a couple of days.

He's had better at-bats for the last two or three weeks. He's becoming productive. We need Fin. It's good to see him contribute.

He was a little erratic early with his cutter. He got in some hitter's counts but he came back to get some big outs.

He was very comfortable on the defensive end.

He was throwing the ball fine, but his command wasn't quite there. He'll get that more as he continues to throw on the mound. He was getting behind in the count a lot, which isn't his M.O. He usually goes right after hitters.

He did a lot of the stuff we've seen him do. He shut the door when he had to.

He is flat-out over anxious. He has come out of his game a little bit and maybe put more into his swing than normal.

He hasn't started that long if you look at the big picture. But if this guy stays healthy, he's young enough, he stands a chance to be one of the most dynamic starters in our league.

He is about command as much as he is about velocity. If you had one you had to do without, it would be velocity. But right now he's having trouble with his command.

He had a couple good innings, then his pitch count got a little elevated and we were hoping that he could get through six. He found a second wind and he got through seven and eight.

He fought off some tough pitches and fouled off some tough pitches. If he got a pitch to hit, I was confident he would have squared one up.

He never has a giveaway at-bat. And he's totally team-oriented. Hitting in the ninth spot, he helps create things when our order comes around.

He needs a little more time to see if it calms down. We don't want it to get worse. It is structurally sound. There is just some inflammation.

He came out and got in a zone early and got in a nice groove. We just couldn't pressure him enough early on to make a difference.

To combine velocity with great command is a package you don't see often, ... That puts him in an elite group of pitchers.

He's a good defensive third baseman, and he's quick and he's got good range. Early on this spring, he wasn't moving his feet like he can, but you can see today what type of third baseman he can be.

He's been playing great. I think he's got to be a candidate. With the type of year he's having, you'd have to consider him.

His stuff was fine, (but) we didn't make a couple of plays behind him, and they had some hits fall in. The wild pitch certainly didn't help us, but it's just one tough inning. Shields will be fine.

His stamina would be the main thing. We need to see if he can go out and throw 90 pitches. We need him to get us to the point, like any of the starters, to get us to the bullpen. But we have Esteban Yan and we have Kevin Gregg to give us innings if we need.

His velocity was good, his command was not as crisp as it has been. In the deep counts he ran, he came back and made some terrific pitches. When he had to make a pitch, he did.

He's a special pitcher. If you look at what he's accomplished from the middle of last year till now, I don't think there's a pitcher who can match what he's done.

He was fine last night. He was a little stiff today and got some treatment.

He's pitched some good baseball against us, but that was probably the best game he's pitched against us. When his fastball was off he got his breaking ball over.

He was a winner. He won a couple of division titles. He did win. Just because he didn't win a championship is not how you define the man.

He was a very talented kid who took on a big challenge and met it.

He didn't really pitch deep into the game against the Yankees. He's done it before this year, and he came out in flying colors so we're confident he's going to get to a point in his game where we have some of the arms in the bullpen we're going to get to.

He didn't get a very good look with the Dodgers.

He keeps getting finer and finer with his stuff. Although he's not throwing as hard as he once did, he's still adept at hitting spots, changing speeds and keeping hitters off-balance. He just knows how to pitch, knows what he wants to do, and he's very good at it.

He'll be fresher and rested for Game 5 if we need to go that route. He's much better off in the slot we have him.

He laid off some pitches to get in some hitting counts, and when he got a pitch to hit, he was on it. I think he's got all the tools he needs now. It's going to be a matter of stamina, and maintaining it.

Guys who relied on them are going to have to find alternative solutions. Obviously, some players have leaned on them. There have always been things that players used.

Kenny's a fine manager. He was my vote for manager of the year.

Kelvim just shined the whole night, ... That gives us a big lift. It's one of the reasons we have him down there, for depth.

Kelvim just shined in his big innings tonight. He gave us big pitches and strong innings out of the bullpen, and that's why he's down there in the pen.

Joe has an incredible baseball mind and a tremendous ability to communicate with players on all levels. That's a combination any player should appreciate.

John Lackey is probably the biggest story. He was terrific for eight innings.

John did something that he hasn't done since last year. He would bend but not break. He was good in the early going but it got away from him.

I think the important thing, ... is for us is to bring our style of play into the game.

I think you can characterize it as a mild surprise that we are here.

(Lackey) wasn't as sharp as we've seen him, ... He threw a lot of pitches early, and then he settled in. I thought he kept his composure, and he pitched. You look at the linescore and see seven scoreless innings and say he breezed, but it wasn't easy.

It is something that we would welcome, but it is not an absolute necessity, ... does not have to hit home runs to be productive. What we need is for his production to get back to where it needs to be. He is one of the premier RBI guys in the last few years and we need that to re-emerge.

I think we were all surprised at the level he came into camp at compared to where he was when we saw him in October. There was a tremendous amount of work that was needed, and he did it. He's in the shape he needs to be in.

I think it was a terrific effort against a good club and considering the circumstances of being in a pennant race.

I think it started with the leadoff walk to Cora and the walk to Damon. Those two are things that you can't do against the Red Sox.

It is more awkward for Orlando, because as a shortstop, you round the ball differently. But we've run that shift enough and he has made that play.

It is an aggressive baserunning play. I don't think it is one we're going to design unless you're Willie Mays Hayes.

Jason's a guy who had a very, very live ball a couple of years ago. He probably doesn't have quite the same stuff, but he still can be effective and we'll see where he fits in. Statistically, he's definitely a guy you want to match up against lefties, and that's a role that we'll look at.

Jeff has had some rough edges but has gotten his feet on the ground. There is not enough of a sample, though, to judge. Whatever happens we will need that defensive presence behind the plate.

Our starting rotation has been the heartbeat of our club,

Our goal is to have every catcher relate to every pitcher. I don't think there is anything getting in our way of using any catcher at any time.

Our feeling is this: I know the guys in our clubhouse. If they scheduled a game for 1 in the morning, we're going to show up and play, ... We have a tough schedule, but we're still playing baseball and we're getting to do something we enjoy.

Our game has not surfaced, ... It's not a matter of choking; it's just a matter of playing our style of baseball.

Out of the chute, everybody is ready. Jeff is certainly not a finesse pitcher, but he is not going to light up the gun.

Our bullpen stepped up in a big way. We were fortunate to get out of the sixth inning with no damage. Whether we won or lost today is not going to matter in the long run, but with the win today we can carry our momentum forward into the next games.

Our bullpen came through. Kelvim shined the whole night. Kelvim made some big pitches and gave us a big lift.

Paul stayed in Chicago for very important reasons, and I respect that. He felt a huge connection with that organization. He blossomed into a star there, and his bond with the city and fans was very strong. He would have been an incredible fit for us, but I respect the reasons he stayed in Chicago.

Some guys need opportunities. He has worked very hard with his stuff and feels very confident with it. He is at a point now where he understands the importance of location and consistency. He has made great strides.

I think if you looked at Jon Garland's chart tonight, I'd be surprised if he missed with a dozen pitches, ... It might have been one of the top couple games we've had pitched against us all year.

I think he looks very smooth back there, and it's obvious that he works well with the pitching staff. He's mobile, he's got a quick release, and I think his arm is solid.

I think his stuff was good and he was the guy that we really needed to get out of that jam and finish the inning for us. Unfortunately they grabbed the lead and they held it there.

John wasn't out there and wasn't awful, but he obviously wasn't as crisp as we had seen him and as crisp as he was against the Yankees .

John looks ready to go. He's one of the top pitchers in our league. He had quite a year.

That was a key with Gregg. Paul Byrd wasn't sharp tonight, but he went as far as he could. I think Kevin Gregg coming in and keeping us in the game was very important, and the other guys followed suit.

That was a great throw. He caught the ball and he got it to second base in a hurry.

That's the package these guys bring to the game,

That's a tough lineup, and you have to make pitches in good locations to get them out. I think he got a little too fine in some counts.

When that happens it puts more of a burden on a guy like Vlad. Sometimes you can pitch around one guy in the middle, and we've seen that. When Vlad was out of the lineup we hung in there. We had some guys swinging the bat well. I don't think we go as far as Vlad goes, but we need more than that.

You have to execute out there. We were fortunate we were able to. This is the way the series is going to be for as far as it goes. And those guys will execute, we know that, so we'd better be playing at a high level.

You can cut the season up in 10 equal parts and analyze any part of it. This is almost a 10th of the season, and we hope this is the worst it gets.

We can't get into a slugfest with these guys. We have to manufacture, we have to run the bases hard and we have to run them well. We're confident we're going to do that and that's the type of game we have to bring.

We can't get into a slugfest with these guys, ... We have to manufacture, we have to run the bases hard and we have to run them well. We're confident we're going to do that and that's the type of game we have to bring.