Zach Duke Quotations

We're in every game. It all evens out in the end. Basically, our team is going to come together soon. Our hitting is going to come together and out pitching, too. We're right on the verge. I don't know if it is just going to take one or two games to catapult us.

My folks had an idea of what my value was. And they wanted to stick with it.

Nothing is a given. Anything can happen. I'm just getting my work in and trying to get better.

I felt as good as I have all spring in the second and third inning. Then I got a little tired, left some pitches up and... well, I'm just going to forget about that fourth inning.

I fell behind a lot, but I was able to make some key pitches in key situations. I was just trying to make every pitch too nasty.

I feel like I could pitch, but at the same time they want to be cautious, and that's OK. I'll deal with it and make sure I'm 100 percent.

I finally got back into my game groove. I felt like I was making my pitches a little better and hitting my spots. Then it all ended.

For me, this game boils down to the first inning. I walk a guy and make one mistake. He's going to hit that pitch.

Knowing that it feels good after that is definitely a positive sign.

I think it was good to get it going and sit it down a little bit,

It had been aggravating me to the point where I was limping around. They didn't want me to have any limitations out there.

Just facing Maddux. That's greatness, ... Any time I'm on the same field with greatness, that's something I'll always remember.

I was very disappointed the other day. Now, I want to get out there even more. I'm tired of sitting here watching everybody play. I want to go have some fun.

I was very disappointed the other day, ... I want to get out there even more. I'm tired of watching everybody play and have fun.

It feels a lot better. I think I'm going to have to miss a start, though, unless I make a big-time recovery here in the next few days,

I'm still trying to make the team. I never take anything for granted. I always work hard. For me, it kind of adds pressure, and I like that. I have motivation to work if I think like that. There are expectations of me, and I love it. I want to work hard to meet those.

You'd like to have that veteran presence. But I think if we are being successful, there is no such thing as too much youth.

When you first come up, you have to prove you can stay here. Once you've established that, the next thing has to be, 'OK, how can I help the team today?' ... That's how I look at it. I don't play to lose. I want to win every game my name is involved with, and that's any game this team plays.

This was pretty encouraging. It's got me ready to compete, the way this whole day went. Jim Tracy has made it clear what he expects from us, what he believes we can do. Now, it's up to us.

Seeing that money getting spent, I think, is motivation for all of us to do better. Kevin is saying to us that the money's going to be available if you perform.

That's my goal every year. Whether it happens or not this year, I don't know.

This is going to be different. You can just tell that things are going to be different around here ... and I think it's for the better.

This game has a way of evening things out. Our time will come.

They were going to bark at you this way and if you didn't do it right they were going to yell at you.

They got the hops and bounces. I got some luck at the beginning when I came up. I'll go along and keep throwing my game.

There's a lot of structure with him, but that's a positive. You can tell that he and the other coaches really believe in what they are teaching. And he's had success with it, so as a player, you're going to listen.

It was fun. You get to be a little artsy for a day.

It was a really great atmosphere. When it ended, I really think with the way everything was handled that everybody was looking forward to spring training.

For me, it all boils down to the first inning. I walk a guy and then I made a mistake. It ends up being the difference in the game. It's very frustrating for me personally.

It's nice to be back on the winning side. Life's always better when you are winning. I've taken a lot of ribbing from my teammates, but it feels great.

It kind of felt like the first game of the year. I was a little bit jumpy, a little bit jittery,

It took me a while to get back on track. Early in this game, I didn't feel right but I was able to make an adjustment in the fourth inning and just kind of cruised after that.

It was good to get going, sit down a little bit, let it stiffen up and get back out there, ... I don't think I'm too far off.

Anytime you've got someone with his track record, and you see management goes out and gets someone like that, it kind of gives us the sense that, 'Oh, they really want to see us make the next step,' ... I think everybody should be excited.

So far it's been pretty good to me. It's such a fun place to play. It's just a good place as a baseball player to come.

I know they're going to be cautious with me, but it's just a tough one to swallow, ... I felt like I got back into my game groove. I felt like I was making my pitches better, hitting my spots, and it all ended.

I know they are going to have a better of an idea what I throw now. It's going to be fun, and be more of a challenge.

I'm very impressed. They're very professional. They have a plan, and they know how to make it work. It's definitely a good atmosphere to be in.

I'm not unhappy or anything. It's a business. It's kind of a rite-of-passage type of thing.

I like the pressure. It motivates me to work that much harder.

I'm approaching things the same way this spring as I did last year. I know I'm not competing for a job, but I'm always competing with myself. I'm always looking to get better, always looking to tweak things and find a way to improve.

I just had an aggravated spot and it's kind of limited my mobility more than I expected,

I felt really good for three innings then kind of tired out in the fourth. I'm still trying to get my muscle memory back from last season, but that's what spring training is for.

The lefties that we're speaking of, they're all very different. We're all going to be able to feed off each other. If a team has trouble with lefties, they're going to have a tough time with us. Even if a team hits lefties well, they're not going to see the same kind of lefty every day.