Postgame Clubhouse Reactions Following Game 5 vs. Billings
Reactions Following Missoula's Win Saturday Night Against The Mustangs
A Postgame Conversation with Manager Michael Schlact
Q: Pena was at it again. What a run he's been on the last few days with the long-ball. Have you had a chance to see what he's been having for breakfast the last few days..? Maybe a bowl of Wheaties potentially? All Joking aside, how fun is it to watch when a hitter is on a hot streak like Pena is at the moment?
Schlact: "Pena deserves all the success he's had because of the type of person he is, the type of teammate he is and the type of worker he is. It's been fun to see him address a few deficiencies he had last season and really capitalize on his success."
Q: Yes the long ball steals headlines, but there were numerous points tonight where your offense put the ball in play with less than 2-outs with runners in scoring position. At-bats in the 5th come to mind in that regard. Did you like your offense's approach to do the little things to have success?
Schlact: "We talked a lot about approach and not trying to do too much at the plate. It was great to see it pay off and to see these guys play selfless baseball."
Q: At times you really were putting pressure on Billings on the base paths by being aggressive with steals. How does that pressure an opponent?
Schlact: "Pressure on the pitcher and defense is everything. We talk about it a lot. How uncomfortable can you make an opponent by stealing bases and doing the little things the right way?"
Q: Sox made a good impression and settled in nicely after seeing a run score in the 1st. How did he take what made him successful in spring with his large arsenal of pitches to have success tonight?
Schlact: "Sox was great. Anytime you can throw multiple pitches for strikes in any situation you're going to be successful and he did just that."
Q: You will have your battles the rest of the way with Billings after the finale tomorrow. How would a series win set the tone for future games against this team?
Shlact: "Winning a series is always important and I think it would say more to our squad than theirs. Anything can happen in this game so it's important to keep the confidence high."
Q: We've had a few PaddleHeads debuts this week but tomorrow we will see Brendan Beard make his professional debut as well. He's not a guy that throws extremely hard but attacks the zone. What other things would lead to a successful first outing tomorrow?
Shlact: "Similar to Sox I think beard would benefit from throwing his deep arsenal for strikes and keeping them off balance. The key is not letting the moment get too big."
Safford's Stars For Saturday Night
I know this must send shockwaves seeing this name on the list. But what a fabulous run he has been on. I felt Schlact put it perfectly. You feel happy for the human being and player. He has a very intense demeanor on the field. Off the field however, you will not find a more well liked player in the PaddleHeads clubhouse. He has a great sense of humor and is just a great person to be around. You can see that he has put a lot of work in this offseason to be able to have this success. It is a joy to see the hard work pay off for such a great person off the field.
In the top of the 7th, Pena was intentionally walked to begin the frame. Thinking about what he had done in his at-bats that preceded it, it wasn't the most shocking sequence. What was surprising to me however was that the Mustangs would also be putting a runner on base for free in front of a feared hitter like Rosario. As Jason Bateman once said "That's a bold strategy Cotton, let's see how it works out for them." Rosario would quickly make sure it was not a good idea in hindsight to challenge a hitter that finished with a .387 average last season.
Those are the types of at-bats the 2nd year PaddleHead has been having all week long as well. Rosario has recorded 2 hits or more in 4 consecutive games. He has done a great job of taking advantage of whatever pitchers are giving him hitting line drives all over the field. It looks like the Florida native is primed for another fantastic season in the Garden City.
Sox was really a guy that stood out to me throughout Spring Training last week. We touched on his 6-pitch arsenal of pitches in writeups at length. I think the 1st inning was very telling. Did he give up a run? Yes. But he did not panic, or let the Mustangs get a rally going. Runs in bunches has been the name of the game for them the last 2 nights. He settled in, and stranded a runner in scoring position to limit the damage. That is what good pitchers do.
From there Sox did what he did throughout spring camp and kept the Mustangs hitters off balanced in the 4 innings that follow. You saw a lot of hitters that were tied up at the plate expecting something different than what they got. Credit has to go to Nich Klemp in this scenario as well knowing what pitches to call from behind the dish.