Brad Ausmus Quotes (46 Quotes)

They brought the left-hander to turn Lance around and he came up with a big hit immediately, ... Lane did a great job battling against Devine getting a single. They all had good at-bats, but Lance's was the one that opened the door.

He's always been one of the better offensive players in the game. Despite the fact that he's 40 years old, he continues to be one of the better offensive players. He's a huge part of our offense. We need him to hit like he has for this team to do well.

There were a number of times I said to myself, this is unbelievable, an instant classic, ... I'll get a copy on tape.

We're different. We have a healthy Andy Pettitte, which certainly helps. We also don't have Jeff Kent, Carlos Beltran and a healthy Jeff Bagwell. Now our reputation starts and ends with our pitching, whereas last year it was a little different. People thought of Bagwell and Biggio and an offensive juggernaut.

When he took himself out of the second game (Tuesday) I became a little concerned about him. He'll make that decision, and he'll be honest with himself and the organization.

Certainly the game, despite the fact of the wild-card race, is secondary for Roger and his family, but it doesn't surprise me that he wants to go out onto the mound and pitch.

There's something different about each one of them. Roger is different in his preparation and experience. Andy separates himself with his concentration on the mound. And I think Roy probably has the best pure stuff.

I think you learn to understand although you may be down, you're not out.

This is part of our home-field advantage and for major league baseball to try and change that is either a) ridiculous or b) they're American League fans.

I gave Chris Burke a hard time. I told him I played more second than he did.

a huge black eye for the city of Chicago. If I was from there, I'd be embarrassed by the way our families were treated. My wife didn't get hit or anything, but people flipped her off and were screaming at her.

The ump sees what, 225, 250 pitches a night and get the great majority of them right. But it's not like his call scored any runs. They did that on their own.

With the shortened arm path, the ball seems to jump a little better,

It stinks for me, because he's the guy that I could really bounce things off of. He's the guy who I would have a beer with after the game and talk about the game with. The guy I went to eat meals with. Certainly, our friendship doesn't end because he may not ever play again. But I would prefer to have him sitting next to me in the locker room.

The most important thing is that he can use his right arm again. I know he's going to get this surgery to remove the bone spurs. You never know what can happen. You hope after the surgery, a month later, his range of motion is better, he's feeling great and who knows, maybe he can play again. But at this point, it's a quality of life issue. Not a career issue.

He's remarkable because we're in an offensive era. He's not just consistent. He should have won every game he's pitched. And he knows his mechanics. If he has a flaw mid-game, he can fix it.

Not only to get the strikeout and get out of the inning, but you don't have to worry about facing Albert with the bases loaded.

A lot of guys get upset in that situation, ... but he was able to shrug it off. With a good hitter in a 3-2 count, do you throw a fastball he knows is coming or start fresh with the next hitter With Albert on deck, probably the best right-handed hitter in the game, it was pretty clear we probably didn't want to face him.

I don't know if you can expect that every night.

Jeff's very realistic. If he comes in here and two weeks into it he can't swing the bat or he's back to where he was last year, swinging the bat and it turns to pain, I think he would say, 'I'm not able to play.' Barring that, I think he has every intention of playing this entire year.

After talking to him, I think he was battling himself a little bit, ... But trust me, I'll take Andy at any time, at any point with any game on the line.

I don't think he ever had a real good feel for his mechanics and release point. Whether it was related to the ball hitting him in the knee or not, I don't know. He always battles you, whether he has his best stuff or not. He has an ability to focus even when he's in pain. It was just a day when the Cardinals were better than us.

He was the one guy that anyone could and would come to if they had a question. And also the one guy that if he said something in front of a group everyone would listen. I think he'll be around a little bit. I don't think he's going to be a ghost.

I think it's ridiculous, ... that Major League Baseball would stick its nose into this business all of sudden, when we're down 0-2 in the World Series, having never mentioned it for 81 regular-season games or five postseason games.

People don't understand that pain he has played with. It's not simple pain. It's the kind of pain people associate with an injury.

Roger, as we know, is a classic leg-driving power pitcher. Sometimes when you have a leg problem, you compensate with your arm for a couple of innings. But then you notice it and it can lead to shoulder problems.

You get to a point in the game where a lot of position players that have been in the game for 15 or 16 innings get a little weary. The legs can get tired and your concentration wanes. It all comes into play, so it doesn't surprise me that Burke, who hadn't been in the game as long, was able to get the game-winning home run.

I didn't notice a dramatic difference. The difference is if his leg is bothering him, he can compensate with his arm. But if he's compensating with his arm, he's not going to last very long. He'll end up not only with a sore leg but a sore shoulder. And Roger is a classic leg-driving pitcher.

Everyone looks at the records and talks about how this team plays so many sub-.500 teams and this team plays so many teams above .500, and it's all a load of crap. You've got to go out and win your games no matter what anyone else does.

When you have a record like that against a particular team, there has to be some luck involved as well. Roy is one of the best pitchers in the league. If anyone would have a chance to go undefeated against a particular team, it would be him.

He's tough to compare to anyone, I think, because of not only his success but the longevity of his success. I mean, who pitches for 20-some years and has only one losing season and at the age of 43 has a sub-2.00 ERA

I think he feels the door has been opened, and he's getting some shoves from behind.

I think it's ridiculous Major League Baseball would stick its nose into this business now that we're down 2-0 in the World Series. I'm sure it has something to do with television.

Generally, if there's any question, I would either tag the guy or throw the ball to first or turn around and look at the umpire and show him the ball and get a definitive out call, ... I see both sides of the issue. I think in Josh Paul's mind, there was no question, and the replay seems to show he caught the ball. I understand why he assumed the batter was out, but by the same token he did reach down toward the ground.

We have to go out and win with what we have. We know Roy and Andy are 1-2 around here, and that's the way it was before Roger got here. We need people to step up and perform, but we're not worried. Roy and Andy are a pretty good pair of pitchers.

I don't think he's moving out here to be living close to me, per se, ... I think the idea of living in this climate and his affinity to golf is a big attraction for Baggy. There are tons of golf courses out here, but I've never played golf with him out here.

The last two weeks, ... is like water torture. You play, and you look at the scoreboard and try to figure out where it all falls. Time just seems to crawl.

If he had any type of run support, he'd have 20 wins easily. He's been that impressive. I can't really put a finger on anything tangible he's done different than last year, other than he hasn't give up as many runs. ... He hasn't changed his approach, he hasn't changed his stuff. His velocity hasn't gone up.

Frankly, it's a little ridiculous that MLB would take control of that. This isn't their game.

There are some nuances to hitting in the eight hole. It's nothing that thousands of players haven't done throughout the course of baseball history. Sometimes you don't get much to hit, but there are other times when they come right at you. I've hit there enough that I usually know the situation, but sometimes it surprises you.

There also has to be some luck involved when you have a record like that against some team.

You don't walk a guy and put the tying run on second base. I don't care if it's Babe Ruth.

When you have a record like that, it's got to be some luck. But he's also one of the best pitchers in the league and certainly that's a big part of it.

He's the face of baseball in the city of Houston.

It's a great deal of concern for us, a very powerful storm.

I've seen him pitch better, but he's always got good stuff. Even when he's off, he's got good stuff.