Aaron Nieckula
Aaron Nieckula
bit four manager opening players running since
There's always been jitters (on Opening Day) ever since I was a little man. It's a little bit different being the manager and running 25 players and four assistants, but it's exciting.
bad decent five four gave given kept outing worked
If he could have given us five innings, that would have been great. He gave us four decent innings. I thought he competed. I thought he worked hard. I thought he kept his composure. Not too bad for his first outing this year.
learn losses men respond tough
They are young men and they have to learn how to respond to tough losses like that.
base error knock last men via walk
We got men on base, via walk or an error or the base knock that last inning. We just couldn't do anything with it.
accept bigger bit coach deal forward front great hitting lurking manager office opportunity shadows whereas
This a great opportunity to be around the game. Obviously, there will be a little bit more responsibility. As (the) hitting coach (last season), I was kind of lurking in the shadows whereas the manager has to deal with hitters, the pitchers, the front office and the fans. It's a bigger responsibility, but one I accept and look forward to.
bullpen coming days few hitters stuff
After a few days off, you can get lackadaisical or lethargic in your play. Yeah, our bullpen was healthy, but at the same time, when you don't see live pitching, when you don't see live hitters and you don't see live stuff coming off the bats, it's a lot different.
excuse guys kinds
Submariner like that, you don't see those kinds of guys too often. But that's really no excuse.
ask ball came chance giving ronnie score threw
Ronnie came in and threw the ball pretty well ... you can't ask for anything better than giving us a chance to win. Unfortunately we didn't score any runs.
door hitter opens pressure trying
That's like a hitter trying to get his first hit of the season. Trying to get that first something off of your back, it kind of alleviates the pressure and opens the door a little bit.
anytime control great hard hitter jason learn needs trying works
That's like a hitter trying to get his first hit. Anytime you get that first something off your back, it relieves the pressure. Jason has outstanding stuff. All he needs now is to learn how to control that fastball. But, he'll get it down (because) he works hard and has a great attitude.
bullpen chance coming door good held job offense whether
Really from Day 1, the bullpen has done a good job of coming in, whether we're up or we're down, and they've held the door to give our offense a chance to score.
game rattled taking
(McCormick) never got rattled out there ... I'm not taking anything away from our hitters, but we couldn't make the adjustments, which is what this game is all about.
good pitching
On paper, we have a pretty good pitching staff.
ahead ball behind fell guy kept saw worked
Shields kept the ball up, out over the plate, fell behind guys. That's crucial. Their guy worked ahead and you saw what happened. Our guy fell behind. It just wasn't his day. We'll see how he rebounds.