Dave Duncan
Dave Duncan
finds given opportunity pitcher
Sometimes that's what happens. Used in another role, given a different opportunity - a pitcher finds his strength.
came conscious everybody hitter pitch rather trying weakness
I think he's more conscious of trying to pitch to the weakness of the hitter rather than just going after everybody the same way. That's pretty much what he did when he first came over.
ball good needed pitches
I think he's getting there. He made a lot of good pitches today. The ball was down for the most part. He got the ball in on the right-handers when he needed to and he got his split-finger over the plate.
aggressive best couple exception might pitches starts
I think he's always at his best when he pitches aggressively. I think that, if anything, that's what he's done, with the exception of a couple starts in there where he might not have been as aggressive as I'd like to see him. But for the most part, that's what he's done. He's pitched aggressively.
benefits consider depends fifth gain guy looking pitches sitting
It depends a lot on who the fifth guy is. You have to consider how long he's going to be sitting out before he pitches again, No. 1, and what benefits you're looking to gain from that.
ball blame breaking effective homer pitch threw worst
I thought he threw the ball well. Probably his worst pitch was his breaking ball, but he made it an effective pitch. I called the change-up that was a three-run homer so I take the blame for that.
competitor definitely earned last miraculous pitcher respect year
I thought last year was a miraculous year for him. And he definitely earned my respect last year as to what kind of pitcher he was, what kind of person he was, what kind of competitor he was.
good job king pitch playoffs ray sure time
I'm sure by the time the playoffs get here, Ray King will be fine. Because we're going to give him as many opportunities as we can to pitch in those situations, and he's good enough to get the job done.
added basic pitcher strike
I got started with a basic thought. I wanted to know how each pitcher got strike one. Once I did that, I added this and then that.
needs pitch
Reyes needs to pitch innings. He needs to show us he can go out there consistently. Hopefully, he'll get 180 innings.
finish less meant percent pitch problem smart
Mulder got out there and I didn't think he was able to finish his pitches. I didn't think it was smart to have him pitch at less than 100 percent if it meant he was going to have a problem with his delivery.
bullpen experience pitch rather ready
We'll keep them ready to pitch and look for opportunities to get them experience. I'd rather see them come out of the bullpen than not pitch at all.
bit pitch quite surprised valuable
We thought Marquis would be very valuable to us in the bullpen. He can be used in a lot of different situations, and often. I would be surprised if he doesn't pitch quite a bit yet in this series.
adjusting defense good importance natural pitchers pitching placed
It was a natural progression. It was good for the pitchers to know how much importance we placed on defense. We're always adjusting ... defense as well as pitching strategy.