NL DIVISION SERIES: ASTROS v BRAVES

October 10, 2004

Bobby Cox

BOBBY COX: Just trying to do something a little bit different, that's all. We've had some guys struggling a little bit with the lumber. We thought maybe we'd jiggle it around a little bit and see what happens. It's worth a good try here. My reason is, they've hit before and they should hit again. Maybe today's the day they break out.

BOBBY COX: Yeah, Jaret is pitching well this year. He threw last year in relief. He showed great control, spotted the ball really well. We started talking to him towards the end of last season about starting the coming season. We gave him a chance, we threw him in with about four other potential starters for one job, and he won the job easily in spring training. Just took off. He's got great control now, a good breaking ball. He's a pitcher, and he can still throw hard. He still can get it up to 97 occasionally, but he stays around 93, 95. Plenty hard, with movement.

BOBBY COX: Chucky was doubtful today after yesterday. He gutted through that entire ballgame, his knee swelling up. But he's good to go. I had made my mind up after yesterday's game to give Eli a shot with that short porch in leftfield. Maybe we can flip a couple up in there and get one here.

BOBBY COX: No, LaRoche has been swinging the bat extremely well. Julio has a little bit of a bad thumb this morning. When the bat flew out of his hand, it irritated a tendon in there. I'm not sure he's good for more than one at-bat today.

BOBBY COX: He got drilled with a pitch yesterday. He got hit right on the knee.

BOBBY COX: That was a great ballgame, and I thought Lima, you guys saw the game, too, he pitched a great game. Shut out a great team. It was rocking and rolling in LA This place is great, too, the fans here. Our fans were really energized, too. They will be hopefully tomorrow.

BOBBY COX: I don't know. Good players, if they haven't had any experience, can excel in games like these. We feel good. I mean, we're upbeat and we're ready to go. We have been every ballgame. Yesterday, that was a game I thought we could win. Thomson, we were hoping to get six innings out of him, and we ended up with none. So it's one of those things that happened, and it was worth a gamble, that's for sure, the way he's been throwing. But I think if we go beyond this playoff, very doubtful he would be on the roster.

BOBBY COX: I wish I could say he was, but he hasn't been throwing and he's not.