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NL DIVISION SERIES: DIAMONDBACKS v BREWERS

October 5, 2011

Kirk Gibson

PHOENIX, ARIZONA: Game Four

Q. Can you talk about how important has Miguel Montero been for the team, not only offensively but with the pitchers?
KIRK GIBSON: Yeah, he's been the total package this year. He's 140 games, by far the most that he's caught. All aspects of his game, really, his game calling has improved.
Of anybody on the team he has the most energy on a day-by-day basis. He's always chirping. He's always got a real good, positive attitude. Swinging the bat great this year. And he wants to steal bases, but I stop him from doing that (laughter).
He's really improved a lot in dealing with the running game, as well. And Henry Blanco and Glenn Sherlock have helped him. But really matured as a player, and a lot more dominating in all aspects.

Q. What do you think of his invention of the snake thing and all that that's going on?
KIRK GIBSON: Anything that makes him go. We just want to keep going. He's Miggy. He's the guy who started saying the snakes -- here come the snakes at the beginning of the game when they play the snake music. He kind of started that. He's taken it to the next step.

Q. Goldschmidt's maturity, especially in the infield, the guys have said he's telling them where to go a lot of times. How unusual is that for a rookie?
KIRK GIBSON: He came here pretty mature, he really did. And I've given a lot of credit to our minor league staffs, the way that -- I guess it's when you get in the schools and high schools, certain people take advance courses, because that's just their abilities. They have the ability to do it.
That's kind of how Goldy has progressed through the minor leagues. He's kind of pushed himself quickly and for more, at a faster pace.
And you guys, if you only knew some of the things that he's picked up and he's added into how we defend and offensive, he's really studying guys, and really goes up there with a game plan.
Last night in the game I heard him talking to Groove and they came up with a game plan and certain things that he was going to try to do up there, and ultimately he ended up executing it.
You're hoping that somebody makes a mistake when you're swinging the bat. And that you don't miss it. And just the way he prepares for the game in all aspects, that's one of the reasons he's been successful in big situations.

Q. What do you seeing out of Parra right now, is he pressing a little bit?
KIRK GIBSON: Probably.

Q. In his first go at it?
KIRK GIBSON: I think that he is -- it just works that way. He was in an excitable situation when he started in Milwaukee as a young kid. He's never really experienced it. And then the results don't come. We lost the first two games and there's no results. So you start to press. And last night, you see him making early, quick outs. Just a little impatient.
But I talked to him today and there's just certain things that you've got to try to take care of in a situation like that to get you out of it. And it's up to him. I'm playing him again today. I know he has the ability to do it. We've seen him go through streaks like that this year. And I believe he can come out of it tonight.
The other thing that he does for us is his defense is exceptional. He is a weapon for us, and he helps us manage the game that way, as well. CY and him are really good together out there, they cover a lot of ground. We all know what his arm's like out there.
Hopefully he'll relax a little bit more today, be a little more patient, see a few more pitches and then get back on track.

Q. You flipped the middle of the batting order, tweaked it, I know you study things like that. Is there a particular reason for that?
KIRK GIBSON: Nothing I'd like to share (laughter). Did I flip it? I didn't notice the difference.

Q. There's been three grand slams here the last three home games by you. Any thoughts on that?
KIRK GIBSON: I hope there's another one for us. Those are nice.
You know, we're really good, I think we're five for ten with runners in scoring position; last night I think we only left four on. And obviously when you get a ball like that and could do the opposite field, it shows a pretty good discipline and a pretty good approach. I guess compared to our approach the first game of the series, we came out, we were very timid, we took a lot of fastballs. Next game maybe overaggressive in certain situations. And then yesterday by far was our best approach.
We know the Brewers are going to try to stop us from doing that. They've got a veteran guy on the mound, as well. It will make for a good challenge for us tonight.

Q. I think your batting average with bases loaded is like almost 400 or something. After a while that's not just a coincidence, is it?
KIRK GIBSON: I'm not sure. But I just think in general when you can pressure people by getting people on base, it changes things and it gives you a better opportunity to have impact on a game. So when you get the bases loaded there's no place to put somebody, so it maybe forces your hand a little bit more, if you're throwing the baseball.
So if you're patient and you're laying off the marginal stuff and you get something in the middle of the plate, everybody is guarding a base. So it generally works out that way. We've been good and hopefully we get better.

Q. I know it didn't come into play last night, but you've seen Axford this year. Is Axford a little different from you in just his style of pitching and the way he goes about it than some closers are? He has kind of an unusual build for a closer, too.
KIRK GIBSON: Not really. He's got dominating stuff. He's tall, throws over the top. Actually, we were talking about him. He prototypes to a guy like Rex Kern, I don't know if you guys remember Rex Kern from Texas, kind of tall, over the top, but he's got a much better clue with his pitches. Rex Kern was pretty wild. But he throws very hard over the top. Very sneaky. He's got a lanky build. Does not show you the ball very good and his slider is pretty good.
So yeah, he's very, very, very challenging, very formidable.

Q. Last night when Goldschmidt hit the grand slam Marcum took his glove and threw it up in the air, and it was clear that he and Lucroy didn't seem to be in agreement as to how Goldschmidt should be pitched. What's your take on what happens when there is a dispute between the catcher and the pitcher? Does it depend on whether or not the pitcher's a veteran and the catcher isn't? How would those kind of disputes resolve themselves on the field?
KIRK GIBSON: Well, I think we've got a deal here when you're talking about Montero earlier, where Ian Kennedy and Miguel were not seeing eye-to-eye last year. And they kind of, I guess, individually complained about it, which we made sure they got together and worked it out. And here we are a year later, they've been unreal. And they've been on the same page.
So sometimes it takes time to work through things. There are a lot of factors. I'm not exactly sure what was going on last night. I don't know if Marcum couldn't see, he wasn't putting down the numbers he wanted to put down, whether the crowd was having an impact on it, the bases loaded had an impact on it. It's just kind of how competition is sometimes.
But Lucroy was going out and talking to him, and they were coming back and putting numbers down. They still weren't on the same page. So you'd really have to ask them on that.
I know it does happen from time to time. And I think that you try and get them together and communicate. And you've got to figure out a way to resolve it.
When you're in a competition, you're resolving things in every aspect of the game every day. You have to deal with it on the fly. And hopefully you're prepared for that and it doesn't become a factor. Last night it looks like it could have worked in our favor.

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