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 The following is from the "Sunday MLB on TBS" broadcast team, as well as interview comments from Ned Yost and Terry Francona
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Milwaukee Brewers (7) @ Boston Red Sox (11)
Game announcers: Chip Caray and Ron Darling
Darling on Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun: “The other young players are struggling, (J.J.) Hardy, (Prince) Fielder, (Rickie) Weeks, (Ryan) Braun has really been the only one who continued his excellence from last season when he was Rookie of the Year.”
Darling on Brewers right fielder Corey Hart being a budding star: “(Hart) is batting over .300, he had an incredible year for them last year. He’s tall he’s lanky, but he can throw, he can run, he can hit for power. He’s one of those guys who is going to be around Milwaukee for a long time.”
Darling on Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz: “The thing that is lost is everyone thinks of (Ortiz) as a home run hitter, but he’s just a great hitter hitting the ball to all parts of the field.”
Darling on how to cope with a team whose offense is struggling: “I’d say for (Brewers manager) Ned Yost when you have a young team that’s struggling, especially the hitters, I think you have to be very patient and you just have to continue to tell them they’re going to be fine, let them go play and be out there. It’s not like you’re going to make a lot of trades if you’re a smaller market club.”
TBS’ Chip Caray and Ron Darling spoke to Brewers manager Ned Yost from the dugout during the third inning.
Yost on the Brewers young team not yet hitting their stride: “We’ve got a real talented group of young offensive players that haven’t really hit their stride yet. They are a really good group of guys that can hit for average and hit for power too, it’s just a matter of time.”
Yost on being patient with his team: “The thing that is important is that we stress consistency in our play and the same thing has to come from our coaches and mangers and even front office. We have to be consistent in our approach every single day and that’s with patience, encouragement...We continue to work hard, we continue to do things that are going to help us become champions.”
Darling on how former Mets manager Davey Johnson helped him develop as a young pitcher: “I can relate a story that can help young pitchers. When I played I was having an awful start against Philadelphia and (manager) Davey Johson came out and said, ‘hey listen, don’t look over your shoulder, don’t look at the bullpen, you’re going to stay out here until you get some outs and start pitching the way you can.’ Those are the little things that you have to do to encourage your young pitchers.”
Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun on signing an eight-year contract this week: “It’s obviously a tremendous honor. It’s something I’m really proud of, its something I worked extremely hard for. It’s obviously very exciting, exciting for me and exciting for the whole Milwaukee Brewers organization and the city of Milwaukee . It’s pretty cool.”
Darling on the Milwaukee Brewers: “You just have so much talent. Give their GM Doug Melvin a lot of credit for the way that he’s put together this team, the way they drafted, their scouts.”
TBS’ Chip Caray and Ron Darling spoke to Red Sox manager Terry Francona from the dugout during the third inning.
Francona on the improved hitting of designated hitter David Ortiz: “It’s not that simple in one sentence, but I think (Ortiz) got his legs under him. At the beginning of the year he hit a couple of line outs, he missed a couple of balls and was trying to do more, I think it’s human nature. Now he’s started to use the whole field, and when you see guys keep their balance and keep their legs under them it seems like everything slows down.”
Darling on baseball players being very insecure: “Ballplayers are some of the most insecure people you’ll ever be around, because it’s a game of not doing what you’re supposed to be doing all the time. Three out of 10 and you’re a great hitter, that means seven times you’re making outs. So they (baseball players) are a lot more insecure than people think, and when they go through those droughts they really take it personally. The ones that take it less personal get out of those droughts quicker.”
Darling on the difference in pitching in the major leagues versus the minor leagues: “I think that what happens is your breaking ball seems so good in the minor leagues because guys are younger, they don’t know how to hit the breaking ball, they swing at it in the dirt. But you’ll throw your best one here and a guy will just look at it and be ready for the next pitch. If it’s in the dirt they are going to take it. The ability to work the strike zone in the major leagues is exponentially better than it is in the minor leagues.”
Caray on a cut-in showing a home run hit by Reds left fielder Adam Dunn: “Adam Dunn is so strong he blows bubbles with beef jerky. He crushed that ball.”
Darling on who will come out on top in the American League East: “It’s hard to tell right now because you have some really good playing from the Tampa Bay Rays, who have gotten off to such a good start with their young pitching. I think the Baltimore Orioles have played better than anyone thought they could. But the big question mark is the Yankees, because the Yankees do not have (Jorge) Posada, they do not have A Rod (Alex Rodriguez).Until they get them back and try to settle some of their starting pitching problems it’s really hard to gauge if the Yankees can make another run like they did last year when they got off to a slow start.”
Darling on Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett wanting to pitch as much of the game as he can: “There are a lot of pitchers in baseball that after giving up four home runs that would think, ‘you know what, you can take me out now,’ but not (Josh) Beckett, he’s one of those tall right handed Texans that wants to be in the game as long as he can.”
Darling on the fourth Red Sox home run, hit by first baseman Kevin Youkilis: “It just shows what kind of damage (the Red Sox) can do in this ballpark. First pitch, fast ball up in the strike zone and a hitter who usually takes a lot of pitches lying in wait jumps all over it and another home run (for the Red Sox).”
Darling on why the milestone of hitting 500 homeruns is not as meaningful as it once was: “It’s always clouded by the steroid issue for these players of today. It’s a shame for the players who did not partake in the juice. The best indication is that 500 homeruns, there will be guys that hit 500 homeruns that will not make the Hall of Fame, that was always an automatic number, as automatic as 3,000 and as automatic as 300 wins.”
Darling on Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury: “These are the things that (Jacoby) Ellsbury brings, great speed, plays left handers as well as right handers and willing to get his uniform dirty in an 11-7 game in the ninth inning. That’s the kind of player you want in your ball club.”
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted
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