Clint Hurdle Next Quotations

We have a youthful lineup. They have gone through a stretch where they have collectively come up short driving runs in. Each time it doesn't happen there seems to be more importance or a heightened awareness the next time, an added weight to be fit into place. That's just part of the experience process they have to get through. They have to realize that no matter what happens, we're going to play another game.

We need better from him. He's capable of better. He knows he should be better. I talked to him a little bit during the game and then again after the game. ... He's capable of better. We've all seen better. He needs to take the momentum from the last two innings and roll that into his next start.

One of the toughest things to do as a man in anything is to slow down when we're not doing what we think we should be doing. As men, we want to step on the gas. That's a defining point. It's a growth thing for me. It's the next step into a player becoming more entrenched at the Major League level, to have the ability to slow the game down.

Obviously, the one inning got away from him. He didn't throw strikes. He can fine-tune that, and for him to take the next step, that's an issue he's going to have to address this season. It's always been a little bit of a rock in his shoe, the walks at times, especially the quick ones, the four-pitch ones.

Nobody's under a magnifying glass. You put somebody under a magnifying glass long enough, you burn them. The guys that didn't pitch well, they know who they are. Through honest self-evaluation, they'll see their location and the adjustments they need to make the next time out. That'll be the critical area to watch.

Those are called shutdown innings. That's a big part of baseball. When you score, your opportunity to shut out the other team the next inning is there and you need to capitalize on them.

There is more anticipation on the part of the players than there has been in a long time. The club is growing together and has formed a core group together. They know now that they can compete. The next step is to win.

We might not have any rookies next year, or maybe one or two. We've had the young players we wanted to look at this year show us they can handle the challenge.

We might not have any rookies next year, or maybe one or two,

There's other guys we want to look at, more importantly, for next year's bullpen, ... If we need him, he's available.

It's Jason's time to take the next step, and sometimes when players can't get to certain places, it's up to a coach to take them there. I want him to know going in that I've got the confidence in him to do that. By giving him the ball Opening Day, I can't make a bigger statement than that.

I love the momentum we are building. I know we are more comfortable than we were in April and I know we will be more comfortable next April than we are this September.

His humility, his work ethic and he has a unique passion for the game. And he's going to be what, 21 next month? So, he just needs to play, and we'll see how it works out. The beauty of any young player that can play is when they force your hand.

Because there might not be a next time. You get tired of next time. You need to do it this time. We said a lot of 'get 'em next time' last year.

He's not making his best pitches in traffic in his three starts so far. That's the next step for him.

He's got skills, but I told him they weren't playing out. And if the skills he has don't play out here, he would have to play Triple-A next year. It's very black and white. And maybe the idea of winter ball spurred him to have a good September.