Aaron Nieckula
Aaron Nieckula
baseball define expect league mean mind minor player successful
We expect to have a successful year. And to define success, does that necessarily mean winning? No, not necessarily, but keep in mind that the most important thing in minor league baseball is player development.
ballpark baseball doubles eight extra goes guys hit savvy score team timely wanting willing
We've got some team speed. We've got guys with baseball savvy out there that are willing and wanting to take the extra base. It just goes to show that you don't need to hit the ball out of the ballpark or hit doubles and triples to score runs. We scored eight runs. It's timely hitting.
excited experience nice road
I think they're excited to get out on the road and experience some of the other ballparks and cities. It's nice to get out and experience the road a little bit.
benefit earned fifth instead opportunity short team term thinking
He earned an opportunity to go that fifth inning, but we are thinking more long term instead of short term right now. More for the benefit of the team than the individual.
middle pitch work
Going out there I think he was at 76 pitches. I told him he was one over 75, we'll take him up to 80. I told him to work the middle and pitch to contact.
great mentality needed pitches
He did an outstanding job. He made pitches when he needed to, (showed) great mentality and made adjustments when he needed to.
base error knock last men via walk
We got men on base, via walk or an error or the base knock that last inning. We just couldn't do anything with it.
chemistry
Expectations are high. There is a lot of chemistry with this staff, and that's very important.
ahead ball behind fell guy kept saw worked
Shields kept the ball up, out over the plate, fell behind guys. That's crucial. Their guy worked ahead and you saw what happened. Our guy fell behind. It just wasn't his day. We'll see how he rebounds.
good pitching
On paper, we have a pretty good pitching staff.
ask ball came chance giving ronnie score threw
Ronnie came in and threw the ball pretty well ... you can't ask for anything better than giving us a chance to win. Unfortunately we didn't score any runs.
bullpen chance coming door good held job offense whether
Really from Day 1, the bullpen has done a good job of coming in, whether we're up or we're down, and they've held the door to give our offense a chance to score.
bullpen coming days few hitters stuff
After a few days off, you can get lackadaisical or lethargic in your play. Yeah, our bullpen was healthy, but at the same time, when you don't see live pitching, when you don't see live hitters and you don't see live stuff coming off the bats, it's a lot different.
excuse guys kinds
Submariner like that, you don't see those kinds of guys too often. But that's really no excuse.