He got himself in a predicament where he felt threatened and went on the offensive, but he paid the price and it’s over. He got himself in a spot where he was uncomfortable and it...

It will be unbelievable. Every home game we have with them is (like) a playoff game. When we play the Yankees, everything is ratcheted up 10 notches. The fans? They will be out of their...

We also told him that if he can’t (pitch in relief) then he won’t do it. But I think because of the kind of guy he is, he’s shooting for it.

Is it going to happen? It might not happen, but we’re trying to cover every base we can.

On the second ball, (John) Olerud had the best line: `They need to put out a public address and tell the children to be careful.’ It was a gorgeous swing from a very strong man,

It’s the case with just about every pitcher who gives up hits, you know when you don’t locate, major league hitters find a way of making you pay for it. I thought he misfired a...

Early in the game he located very well, then he got a little stronger as the game went and he made a couple of mistakes. But it?s nice that he has that left in the...

We’ve wanted all along to get him back in the rotation.

I wasn’t too pleased. Derek got hit with a splitter; we knew it, they knew it. Then Lowell gets one in the ribs.

I think the best way to put it, I’m glad he’s in our uniform.

Once he got the lead, you could see him reaching for a little bit extra. He was terrific. … He enjoys competing and is fun to watch. I’m glad we didn’t waste that outing.

There was a lot of extraordinary efforts tonight by a lot of people. We got ourselves in a position where one slip-up and we lose. We actually put ourselves in a position where we could...

When he’s really good he pounds the strike zone and stays out of the middle of the plate.

He has an explosive fastball, a hard breaking ball and we haven’t figured him out very well yet. We are certainly going to have to because with them in our division, we are going to...

I think we’re well-situated … nobody is tired. We have some off-days.

We had baserunners. It’s kind of a rarity when we don’t throw a bunch of hits up there.

At some point, we have to make decisions on what’s best for your ballclub and I don’t think it means we’re not loyal. You have to be loyal to the organization. Sometimes the decisions are...

He has a good arm. It gets easier as you get to know guys and get a feel.

I sent a message to (general manager) Theo (Epstein) in about the sixth inning (Thursday) because my wheels were spinning. I said, ‘Why don’t you think about it, and I’ll call you before I get...

I was pleased with his demeanor.

There’s a big sense of comfort for me when he’s out there pitching. He knows what he’s doing and even if it’s not perfect, he’s going to compete. He’s not going to give in.

Last year, some of those guys kind of got their veteran status. They went through the trials and tribulations of a real good year and came up a little bit short, but they’re a good,...

The hope is that he can play on Thursday, but even if he can’t the news is good. He’s going to be OK, we’ve just got to let him settle down.

We’re going to try to make up some things to test [his knee] a little bit. He went from wanting to be traded to he’s going to start the day to he’s ready to start....

The hard part about that is there’s always a chance for a late trade that could change something. But I don’t think we’ll be in a position with one last outing, where they’ll be some...

They’ll go home feeling better than us. The good news is, we’ve got another one in 12 hours.

I think he’s handled the situation well. When you’re a Rule 5 guy, it’s almost to the veteran players like you’re on scholarship. Sometimes I think that gets resented a little bit. He’s handling himself...

and I’d love you to police yourselves. But if I have to step in, I will.

Whatever he did, he found himself, because early he didn’t have his good stuff.

He really buckled down and knew we needed innings. I think Wake just made some adjustments, even physically, and it really helped.

It looked like at a certain point in the game, he started hitting all his spots. And add to that, when you get a lefty in our ballpark on a day like (Sunday), where there...

If his velocity is OK and he’s hitting his spots, he’ll know it.

He really worked hard. He’s very well prepared coming into this camp. He’s not playing catch-up. He’s strong. It’s very obvious he worked hard this winter. He just came into camp ready to go.

I miss him already. He’s a good friend of mine. We really care a lot about him getting healthy. Nip will do a great job professionally.

Really? I wouldn’t comment on mine this year, so I wouldn’t comment on his [contract]. He’s probably going to be really happy.

How David hit that ball out I don’t know. I didn’t think anyone could hit one of there tonight.

After all these games we’ve played, we’ve played ourselves into a situation where it comes down to two games. That’s just the way it is.

There’s no feeling-out process,

He sat down [Saturday] with Dr. [Thomas] Gill, medical personnel and Theo. A decision will be made pretty soon, on what’s going to happen. He’s got some issues this week. His wife’s having a baby....

He’s thrown all his pitches in the bullpen. He has not thrown them all in the game as much as he has as a starter.

It’s nice that he has that left in the tank because that’s the guy I remember. He could reach back and get more when he needed it.

As the game progressed, he got a little more comfortable. It probably helped that when he got into the flow of the game, the ball started sinking a little bit better, cutting. I thought he...

He likes to compete. If he hollers at somebody once or twice a year, it’s not really the end of the world.

He’s played through a lot. But he’s been very productive and scored runs. If his extra-base hits are down, you still have to tip your hat to the guy that he’s still playing, and will...

They had this thing kind of mapped out. I don’t think this is a real deviation from the plan. I just think they wanted probably to test him further with better hitters. I don’t think...

We’ll strive to be better than Chicago.

It was kind of appropriate. He had a real tough first month, but since the weather’s warmed up, he’s been about a .320 hitter. His bat has become so alive. He’s lined out about six...

The ball, just when he throws it down, guys just swing and miss or they hit grounders. He’s in a little bit of a tough spot with us. We have a very full, veteran staff...

I asked him on [Thursday] if he wanted to make the trip [on Friday]. He could have stayed back. He wanted to get work against major league pitchers. He spent five hours on a bus...

Bell said. ”But he called about my nephew.