Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Game Quotes - Navigators @ Lowell 7/8

Coach Jason Falcon

On the offense’s productivity tonight and over the last three games (26 runs total)…

“They have been coming out aggressive, they’ve been putting up runs early on for our pitchers and that has made a huge difference for our pitching staff, to have a lead. I am really impressed with the way they are swinging the bat. They got a little quiet there in the middle, but we put up enough runs to beat a good Lowell team.”

On Sean McNaughton’s performance (2 home runs and a double)…

“The second [home run] is as hard of a hit ball as I’ve seen all year. I thought the double was going to have a chance, too, but it is just nice to see him comfortable in the zone. He is just a tough out; there is no easy way to pitch to that kid. He is a tough out and he is a good kid.”

On Jimmy Lisowski’s six-inning night…

“He is good for six a game, and he is one of those guys, you know, who is not going to overpower you, but he is going to hit his spots and give his team a chance to win every night. You can’t beat that…you really can’t beat that. Our whole pitching staff has been doing that all year for us, from our starters to our relief guys. [It was] nice to see [Chris] Prescott come in for the second night in a row and just pitch really well. More importantly, I think, our defense hasn’t made an error in I don’t know how long. That is key in this league, that is a big, big factor in this league.”

On Lisowski escaping the fifth and sixth inning after giving up a run in each inning…

“As a pitcher, knowing that you have got guys behind you makes it so much easier to pitch because you feel comfortable about making a mistake and maybe your defense will help you out. That’s the game. If a pitcher is comfortable and confident, he is going to get more guys out than not.”

On winning in a division with such parody…

Right now, everyone is so jumbled in the top of our division, so I don’t consider anybody in this league an ‘easy win.’ I think what we have been doing is utilizing our assets. That was one of the compliments that we got from their coaching staff tonight, they said ‘this team uses their assets as well as anybody.’ That is what we have to do. Justin Little causes problems on the bases, Mike Provencher is a great [second] hitter because he could probably hit [third] or [fourth] for us. We are pretty well-off in terms of our speed and contact hitters. Again, beating a team like Lowell tonight is huge. Last year we beat them five out of six times [during the regular season] but they took us to three games in the playoffs because they are such a scrappy team. No team is every down in this league, and I never count a team out.”

Starting Pitcher Jimmy Lisowski

On his performance…

“I felt pretty good coming in. We were coming off a two-game winning streak, and I know our bats were swinging pretty well, so I was confident that we would put up some runs early, which we did, so that helped. Putting up those six runs in the first two innings just allowed me to go out there and just throw strikes. My control wasn’t what it had been in my last couple starts, I kind of missed some spots here and there. But I felt overall, it was a good outing for myself and the team.”

On escaping the fifth and sixth innings with minimal damage…

“I just knew I had to execute pitches, kind of knowing that you have to hit a spot, and going out there and doing it. My curveball wasn’t working that well so I kind of had to rely upon my fastball. Luckily, they chased a couple bad pitches late in those innings which helped me, and they swung early in the count, which helped me once again.”

Centerfielder Justin Little

Situation: With Kyle Geason on second and Little on first in the top of the second inning, Mike Provencher launched a double to right-center field. However, Geason hesitated initially, allowing for Little to practically catch up to him at second base. Little trailed Geason by mere inches until both crossed home plate.

On Kyle Geason’s speed…

“[Geason’s speed is] like molasses on an ice-cold day in Vermont. That’s how slow.”

On his offensive display vs. Lowell (Two runs scored, one run batted in)…

“The first inning I got walked, and they tried to pitch me off a million times, and that ended up in our advantage [after a wild pick-off attempt landed Little on second base]. I got a good base hit on the hit-and-run in the second.”

On the overall offensive explosion of late…

“It’s nice. It’s nice for our pitchers, getting to the bullpen with a lead instead of, a lot of times, being down one or being down two. So it is nice getting up early on people, then we can give it to our bullpen, and they can close it out for us.”

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