Q. How much does having Yordan in the lineup change the outlook for you guys? Were you worried about him in the last week, he'd be able to play?
ALEX BREGMAN: Well, for sure. Obviously, he's one of the best hitters in the world. To have him in there is huge. I mean, he's a guy who can leave the yard, a guy who hits from line to line. Clutch. I mean, he's the total package. To be able to have him in the lineup is huge for us. Definitely, we were worried. But we're super thankful that he's able to go.
Q. Alex, you've always been a great defender, but you've taken leaps this year in advance stats and metrics-wise. Where do you think you've grown this year as a defender more maybe than your previous years?
ALEX BREGMAN: I don't know. I think just working hard with our coaches here, just trying to, honestly, just go catch the ball, and I think just trying to get good jumps and good reads and try and simplify it on defense.
But, yeah, it's something definitely we take a lot of pride in, and defense super important in the postseason.
Q. Alex, I know you've talked about staying in the moment, doing everything like that. But sometimes, human nature can take over. I mean, has it been kind of hard to fight that off in terms of what's ahead after the season?
ALEX BREGMAN: For me, not really. I think most important thing when you play baseball is try and win. And we have the opportunity to do that here, and I'm focused on winning games. I've loved every second of playing with these guys all year long, and I think we got a good team. My mindset is take it one pitch at a time and try and win the baseball game in front of us.
Yeah, just compete, leave it all on the field.
Q. Alex, you've faced Tarik Skubal before. What's the challenge for you against what he brings?
ALEX BREGMAN: I think he's got a bunch of elite pitches. Obviously, amazing fastball. And split, slider, curveball, sinker, pitches to both sides of the plate. And, obviously, he's had an incredible year. He's pitching with a lot of confidence. As we know, on our side, when other pitchers throw with a lot of confidence, they're even better.
So we know we've got our hands full. We know he's super tough, and we've just got to try to string some at-bats together.
Q. Alex, it's been a few years since you've played in the best-of-three-style Wild Card Series. Is there anything different about preparation going into the next game? Anything different about a three-game, versus a five- and seven-game series?
ALEX BREGMAN: I think it stays the same. Try and win every single pitch. Can't look ahead at all. You've got to win the game in front of you. You've got to execute. And you've got to play well.
Q. Alex, just how is the elbow feeling, and to what extent do you feel like you're going to have to manage that for as long as the postseason goes?
ALEX BREGMAN: Yeah, the elbow feels good. Kind of just going to try and stick with the same routine I did for the last two months of the year. Just try and manage and compete.
Q. Alex, a few years ago, you made some jokes about the Astros playing the early game. Y'all are playing the early game all this week. Does that matter at all to you?
ALEX BREGMAN: No, honestly, I'm super excited to be back in the postseason. Obviously, we've got a tough team in front of us here. So just really focused on that, and it's going to be awesome to be able to go out there and play in front of our fans here at Minute Maid Park. So looking forward to the challenge.
Q. Alex, obviously, you know who you're up against on the mound today. The way the Tigers deploy pitchers afterwards is kind of tricky with a match-up game. How is that difficult as a hitter, and how is it also an advantage as a hitter?
ALEX BREGMAN: Well, we've got a really good staff. They've got a bunch of really good arms. Obviously, Tarik is really good, but their bullpen's legit too. They've also got some other good starters as well. Obviously, they have played really well down the stretch, pitched really well down the stretch. A.J. does a really good job of putting them in good positions to succeed. Yeah, it's definitely going to be tough, but we've got to find a way to get the job done.
THE MODERATOR: Alex, thanks for coming in.
ALEX BREGMAN: Thank you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports