Q. Woody, this is probably the last place you want to be again and I'm wondering how you're processing that and what conversations have gone into reaching this conclusion about not available for this round but leaving the door open a crack.
BRANDON WOODRUFF: Yeah. No, obviously bad timing, you know, for kind of how it went down. Just getting to this point and being able to -- like my main goal was to be healthy at the end of the year and pitch in the playoffs and do the whole thing.
Initially, yeah, it was a bummer for sure. Got right on top of it, went and got checked out, and yeah, it's a lat strain. Just got to let it heal. It's literally a day by day thing.
As far as the rest of the way, not really counting anything out. I've just got to come in and go day-to-day and see where we're at. But obviously too soon for the divisional series.
Q. Is this about what you expected when you went on the injured list a couple weeks ago, or has there been any good news, bad news since then?
BRANDON WOODRUFF: No, honestly, I had no expectations of what was going to happen. I tried to process as soon as I got the news on the lat strain. Yeah, just tried to process looking forward, and yes, I got great news on the front of the lat strain. Structurally the shoulder is great, which is -- I'm happy about that, and obviously that's what I've had to deal with over the last year and a half and getting through the season.
But yeah, as far as that, I got great news on that front, and it shouldn't be an issue going forward.
Q. Woody, how do you balance the desire to get back in a short amount of time with the other side of the coin of the long-term? What's in it for your future as well?
BRANDON WOODRUFF: You're just speaking in terms of for the rest of this playoffs?
Q. Yeah.
BRANDON WOODRUFF: Yeah, obviously this round was not feasible. But obviously anytime, the longer you keep going, the longer you get days out of this thing, the better the chance.
We'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there.
As far as right now, I'm focused on going in and just taking care of myself, getting my treatment, doing all the necessary things I need to do to try to give myself a chance.
But yeah, I love pitching in the playoffs, and fortunately we've gotten to do it a lot here over the last eight, nine years and been a part of essentially every series besides the last -- '23 and the last three years now, or two years.
That's a bummer for me because I love pitching in these type of games, and obviously with the Cubs coming in town, this is probably one of the biggest, and it's going to be a ton of fun.
As far as that part of it, it sucks, but you can't really -- you can't tell when these things are going to pop up. But yeah, I'm doing everything I can to kind of ride this thing and see what happens here.
Q. Murph said you weren't throwing yet; is that accurate?
BRANDON WOODRUFF: That is accurate, yes.
Q. Are you just in a rehab stage? What are you able to do at this point?
BRANDON WOODRUFF: Yeah, right now I'm kind of doing a rehab phase of it. Like I said, it's kind of day by day. The longer we kind of get out of this thing, the better the chance.
I'm kind of keeping everything on the table at this point. You know what, it's essentially like I've been told; it's like a hamstring strain. You get 99 percent, you feel great. It's that last 1 percent that can really affect you. So you really just have to make sure it's 100 percent.
When it's 100 percent, I don't know. I'm trying every day to get to that point as quick as I can, and that's kind of the way I'm approaching it.
Q. What were your thoughts when you saw the Cubs advance to this round, and how weird is it going to be to see Couns on the other side? I know you guys have played before, but with this high stakes right now.
BRANDON WOODRUFF: Oh, gosh. One, you don't have to fly four hours to San Diego to play a baseball game. You can just drive right up the road.
No, as far as both organizations, it's kind of what you hoped. And kind of as far as the fans are concerned, this is what it's about. A rivalry in the playoffs, see who's going to advance, and there's nothing like it. I think it's going to be -- every Cubs/Brewers game is always pretty intense, and the fans get involved, and it's always a playoff-like atmosphere.
But I'm sure it's going to be even better for sure, especially here and Chicago.
But that part of it last year, Couns coming back for the first time, we're kind of past that. Now it's just back to baseball. Yeah, I mean, the series is going to be something else for sure.
Q. You're so beloved and respected in that clubhouse. What do you think you can provide going forward in this run?
BRANDON WOODRUFF: Experience pitching in the playoffs. You can't explain it unless you go through it. By no means have I got a ton of experience, but I've been able to do it. Pitched in some pretty big playoff games for the Brewers.
But I've had conversations with Quinn -- I don't know if it's been announced. He's going to start in this series.
But just how the playoffs is all about the team and winning today and how you approach it. You don't have to approach it any differently. It's just prepare, do everything you've done, but it's real cliche, but it's literally take everything pitch to pitch and see where you're at at the end of the day.
So just trying to give him an understanding of there's going to be a lot going on around the stadium with more cameras, there's more this, there's more that, but it doesn't affect what you do on the field. If anything it helps you focus more. Just trying to help in that way and kind of be a sounding board in that sense.
And just try to be a great teammate. Try to help pick up guys and just be there and cheering guys on because there's nothing like playoff games and being there with the guys and winning games in the playoffs.
Q. Whatever happens the next couple weeks, what did it mean to you to get these two more years with this club, and when you got back on the mound, to do that in a Brewers' uniform?
BRANDON WOODRUFF: For sure. I don't know what's going to happen. I sat here, gosh, what was it, two years ago at this time, so it meant a ton. Honestly, I didn't know if I was coming back.
It was a long road, but I knew -- it was weird, I knew I had to pitch in this uniform again, and what a process.
There were some tough days for sure, but just being -- getting to the point I got to and just getting healthy again and pitching was honestly the most important thing for me, knowing the longer I got out of this thing, the better I would be.
That's still the truth. I'm still expecting to have everything come back to normal.
There were flashes of that, and that's really all my goal was to do is just try to be healthy and show flashes for myself to give me confidence. But it meant the world just to be able to pitch again in this uniform. Drafted here in 2014. Gosh, yeah, it's been 11 years with this organization, and getting to be a part of essentially the best era of Brewers baseball, it's been a blast.
As far as the future, I don't know what that will entail, but it's been -- I'm glad I have the opportunity to come back here. My son was born here last year. I've got so many roots dug here in Milwaukee. And not just the people in the clubhouse but people outside of the baseball field I've gotten to know.
It's home for sure. It's my second home. Yeah, so I was for sure -- I needed to throw on this uniform again.
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