Dodgers - 8, Reds - 4
Q. Just kind of as you look at what you've done this season, what do you take away from what this team was able to do to get here and once they were here?
TERRY FRANCONA: Well, before I answer that, I think I need to congratulate the Dodgers -- Davy and Andrew, Brandon. They're certainly very deserving of moving on. They're a handful, but they're also pretty first class. I just wanted to say that.
You know what, it's hard to know what to take away right now because it's so fresh and raw. Everybody's hurting. Only one team can go home at the end on their own terms, and it's not us this year.
The season doesn't just wind down. It just comes to a crashing halt. And that's kind of hard sometimes to make your peace with.
I thought our group from day one was a special group. We did not accomplish what we set out to do. That takes away nothing from what me and the coaches feel about those guys.
Q. On the Dodgers, to your point, how far do you see them going? Do you see them, the Dodgers, do you see them in the World Series?
TERRY FRANCONA: I don't know. I'm not good at prognosticating. I had us moving on. I'm not very good at that.
Q. As far as their talent, what they can accomplish?
TERRY FRANCONA: Again, any team can win. When you get in, get hot, I mean these guys, they're very good. Don't get me wrong. I am not prepared to prognosticate on them right now. It wasn't what I was thinking about.
Q. If I could ask you about the game tonight -- I guess what did you think about Zack? Seemed like he gave you a lot. And I wanted to ask about Nick Martinez. What did you see from him?
TERRY FRANCONA: With Zack, I kind of wanted to keep it where he only faced their lineup twice. I think he ended up giving up six hits, and the last one, kind of the blooper down the right, really hurt.
I thought he threw the ball really well. I thought he navigated his way through the lineup like he knows how to. The plan was to turn it over to Lodolo and then to Nick.
And with Nick, when he gave up -- we had a runner on second and one out and we had the error. And there was a couple of ground balls, and then there was a double. So that's -- it wasn't his best night.
That kid, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. He's a big reason why we got as far as we did.
Q. You feel like this year kind of reinforced, this year and tonight, reinforced situational hitting and hitting with runners in scoring position?
TERRY FRANCONA: I don't think there's ever a year that doesn't. That's part of baseball. I just told our guys, we need to do some things better, myself included. I would never ask them to try to get better and I'm just going to sit at home. I'm going to look in the mirror, too. That's what we're supposed to do.
Q. You mentioned day one, that 9:00 a.m. meeting February 15th, whatever, when the marathon started, what you asked in that conversation. What did that group deliver back to you ultimately over the last six-plus months?
TERRY FRANCONA: Every time you ask them to do something, they tried to do it, which isn't always the case. They put our ballclub ahead of themselves, and that always doesn't happen either.
We're not the finished product, but they competed like crazy, and that's what we asked them to do. When things didn't look very good, they kept competing -- even the last couple of nights. We're kind of getting our ass handed to us, but they keep going. That's a good trait.
Q. One month ago today Sal Stewart makes his big league debut. Today he drives in three. Drove in one yesterday. Did you learn something about this kid and what he's capable of doing?
TERRY FRANCONA: I think we felt like we had a pretty good idea. And his offseason is going to be really important because there's so much to love about him. But there's also things he needs to get better at, defensively and things like that. But if he's willing to buy in, which I have a feeling he is, because he wants to be good, there's a very special player there.
Q. Now that you'll have some time to sit back and do some analysis and reflect with everyone in the organization, what does that look like for you? And how long do you look at the season before you kind of turn the page?
TERRY FRANCONA: I don't know. Sometimes it's easier. Sometimes it's harder, your emotions. Was it 2017, I'm still having trouble turning the page because of the way we lost.
There will be a time to -- I'm going to stick around for a couple of weeks and I'll try to see -- when you're playing and you're trying to make things reach, even when it doesn't look like it's maybe going to reach, it's not time to look at it. It's time to compete.
When it's over, then you can sit back and go, okay, here's maybe what we need to do better. Like we know we'll have to rebuild our bullpen. We kind of did it. We had Suter, who is our lefty, who was more a length guy -- there's things we know we need to work on.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports