Q. What went into Díaz and where he is in terms of his readiness, maybe obviously not this round but potentially going forward? How is he feeling?
MIKE SHILDT: I think we're optimistic moving forward for next round, but yesterday he worked out. He was able to move around enough to where there was a conversation to say, okay, can he go or can he not.
But once we talked with medical and even spoke with Elias, he was pretty honest, disappointed, but honest and said, listen, I don't know if I can really go and trust it.
We know we're at a point where he is with what he's dealing with that he could really be lost for the rest of the year. But we're also at a point where if he got some rest, there's optimism he could be okay moving forward, so that's the route we took.
Q. What went into the decision to carry three catchers, and how could that allow you to maneuver potentially within games?
MIKE SHILDT: Yeah, so listen, obviously A.J. had the final call on it, and we spoke a lot about it and took a lot of opinions about it. It landed where we did with three catches. It impacted Wagner, the left-handed bat. There's a lot of different ways this thing could go. But we really primarily look at Freddy being the guy. Freddy is taking good at-bats and playing well, so that's part of that.
Maldy obviously is an experienced guy that is a very defensive-oriented guy that can come in and take care of it if we need to, and then Campy can do it as well, but Campy is more -- we look at Campy more of a bat if we need something at some point.
Q. If you wouldn't mind reflecting on Nick Pivetta's season, obviously came in, had a career year, first year with the organization?
MIKE SHILDT: Yeah, fantastic year for Nick. Really excited for him and definitely has earned this opportunity to be our No. 1 guy to start off these playoffs. He's come in -- I've said this, but the fit was clear for us, A.J., Ruben, myself, even before he signed on what was going to be a 30 to 40-minute Zoom call, kind of exploratory free agent conversation that turned into an hour and a half, that A.J. and Ruben and myself got done with and were like, wow, this is a great fit, and clearly Nick felt the same way and signed.
It really has been seamless since the first day he stepped into our Spring Training complex in Peoria. Just worked really well with the other starting pitchers. That group is connected, him and Joe and Michael and Darvish and Dylan and Vásquez. That whole group has just clicked, and he's clicked with Ruben in the pitching department and he's been a great fit and pitched well all year.
I'm glad he's been with us because I wouldn't have want to have imagined this year without him.
Q. I know you saw it on the other side in 2020, but what was it like last October seeing Tatís still dealing with that stress reaction really elevate his game in the playoffs and what are you expecting from him?
MIKE SHILDT: Yeah, I saw it last year, too, in 2024, he was pretty good and dominated and saw him on the other side in 2020 in the playoffs and the Wild Card series. He's a dynamic force. He just is. He's the kind of guy that appreciates this moment.
We've got a lot of guys that as the lights get brighter, they shine more. He's definitely the head of that class. Here we go, and excited to watch him go play.
Q. I'm not suggesting you're all stressed out about facing the Cubs, but on the eve of the playoffs, what's the last thing you're thinking about the Cubs that makes them worry some to play? What's the first thing you're thinking about in the morning about the Cubs?
MIKE SHILDT: Yeah, I think we have an awareness. Big picture, they're a good team. They're well-managed. They're talented. They clearly have improved their bullpen since we saw them in April. They've got really good position players that can compete in a lot of different ways.
But Boyd, the starter, is a very good pitcher. They've got a nice ballclub. It's really nothing specific. There are specifics to things that I, we, are aware of in how we're going to compete and think about managing the game. There's not one thing that goes, oh, my gosh, you know, let's worry about that in particular. I don't know if I'd tell you if there was anyway.
But it's more the total, they've got a nice team, we've got to respect a lot of what they do, but we've got to take care of what we can take care of.
Q. Díaz has caught all of Pivetta's starts. What's the challenge with getting Fermín in there, and what's the preparation been like for him to take over?
MIKE SHILDT: I don't think it's a huge challenge. Even speaking to Nick prior to yesterday, listen, he's got a good working relationship with Díaz. But Nick also said, look, I have turned to other people before in my career. Freddy has caught a lot of guys.
I don't think it's going to be a real challenge. Nick can do it for himself. Freddy understands the lineup, and I think they'll work really well together.
Q. What went into the 14 position players and 12 pitchers, and did the fact that you're carrying five starters and guys that can cover length do that, and also Bradgley getting that spot, what helped him earn that?
MIKE SHILDT: Yeah, multiple things. Díaz impacted a little bit, taking a couple extra catchers. It was on the table prior, and we talked about it even at the end of the regular season. Short series has something to do with it. We trust all of our pitchers. We've got 12 guys.
It was hard because Yuki has really been a part of what we've done the last several years. It compromises him this series, but moving forward, he'll be in play. It was just a combination of the trust of the short series, the 12 guys we have, and the moving parts with the position players.
Q. In terms of being prepared for Game 2, how much is it an advantage having Cease already locked in knowing he's going to get that start?
MIKE SHILDT: Yeah, listen, we're pretty straightforward. Once we know something, we're going to announce it. As we talked through it, we came to an internal decision that it was going to be Dylan or that equation was to make sure Dylan is getting his work in and getting his sides and getting prepped physically and mentally for that day and leading up to it.
Once we decided that, we announced it, and here we ride.
Q. The matchup between managers is something that gets highlighted in the postseason. You've managed against Craig Counsell a long time in the NL Central.
What makes Craig unique as a manager and something that maybe you're expecting over the next couple days from him?
MIKE SHILDT: Listen, almost any manager at this level is going to be on top of it. He clearly has done it a while. I have experience going with him going back to Milwaukee over the last couple years, over here. He's always going to figure out the best way he can to navigate his team and put him in the best positions possible.
I think we're familiar with each other's styles, but it's really about our club and what we do.
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