Oct. 18 Johnny Cueto workout day interview

Q. You talked about how in Game 5 you were going to sort of go as hard as you could from the start, sort of max effort and your velocity was a bit up. How much do you think that helped you against the Astros. Is that something you can replicate from here on out?

JOHNNY CUETO: Game No. 5 was a decisive game. You win, you keep going. You lose you go home. And my mentality was I'm going to give it -- I'm going to give everything I've got as long as I can.

And this game is very similar. My approach is going to be the same and I'll give it all I've got as long as I can.

Q. What do you remember from your start here?

JOHNNY CUETO: Just pitching, that's what I remember, just on the mound pitching.

Q. How has your relationship with Salvador Perez evolved? Did you guys feel really on the same page more than ever in your last start?

JOHNNY CUETO: Thank God it's really good. We're working together. We're thinking alike. And we are on the same page.

Q. Pedro Martinez is a guy you've talked about as kind of looking up to him, and he's a big game pitcher. Are there any qualities in Pedro that you try to emulate yourself and have you had any great experiences with Pedro?

JOHNNY CUETO: Very different styles of pitching, but he is somebody that I've always looked up to because he is a big game pitcher. And that's what I need to do. I need to step up in these type of situations and perform for my club.

Q. Speaking about big moments, you already had your big moment. How do you make it better tomorrow?

JOHNNY CUETO: I'm going to toe the rubber and give everything I've got and I'm going to take the same approach as I did the previous game and just be ready to go, ready to pitch.

Q. Did you need that kind of performance in Game 5? Did you gain any confidence from it?

JOHNNY CUETO: Thank God the staff gave me the opportunity to pitch that game. As far as the confidence, I've never lost confidence. That was a game I was scheduled to pitch and that was a game we needed to win as an organization and as a team. Thank God it worked out.