Oct. 10 Dexter Fowler pregame interview

Q. After last night, Dexter, what's the mood in the clubhouse? It was a tough loss, but you guys have gone through a few.

DEXTER FOWLER: I think everybody is ready to play. I think that's the mood. We've never really let anything like this get us down, so everybody is eager to get back on the field.

Q. How seriously -- you've taken it all year. How seriously do you take the "you go; we go" from Joe and the coaching staff when you go into this game and the rest of the series?

DEXTER FOWLER: I've been taking the series, like you said, all year. So nothing changes today. I'm going to try to go out and just do our job and get on base and see what else happens.

Q. Dexter, you've faced Garcia a bunch. I know you have three walks against him, maybe not a hit yet, but what can you tell the other guys because not a lot of guys have faced him?

DEXTER FOWLER: Faced him in the Minor Leagues as well. We just gotta be patient, make him come to us and see what happens, get a good pitch to hit and not try to do to much. The guy has a lot of movement on his pitches, so we're just gonna go out and try to get something up in the zone to hit.

Q. You've seen Kris Bryant since Spring Training. You guys lockered next to each other. Can you talk about kind of his evolution coming into it?

DEXTER FOWLER: Yeah, when I first met Kris, you can tell by his -- you know, his persona that he comes out and he's ready to play. He knows -- he's a pro. He's a pro. You know, just from first meeting him, he knows that he's good, and he knows his potential; and he's also humble, which is awesome, too.

Q. Dexter, this team's overall lack of familiarity with Garcia, does that maybe change the approach earlier in counts versus, say, a Lackey last night, somebody against who maybe you had a little bit more experience?

DEXTER FOWLER: I guess I'll be setting the tone. We'll see. We'll see. We will let the game come to us. That's the game of baseball; you don't always get to face guys you're familiar with, so obviously we're going to be a little parent, and I think guys have looked at video and all that as well.

Q. Dexter, from your perspective, and from the players' perspective in general, what do you see and hear Joe doing that reinforces the importance of the process over outcome?

DEXTER FOWLER: He lets us relax and have fun. I think that's huge. He doesn't get too uptight. He lets the veterans in the clubhouse manage the clubhouse, and he goes out and manages on the field. And, you know, that's been working, and he's our manager for a reason. He's had success for a reason.

Q. You say the way he manages, the way he manages, he lets you have fun. Compare that, if you would, to other managers, not naming names, but Joe versus the others, what one does, what he does, what they do. How is it different?

DEXTER FOWLER: Um, I mean, I don't really think there is any comparison, from what I've seen. It says volumes when guys are -- you're talking to other guys, and guys want to play for Joe Maddon, and they want to come back to play for Joe Maddon, so that in itself is definitely awesome.

Q. Dexter, you made it clear after you were traded that you were really happy coming to the Cubs, and now contract up, the time of the year where it's getting to be closing time one way or the other, do you think much about your own situation and the unknowns?

DEXTER FOWLER: You know what? I don't. I don't. I believe God has a process and, you know, at the end of the day, if this is where I need to be, this is where I need to be.

I'm taking it day by day, and right now just focused on winning.