Q. You've said repeatedly over the last month or so just how much pitching in big games is something you love to do since you got here and being in important games, so how do you sum up what you might be doing tomorrow?
MATT MORE: I think every starter, you're excited for the opportunity to come up big for your team. We get in about 30 to 34 ball games a year, so if you're one of the five that gets picked to get that game, like Bum today, we're going to all be watching and pulling real hard for him.
So hopefully tomorrow going into it I have the same opportunity.
Q. What do you remember most about Joe Maddon as a manager?
MATT MORE: I played for him when I was just coming up into the Major Leagues, so I do remember him having -- he kind of set the tone for a young guy to come in and just be himself. I think that he's got a way about him to not make you feel like there's too much pressure on you.
And one of the first things he told me was they're not looking for me to come in and do something that I'm not capable of doing, so just trust myself and my stuff and take it like any other start.
Q. This team has a stellar record in elimination games, 9-0. You got to be a part of it in that Wild Card game. What did you take away from that about what -- how this team is able to perform with their backs against the wall?
MATT MORE: I think it started with Bum and how competitive he is with every pitch and he's very gritty out there. I think that you can see as he kind of set the tone out there matching zeros with Noah, you could feel the dugout getting hot. And we knew it was right around the corner with how tough he was on us that night, it was a matter of time before things boiled over for us.
But I have noticed that just the tone in the overall clubhouse that I don't feel that panic, the sense of urgency like somebody's trying to be somebody that they're not. So I do notice that, and I think that it kind of helps me being new here to kind of just follow suit.
Q. Your game at Dodger Stadium, you threw 133 pitches, which is the most in the Major Leagues this is year. What was your take on how you felt coming out of that and just in general the thought about we got to preserve pitchers' arms and the lowering numbers of pitches that starting pitchers are throwing?
MATT MORE: Obviously, in that moment, I don't think it was -- we had the lead right there, but at the same time when Bochy came up and asked me, there was not one part of me that didn't want to keep going. That's what I told him. That things feel just as they did in the fourth or fifth inning.
And I think that there's a lot of variables when you talk about injuries and whatnot. Personally, I think that less of it has to do with that night as opposed to what am I doing the next four days, how am I treating myself. Am I kind of trying to measure that volume. If my volume is X on day one, you got to make sure that I take a couple off in between days, not from throwing, but just from maybe getting on it too much and making sure that maintenance program and the process is followed very closely. But I think I wound up getting an extra day of rest. I think it was on that same rotation.
So in those moments I'll take it and live with the consequences, especially being new to the team right there, I would like to come up big.
Q. What goes through your mind today watching Bum pitch and you're going to pitch tomorrow? How do you watch the Cubs or what do you watch for with the Cubs?
MATT MORE: Maybe just to see how aggressive they are with Bum. I think he has -- he's going to be in the zone, he's going to be aggressive with his stuff, so just to kind of see maybe the approach they take against him. Not saying that will be the same as against myself, but just I like watching Bum pitch because you can see the intent behind every pitch. He's a very convicted man out there. It's not something that you see every day.
So I'll be watching when he's in, when he's out, when he's up, and just doing my best to make sure that if there's something that he's exposing tonight that he may not be aware of or something that he has success with, we'll be taking notes.
Q. Choice was either you or Samardzija for 2 or 4. Bochy picked Samardzija for 2 and you for 4. Did he speak to you why it's slotted like that? Was there any kind of explanation for how this all filled out in the rotation?
MATT MORE: No, not really. I'm not sure if it was just Shark had pitched prior to my previous game so it was going to be longer rest for him, and we didn't really have a discussion about any part of that. It was just Shark's got Game 2, I got Game 4.
But it's the playoffs, so just keep your spikes on, be ready for what's to come.
Q. In your short time here, what is it about Madison that you noticed that maybe sets him apart from other pitchers you played with or seen and played against?
MATT MORE: Without talking to him very much, I think you can probably get the picture that he's pretty for sure of who he is. He's very sure about himself and the things that he wants to do. He's been around some pretty good veteran leadership and seen guys come through here, and you can tell he didn't waste much time keeping track of the things that maybe they did to be successful.
But he's got a routine that's pretty patent. You can really -- every day there's something that he's doing to get himself ready to go pretty early, too. So you can see the focus on his processing between starts, which I think allows him a lot of consistency that he's had over his time here.
Just for me getting to watch a guy like that work -- we're similar in ages, he's got more time in and a few more awards and credentials, but just to be able to see him kind of go out there and take the game by the horns and do what he wants, it's really cool to get to watch.
It was similar feelings to when I was watching David pitch over in Tampa. When it's their day, it's their day. And so to be able to see that and continue that is cool to watch.
Q. Potentially, with the win, tomorrow is your day. The Giants got you for this very reason. What are your thoughts on being in this position where? Would this be the biggest start of your career?
MATT MORE: Yeah, I don't see why not. This has got to be the biggest reason why we play the game, why we start training early in November and getting ready for this month, for these series, these moments.
So for me I'm very excited to watch Bum pitch tonight and probably a little bit more excited to get going myself.
Q. When you were with the Rays even before you had pitched in the Major Leagues, you pitched that playoff game or you came up, you had barely pitched. What was it like being at the very start of your career to be thrown into such a high-stakes situation? And did that benefit you coming out of that in future seasons?
MATT MORE: I think there was maybe a little bit of intent, just in the way that I found out that I was pitching the first game of the divisional series on the road. I found out about 20 hours before the game, 24 hours, so it was -- I didn't have a whole lot of time. It wasn't like I was sitting there for four or five days breathing heavy over it.
So I think that just kind of going out there and just feeding off what Joe and everybody was kind of telling me, look, man, this is -- be yourself. We don't got to -- nobody's asking you to come out here and be somebody that you can't be.
So I think just taking a little bit relaxed mindset, maybe stepping back and realizing that it's the same game, it's just a bigger moment. Try not to get caught up too much in the second.