Oct. 12 Mike Matheny pregame interview
Q. Could Carpenter be available today for you?
MIKE MATHENY: Could but he's not. It's just he's had a lot ‑‑ put his arm through quite a lot this season and just don't think it's a good idea.
Q. I know he was a young kid, but I wondered if you crossed paths with Wainwright when he was first with the organization, right as you were getting ready to leave the Cardinals and what your impressions were then, compared to the pitcher you see now, the person you see now.
MIKE MATHENY: I think you can see early on, the makeup. Reminded me a lot of a Chris Carpenter. Just the self‑confidence and stuff to go along with it; not an arrogance, but just confident in himself and how he's developed. He's developed into a leader on this team, and we have used that term, ace, in throwing a couple different guys into that category with Carp. You can certainly put Kyle Lohse in there this year and Adam, and just it goes beyond what they do on the field to how they take care of business in the clubhouse and off the field with these guys.
But Adam is just ‑‑ he's a pro, and he's a competitor and to me one of those rare talents that seem to get better when the pressure is turned up. So we love having him on the mound in situations like this.
Q. Is there anyone in your bullpen that you have to stay away from tonight for a potential Game 1 start the next round?
MIKE MATHENY: The only people that are not going to be available are going to be the potential starters and I think you'd have to look at a Lance Lynn, too, after throwing last night. We've been using him pretty heavy. It's going to be hard to get him in there, also.
Q. A lot was made about what DeRosa may have had to say to their clubhouse before the game yesterday. Given all y'all have gone through this year, is there anything you or anybody else in there might like to say tonight before the game or has said already?
MIKE MATHENY: You know, I don't think I've ever been associated with a team that's had more heartbreaking losses than what this club has had this year. One of the things that stands out about this club is its resiliency and persistence in the way they just keep coming back.
Through this season, guys have said things at times, but for the most part, this club has shown up and known what they have needed to do. We have had a couple meetings already, just normal things that we do, guys say normally what's on their mind, whatever the topic is, whether it's pitching, hitting or defense.
But as far as a Knute Rockne deal, that's not what this club does. This club shows up to play baseball every day.
Now there have been times through the season where it's been needed, but today is not one of those times. These guys played a good, hard baseball game yesterday. We ended up on the short end of it, and it's not the first time it's happened to them, and they have responded well by just coming back and playing the game.