Oct. 4 Matt Adams pregame interview

Q. Matt, this club has an outstandingly good record of young guys making contributions immediately, including yourself. Is there a particular reason for that other than you're obviously talented?

MATT ADAMS: I think it's just the way we're brought up through the organization. As soon as we get into the organization, we're taught that we need to learn how to win, because that's what they're used to up here and that is the way they train us down there.

Q. Are you looking forward to playing in a playoff game in Pittsburgh this weekend? Will you have many people make the trip over from Phillipsburg for the game?

MATT ADAMS: I've just got my mom and dad coming. It will be neat to play close to my hometown. But more focused on getting the W rather than going home and playing in front of friends and family.

Q. Just getting back to what you were talking about as far as them teaching you how to win and that's how you guys are brought up, when you talk to people that play other sports, maybe friends that play pro sports somewhere else, do you sense a difference from this organization from what they're going through? If you do, what is the biggest difference when you hear the stories and compare experiences?

MATT ADAMS: From talking with friends that I play with in pro ball, the biggest thing is the Cardinals focus on when we get into the organization doing the little things right. That's what they really want us to know how to do is to do the little things right and know we're going to go out there and play with confidence.

Q. It seems like defensive shifts and positioning is a big thing in the Major Leagues as a rule now. I'm just wondering as a guy who just got here, did you ever see that much at any other level that you played? And this year getting established in the Big Leagues, do you recall any moments where you got a negative outcome on a ball that you thought was going to be a positive outcome? Just anything that jumps to mind from when a shift kind of got you?

MATT ADAMS: It was actually playing these guys earlier in the year at home here. It was a close game. I think we were down 2 1, and Neil Walker moved right before the pitch out into shallow right field, and I hit a slider right to him. As soon as I hit it, I thought it was going to be a hit, and I looked up, and it was just a line drive right to him. But if you look too much into that, you're going to end up hitting the ball where they want you to hit it instead of just sticking to your approach.

Q. Can you talk about your first base defense and how it's improved since you got into the organization?

MATT ADAMS: As soon as I got in, Mark DeJohn, our infield coordinator, was a manager at the time, we worked hard at Spring Training just making sure we got good at the footwork and making sure we made the routine plays, and the other stuff would come. That's what Jose hit on too this year in Spring Training, just making sure we made the routine plays and everything else would come. Just throughout the year we focused on the footwork, making sure the footwork was right on each play and I'm getting to the bag better.

Q. You had to step in and play every day down the stretch with Allen hurt. How gratifying was it to finish so strong and play such a big part in helping your team win the division?

MATT ADAMS: It felt good, but we missed Allen, for sure. Getting the everyday at bats and playing every day out on the field, it definitely helps out big time, especially for the postseason.