Oct. 7 Bruce Bochy pregame interview

Q. Did you ever get close at all to decide to go drop Gregor down, and ultimately why against a left hander did you decide to leave him at the top of the order?

BRUCE BOCHY: No, he's our lead off hitter. We just came off a pretty good streak. We won in Pittsburgh, we won a couple in Washington, and I didn't feel like it was time to change the order. You know, and I like Hunter Pence down in that 4, 5 slot where he's been hitting. It gives us protection there, RBI guy there. If I put Hunter in the lead off spot, now I'm going to backload my lineup with all lefties. It's about staying behind the guy, too. You lose one game, it's not time to start changing everything.

Q. Somebody asked you yesterday if you were going to make a pregame speech, and I thought: Isn't that what Hunter Pence is for? Have you had a guy like that that has stepped in and been such a spiritual, kind of motivational leader in the clubhouse, and is that what you expected when you got him?

BRUCE BOCHY: I've had, you know, a few players that will step up and say some things, especially if I'm having a meeting. But, you know, Hunter's a little different, there's no getting around it. He's inspiring, how he plays, and also in the clubhouse, and when he says something, because he says it with such passion.As a manager, you love players who will step into the breach and say something and help you out in that area and having some leadership inside that clubhouse. Did I expect it? No, I didn't know that much about Hunter. I had met him. In fact, going back to Cincinnati, I was shocked, because he had not said anything up until that point, and then he stepped up and said some things.

Q. What's the vibe of the clubhouse right now going into Game 4? You didn't get the win yesterday, but you can get it today. What's the vibe overall? Nervous? Excited?

BRUCE BOCHY: The vibe, it's good, the mood, tempo, spirit of the club. I mean, we didn't think this thing was going to be easy. So they haven't changed anything, despite losing that game yesterday. I haven't seen anything different. I mean, we're getting ready to take batting practice now, but, no, guys the fellas are doing well.

Q. Didn't have the greatest record against left handed starters this year, and I know a lot of your lefties have had good stats against him, is there anything you want you have a lot of lefties in the lineup. Do you want them to concentrate on anything that is separate, focused for this lefty tonight?

BRUCE BOCHY: Well, I mean, it's like any time we go into a game, we face a tough pitcher, just compete, just battle, find a way to grind out at bats. Gregor, he's leading off for us.But I have really put a challenge in front of this guy I know Chris Sale in Chicago, get a couple hits, Kershaw, he's thrown out some pretty good at bats, and that's what you hope the guys do. They look forward to competing against a tough lefty or righty. But with our lefties, I think they have done a pretty good job against left handers, Joe Panik, Crawford, Bell, so I have no issue with the fact we have left handers in there.With a right hander we faced yesterday with a lot of left handers, and the results weren't very good. Hopefully it turns around today.

Q. What are your impressions of Anthony Rendon in this series?

BRUCE BOCHY: He's a good player. Great player. Solid all around. Tough out. Very good third baseman. Runs well. This guy is a really nice player. He probably could play anywhere in the infield, too. I think Washington has a guy they are going to keep for a long time there.

Q. Your success in 2012 in each and every round of the playoffs, what do you think is going to be the key in the game, given he has not pitched in a couple of weeks or something?

BRUCE BOCHY: Well, I think the key for him is like any pitcher: You've got to keep your emotions under control and command the ball. Hopefully he's got all his pitches going and his command. It's not easy when you've had a long layoff, but he's been taking bullpens and preparing for this game. But, you know, that part never changes for a pitcher. You need to have those things.

Q. You almost treat this like it's Game 5 with the pitching staff. I guess other than Bumgarner and Peavy, is everyone available? Is Hudson available?

BRUCE BOCHY: Yeah, they are all available. Peavy is available. Something happens in this game we played 18 innings in one game, and if this thing kept going, Hudson hadn't been used, and you can see Peavy out there. Hudson has full rest going into the fifth game. We'll do all we can to try to win the game, but you have to be smart about it to make sure you have a pitcher ready for Game 5.