Giants' Tony Vitello details decision to start catcher Daniel Susac vs. Phillies
Giants manager Tony Vitello speaks to reporters ahead of his San Francisco's game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night at Oracle Park.
Giants' Tony Vitello details decision to start catcher Daniel Susac vs. Phillies originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Video Transcript
It's a bit of a different lineup today.
You got Jared Oliva getting his first out.
We got Gerard and Wright, Jung-Bum, Bader, Bailey getting a day off.
Just can you walk through the, the lineup today?
Yeah.
Bailey and Susac, we've kinda mapped that schedule out, well in advance, and doesn't mean you gotta stick to it, but we kinda looked at it that way and have communicated with those two guys so they can get set up the right way.
Obviously, you don't wanna wear Bailey out at any point in the season, especially early on.
I think all of our guys still feel fresh, still feel good.
everyone's a little frustrated at times.
We haven't played as well together as a group, or there's been blips where guys individually haven't done as they w- done as well as they want to.
At this point, you know, with Bader, we've been searching for a way to mix in Jared, but also get him off his feet, and, you know, we brought up the other night, you pull guys out in I think the seventh or eighth inning, that's not really gonna change a guy's, you know, physicality much.
And then, you know, in right field, Gerard and Jung-Hu are close buddies on the team and, and they'll share right field duties potentially tonight, but at the very least, we wanna start Gerard against the lefty and probably put as much time as you can imagine into just looking at what are the ways that you can beat this guy because he's obviously one of the best pitchers in the, in the league.
Are you a fan of putting Sweeney in?
I'm a fan of everybody getting involved, to be honest with you.
Okay.
at every level.
spring training's fun that way.
You, you can get creative and find different ways to get guys involved in the game and try and balance things out.
I, I think, you know, this day and age, it's a blessing too to have guys that are in warrior mode mentality-wise, that they wanna be out there every day.
I know Patty said it before I even got hired, he wants to lead the league in games caught this year.
Last year, he was called upon a lot to come off the bench, and never complained about doing so.
Immediately told me the other night, "Just let me know if you need me," when Susac started.
and then again, I, I think, you know, these guys have gone out of their way to take care of themselves.
I don't think we got anybody that's skimping on anything in there, 'cause I'm always walking around and watching, and I ask the strength coaches.
so you want guys that wanna be out there every day, but you'd also like a bench where you can utilize your weapons.
And, you know, early on with first base situation, it was a little bit of a challenging deal.
I mean, Cos's start is not far behind, from today.
once we get in the flow of the season, I think it'll be a little easier to mix those guys in.
And then to be fair too, with some of these guys, similar to the bullpen stuff, we're still finding out a little bit of what we got, and we need to work hard to watch old video, be around these guys every day, spring training, get them reps, pay attention.
But at, again, it's the same at any level.
You don't really know what's gonna go on in the game till you're playing the actual games.
They are flat out different than everything else.
Do you have it mapped out where you'd like Susac to catch, Robbie Ray?
No, not really.
It kinda worked out that way.
again, the, the guy we're seeing tonight's about as tough to- tough on lefties as anybody in Major League Baseball.
i- it's, it's a deal truly, you know, I said it, you know, a couple different times, and I'm not ever trying to massage anything like It's kinda like last night.
Y- you guys can see who's warming up in the bullpen, so you don't have to be sneaky about what you're looking to find out.
nothing sneaky there with Robbie really likes him, and he really likes Robbie.
All the pitchers are truly comfortable with, with Susac.
So it just kinda worked out the way that it did where the first two times are with Robbie.
Is Bader still managing the hamstring a little bit, or is he kind of over that?
Not really.
Not really, to be honest with you.
and I think he's really gone back, you know, one was a potential home run or probably a home run.
He's gone back and side to side on some balls pretty well.
he's had a couple base running deals where he's had to push it, and I've never heard any complaints and, you know.
Also, no complaints about, you know, communicating to him early that we're probably gonna start mixing in Oliva now that the reps are piling up at all three spots, and no complaints from any of those guys.
They'll be ready to go off the bench if we need them.
You've got Devers hitting a, a little bit lower in the lineup today.
What, what are you seeing from his at bats?
What would you like to see him from that spot?
just kinda jumping out at the ball a little bit more than normal.
you've seen him get jammed.
at times it's been on pitches well off the plate, like Hill comes to mind, with the Yankees.
some other guys, balls well off the plate, but he likes the ball in there too.
but there's been other times where he's gotten jammed, the pitch is over the white just from kinda jumping at it, and it's, you know, he wants to hit the ball a long way 'cause he's capable of doing it, and also he's eager to do better than he has.
Wants to do well for the team too.
so you get a little bit of that overzealousness really out of all of our guys, and there's a couple different ways you can do it.
You can go forward, or you can go away from the ball, and I think more than anything his, his body's kinda almost drowned out his hands a little bit, if that makes sense.
You, you do a, a scouting effort on a, a kid at any level, or you're just watching another hitter and you're like, "Man, that's a good hitter, a good swing.
Handsy" is a description you'd give.
His hand, his swing is very handsy when he's driving the ball.
For instance, in San Diego, they caught it.
Merrill caught it, but a real handsy swing there, and that's kinda been drowned out a little bit by just a little bit of jumpiness with the body is what I see.
we've talked about it behind closed doors, but I let those hitting guys kinda get after it with him.
Baseball's such a long season, obviously, 162 games.
You know, if, if you have a three in eight stretch sort of in the middle of the season, people probably don't make as big a deal of it.
How do you balance, you know, knowing that it's a long season with also having a sense of urgency to kinda turn this thing around and, and not dig yourself too big a hole?
Yeah, I mean, you don't wanna come to the ballpark and not at least laugh once, maybe a couple times.
So to me, it's like somewhat comical.
The three in eight is not, but-At first it's like 162 games is too many for the new coaching staff, and now it's like, thank goodness there's 162 games.
you know, also, you know, I don't mind quoting John Smoltz.
I don't think he minds.
He just talked about the first 10 games.
Every year, every season, people, you know, overreact and put a lot into it, and I just said, "I'm one of those people."
Like, it's, you know?
I am, haven't always won.
used to if you get knocked down, get back up and you find a way to do better.
but I wanna do just as well as everybody that'll be in the park tonight.
So it doesn't sit easy with you.
So I think managing the, the down feelings or, or, you know, the disappointment or you get, you get angry, you get pissed, things like that, I think you gotta manage that just as well as you would if you were to flip it for some reason, which I realize we're a long way away from it.
You flip it to an eight and three s- sc- record or a stretch we have in the season, you certainly can't get complacent, sorry, and, get too excited.
You talked about, or going back to spring training about the, the bullpen being a little fluid.
Just 11 games isn't a super big, you know, sample as far as, you know, finding roles, but do you think the bullpen is a little more concrete as far as figuring out roles, or is this still pretty fluid as- Yeah, I, I think that's what I kinda was getting at last night is I got a little distracted, and then also right after the game there's some brain fog there when it doesn't go well, and sometimes even when it does go well.
So I wouldn't be in disrespect for condescending or anything, just didn't understand the question of basically what I think was, are, are you worried more about pockets, which is a new catchphrase or, you know, maybe you just go with your best guy.
And again, I'm inferring what that is, and I think it's a combination.
I mean, we look before the game, and a lot of the stuff is pretty scripted.
Like, all along, you know, we knew Buracki was gonna at some point face Schwarber and Harbor- Harper, because we think he's good enough to get him out.
We don't know if he's good enough to get out Schwarber this current season because he didn't throw the ball over the pot.
And then the next best thing is you got the bases loaded and a Hall of Famer up.
At the very least, you wanna keep the ball on the ground and you get two outs.
It's best case scenario, and maybe you wiggle out of that thing still with a lead.
Got the ball on the ground.
It was unfortunate, but a lot of times those unfortunate breaks happen when you don't throw strikes, and he's not the only one that's been guilty of that.
So as we get out there, that's the number one thing we're looking for is guys to throw strikes.
and then as guys throw better, 'cause we haven't had a big sample size this season, they're gonna move up the ladder, and vice versa for the other guys are gonna have to do better, when we're looking at who's just the best guy right now.
But I do think you gotta combine it with the timing of the game and, you know, also with the match-ups involved, because nowadays we've got all this analytical data that you're, you're probably a little ignorant to not take it into account a little bit.
So, you know, right now I do think we're a little more jumbled up than maybe the Phillies.
I think all of us could probably script out what they're gonna do tonight and tomorrow if plan A goes down.
we're not quite to that point, so we'll just have to work for it.
And, in the long run, maybe it makes us better because guys gotta push themselves to the top of that list if they wanna be out there in the most important or best situations.
Again, kinda with the caveat that it is, you know, and only an 11 game sample.
Have you, you know, in your, you know, brain or like in the coaching staff or have you, have guys kinda shifted up and down that- Yeah hypothetical ladder?
I think for sure.
I think, you know, again, part of it too just to carry over from last night because it was maybe some nonsensible answers from me is, you know, you don't wanna say too much in the middle of it's the first game of a series.
I mean, you know, I don't mind saying match-ups and stuff like that, but you don't wanna say the reason you want a guy to attack a hitter like this or, you know, a guy who's down, you don't wanna announce that, that he's not even available.
It might affect things they're doing.
But if we're gonna go broad scope of, of the relievers, I think it's very obvious Tidwell and, and Killian have showed you their stuff, guys.
And, as long as they're willing to, you know, ram it in the zone or cram it in the zone, however you wanna phrase it, it's gonna go well for them and they can get us out of some jams.
Because everyone has done very well when we let them start an inning, but we're looking for guys who can get us out of a crazy fix where you got a guy 0-2, probably don't throw the right pitch, and then, you know, a ball bleeds in even though you get another potential Hall of Famer in Trey to take a bad swing.
now all of a sudden it's real muddy.
We need a fireman, and, those two guys have shown the stuff.
I think Miller and Walker probably have the best track record of being those guys late in the game.
Miller, you know, I think we'll all feel more comfortable when he's got a couple more innings under his belt and the rest is kinda be left up to how the guys do.
And I think out of those remaining guys, you know, Gauge has thrown well.
So if we get in a situation where you think, you know, would you wish you would've brought in another guy, or do you think another guy would've been better, or you had two guys down there, when that's true, just bring that up and we'll talk about it.
Because doesn't matter who you bring out there as a reliever, if they get the guy out, then it worked or it was the right move.
And if they don't, then it was the wrong move, and I can tell you that's not always the case.
I look back on Garrett Crochet's freshman year, and, we kinda knew who he was, but we didn't know he was a Cy Young Award winner, and I remember taking him out of a game in the ninth inning to bring in another guy, and I, I liked the kid, but that wasn't a very good move, but we won the game.
So, you know, as long as we're preparing in there like crazy and paying attention to what's going on with these guys, we'll go with what we think is the best thing, and then they need to throw the thing over the pot with aggression and just find out what happens.
Other than the left on left match-up, why did you like Buracki against, Schwarber and Harbor, Harper?
Ke- keeping the ball away from those guys would be ideal.
you know, and then also, you know, just the, the envelope of stuff or, you know, the repertoire of stuff that, that he's got, so And then also the experience of getting out of a jam.
What do you think?
He had a lot of ground balls at the right side through the holes yesterday.
Not all of them were hard.
Yesterday?
What about the last five days?
Yeah.
But do you ever, do you ever consider maybe clo- closing, closing the hole of a ha- having- We, we moved over against the Mets a little bit.
Um- But he did make the nice play to his right- Yeah up the middle.
Yeah, with, with the infield in?
Uh- That wa- that was the Mets.
Yeah.
No, M- Yesterday- Was it Harper?
Yeah, where he made a good ar- you know, showed some arm strength right there too.
but yeah, we, we've tried to adjust as much as possible from the models, where guys need to be standing and, you know, to be fair, our guys have really taken that seriously and have kinda worked You've probably seen the routine they got in the middle.
Yeah.
And then everybody else too.
When we're near our spots we need to be, we've had more success.
but also there's been some things happen where a lot of balls have gotten through.
I mean, if you had- It's probably a lot of luck, right?
Yeah.
A- and I think, you know, if, if, again, it's like if you don't throw strikes, you're probably gonna find yourself some bad luck, and if you have a good approach at the plate, which I think the Mets really adjusted the last three games, then y- you get rewarded even if it's not sexy.
but I, I do think too our guys have communicated as they come in the dugout and we've, we've made some subtle adjustments.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But, you know, like I said, it's ideal you keep Harper on the ground.
Yeah.
That's everybody's goal in all of Major League Baseball, but it goes past our guy.
and then the next one was even a little more quirky.
Yeah.
Exactly.
So here's to it even and out if that's what you believe in.
but I just think we, we all could've done, including myself, done some things better last night, but today's a new day, so attack it in these new uniforms.
Yeah.
Or they're new to me
