Walt Weiss: The Best Quotes of the Week

Before and after every Colorado Rockies game, manager Walt Weiss speaks to the media on a variety of topics ranging from individual players and hot or cold streaks to the overall play of the team.

It’s been a week filled with competition against the National League West, starting with the completion of the sweep in Arizona to dropping two of three games in San Diego to battling San Francisco for supremacy in the division.

As the week draws to an end and the Rockies prepare to head back to the Mile High City, here’s a look at some of the most interesting things we heard from Walt Weiss this week on the road.

On Carlos Gonzalez and his recent hot streak at the plate…

“He’s getting in a good position to get his swing off. If hitters are just pulling the ball and that’s all they can do, it creates a lot of holes as a hitter. I think he’s getting in good positions. It looks like his rhythm is good. When he’s hitting the ball all over the field, he’s tough to deal with because he can hit the ball out from pole to pole. When he’s using the entire field, he’s lethal.

“Usually ground balls are pulled and that’s with anybody. A ball in the air tends to be in the middle of the field or the other way. I think he’s very confident, he’s healthy, and he looks like himself again.”

On the qualities that have helped him gain trust in young reliever Carlos Estevez in critical situations…

“Poise. Slow heartbeat. He’s very confident. We’ve seen that right away with him. That’s why I put him in some tough situations. It didn’t take long. The situation demanded it the first couple of times out and now I’m going to him in some tough spots.”

On his team playing “small ball” in a 2-0 win over San Diego on Wednesday…

“We can still get better. We did a nice job with it today. Sometimes when your offense gets stalled, those are the things you have to do. You have to be multidimensional. I’ve been talking about that all spring. I felt we were better built to do some things like we did today and it paid off today.”

On if it’s a “struggle” to watch young pitchers like Jon Gray and Eddie Butler have to go through a maturity process on the mound…

“I’ll suffer through an outing like Jonny had any time (chuckling). I thought he was outstanding. I see him taking big strides. I was also encouraged by Eddie’s outing although he ran into some trouble in the middle innings. I thought his stuff was as good as I’ve seen from him at the Major League level. I think both guys are in a good place.”

On Eddie Butler’s pitches and command in his first outing…

“I think the slider has gotten better for him. It’s the changeup that’s a little firm and there’s not a lot of separation there. As long as the command is good and he’s staying behind his sinker and he has some depth to it, he can be very effective.”

On his team needing to have a method to increase the offense at the plate each night…

“It’s about having a plan and understanding patterns that a pitcher may be falling into. Attacking the bigger part of the field, especially when pitchers start to go soft (non-fastball pitches). Basically, being in tune with what’s going on and how they’re trying to get you out as opposed to just going up there and just taking your hacks.”

Next: The 5 Best Catchers in Colorado History

On playing at Coors Field versus pitcher-friendly parks…

“It’s one of our challenges. Historically, it’s been that way. A lot of it comes down to mentality and not getting away from your approach or the keys that you make successful, regardless of where you’re playing. We’re in a division with a lot of pitcher’s parks so we get a lot of practice in trying to perform in those types of parks.”

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Walt Weiss: The Best Rockies Quotes of the Week

By Kevin Henry | May 8, 2016