Video summary
Jose Caballero emphasizes that while the regular season is still underway, the team's primary focus has already shifted toward the upcoming postseason. Although they are no longer in contention for the division title, he views this final stretch as an opportunity to refine their performance and prepare for the next level of competition. The players have fought hard throughout the entire year to reach this point, and now they look forward to playing clean baseball and learning from any minor mistakes made during these last weeks. This mindset allows them to treat the remaining games as a direct race for the championship rather than just another set of regular season contests.
Despite some recent struggles from star hitter Patrick Barrage, Caballero expresses complete confidence in his ability to return to form when it matters most. He notes that while baseball is unpredictable and anyone can have an off day, Barrage has been a strong force for the team all season long and will be ready to hit the ball effectively in the playoffs. The manager dismisses any concerns regarding Barrage's current slump, viewing it as a temporary fluctuation rather than a sign of deeper issues. This trust in his players' resilience is central to the team's strategy as they prepare to face tougher opponents who have dominated the league throughout the year.
The team acknowledges that their recent offensive output has been quiet and that their relievers faced significant challenges against strong pitching, but Caballero remains optimistic about their postseason prospects. He points out that the squad has faced similar situations before and successfully adapted their approach to overcome deficits or unfavorable matchups. By analyzing what went wrong in specific innings and planning different strategies for the playoffs, the team aims to cut down on bad performances and maximize their potential. Caballero believes that the consistency shown over 162 games will translate well once the clock starts ticking toward the title race.
Ultimately, Jose Caballero concludes that the regular season results do not define the team's future success; only what happens in the postseason truly matters. He highlights that while it has been difficult to catch up to their division rivals due to their superior pitching and overall execution, those past games are irrelevant now. The focus is entirely on executing a winning strategy when the playoffs begin, as that is where the real competition for the championship takes place. With a clear goal set from the start of the season, the team is ready to leave the regular season behind and dedicate their full energy to capturing the title.
Read the full video transcript
Jose, how does this team approach this
final week of the regular season?
Mathematically, not out of the division
race, but obviously beyond an uphill
climb.
>> You know, it's tough. Uh we fight for
this the whole season, but at the end of
the day, uh we already in the
postseason, so that's that's what we
look forward to and um just be better
and um learn from little mistakes and
and and
play clean baseball in the postseason.
So, just surprising to see Brent uh
having a little bit of struggles there
with considering how good he's been all
year.
>> Who? Patrick.
>> Oh, uh
uh no concerns about that. Like I feel
like he he's going to be great. He's
been great the whole season. And uh it's
baseball, you know, at the end of the
day. It's baseball. And um hitters want
to hit the ball. Um
and he wants to get that out. Um he's
been strong for us the whole year, so
it's no concern about him. He's going to
be fine.
>> Barrage of home runs for you guys there
in that third inning to to knock Burns
out, but aside from that, the offense
was very quiet. What were they doing?
Their relievers in particular that
really held you guys down. Uh like you
say, I think um we put um good swing
early in the game and um whenever the
boop came in um they were uh dotting
pitches, they were uh doing their thing
and uh like I said, I feel like uh we
need to play um better. We need to um
try to cut some some of the u bad
innings and uh try to do something
different. But um I think we we're going
to be just fine in in the postseason.
>> What tells you that?
>> This team uh what we've been doing the
whole year. Um and um
I've seen it before. So uh it's not
concerned about the team uh offensively
or pitching wise. So um just waiting for
the postseason and and do our best in in
in the postseason. That's what we uh
that was our first goal and um
from now is a race to the title.
>> You know this race team better than
anybody in here. What's made it so tough
to try to catch up to them for the
division?
>> Uh they play their game and uh
it's kind of tough to to to play them uh
playing the way they play. So, um, they
did a good job during the whole during
the whole year and pitching wise as
well. They they had some good pitching
as well. So, um, that's why they in the
top in the of the American League, but
at the end of the day is it's about what
we do in the postseason. It doesn't
matter. Um,
the 162 first game, it doesn't matter.
So
the clock start
on
P season.