I was proud of our kids' effort today because it was not easy to come back after yesterday's disappointing loss and with the uncertainty of today's weather conditions.

The loss wasn't from lack of effort. The kids hustled all game.

Compare today to where we were a year ago. I am not pleased with the loss, but defensively we played outstanding.

Our kids showed great effort and hustle and were rewarded with another game. That's the best reward today is knowing that we will be able to get in four games here.

I'm glad how the kids responded and came to the ballpark today ready to play. It was a solid effort on our part to play a first-place team and keep us in the thick of the race.

It is very comforting for our pitchers to know that the pitches they throw for outs - they'll get outs. We've been getting some above-average defensive play out there, and the success of our pitching goes hand in hand with the success of our defense.