Pitching is so important. You don't get anywhere without pitching. The better we pitch, obviously the better we'll be down the road. ... And right now, I think the (starters) have a little competition going between them.

Pitching is so important. You don't get anywhere without pitching. The better we pitch, the better we are going to be.

There is only one Mariano Rivera. There won't be another person who will come along and do what he did. No one does it like him. It was an honor to catch him and play alongside him for as long as I did. He made my job as a catcher so much easier. Mariano is a special person and obviously a special player.

Obviously, there's a step before [pitching on Saturday]. Baby steps. I'm not going to go out and pitch if I'm not ready. The good thing is it's only been a handful of days [since the injury], so I shouldn't be that far behind.

If I have to pitch out of the 'pen, I'll pitch out of the 'pen. The way I'm pitching right now, if it comes down to a coin flip, I'm going to lose.

Win or lose Friday, he's shown that nothing really fazes him, ... That's why he's in the rotation. The way he conducts himself and goes about his business, it's good to see. We're confident in him.