Berkman on the win:
"That was important for us. We talked about wanting to go home with a good feeling. This is a tough Pirates team. Nobody is going to come in here and walk over these guys. This is a good series win, and we need to continue the momentum we establish as we go into a long homestand."
Byrdak:
"We just have to come out and do the job and pick each other up, and that's what we're doing out there. I was trying to give (Geoff) Geary a day off from pitching and things worked out. LaTroy closed the door and we were able to pick up a save when we didn't have Valverde."
Sampson, on his 17-pitch AB with Sanchez:
"That was a tough battle, man. We kind of smiled at one another a couple of times during the at-bat, but that was a lot of fun. Thankfully I came out on top and got him to fly out to Michael Bourn."
Cooper:
"Our bullpen was outstanding. They kept them at bay, and when you get big swings like that from you big boys you have to make them stand up and we did today."
Ortiz:
"I'm not particularly happy with going 4 2/3, but we got a win. It's my first start but I have to do a little better job of letting the ball go and trusting everything and not trying to make perfect pitches."
Sean Burnett, on giving up the HR to Berkman:
""I was looking to bury it in the dirt, just like the one before. Kind of left it out there for a veteran hitter, and he made me pay."
Berkman, on the pitch:
"If it doesn't stay up, I probably miss it. You don't hit home runs on good pitcher's pitches. It's usually a mistake. He wanted it down and in."
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
