PostCards: Lance Lynn talks NLCS Game 4

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn spoke with the media prior to Game 3 about his starting in Tuesday night’s Game 4.

Oct 11, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 12th inning in game one of the National League Championship Series baseball game at Busch Stadium. Image Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Q. Did the relief stint the other night, was that in a way like a bullpen session for you? No more stress?

LANCE LYNN: Yeah, I was off the mound for eight days before that. So to get out on the game situation, it was good. There’s only so much you can do in a bullpen to get live pitchers. That’s going to be a plus.

Q. How much did it throw off your routine a little bit to not have started a game since Game 2?

LANCE LYNN: Like being in a game situation, hasn’t thrown it off too much. It will be 10 or 11 days or something like that if I wouldn’t have had that game situation. Everything’s different. With the extra off days and all that stuff, the playoffs are always going to throw off your normal routine because you’re used to playing every single day.
So it’s something you get used to. At this time of the year, it doesn’t hurt to have extra rest the way the whole season played out. But we’re all creatures of habits, so we like to stay in our routines.

Q. Lance, you were on the mound with the potential of closing out the NLCS last year. You guys didn’t win. You might be in that same situation tomorrow. How much did that game last year sit with you this off‑season and how much do you look forward for a second chance at that?

LANCE LYNN: Well, first of all, we’ve got to worry about tonight. We’ve got a tough match‑up tonight. Whatever happens to be on the table tomorrow, I’m looking forward to it. When you look back at games in the past, they’re all different, different opponents, different situations. So there is not that much you can take from it. During the off‑season I did think a lot of my last start last season, and it wasn’t very good.

Q. You’ve pitched in a number of big games throughout your life, not just professionally. How much does that help you deal with what you’ll probably face tomorrow night with a hostile crowd and pressure?

LANCE LYNN: It doesn’t hurt, that’s for sure. But when it’s all said and done, I’ve never been in Dodger Stadium pitching a Game 4 of the NLCS. So you can take whatever you want from any situation you’ve ever been in, but every situation is going to be new and it’s going to have different things to overcome. I’m looking forward to try to overcome that tomorrow night.

Q. You guys will don’t need to win one in LA, but how significant would it be to steal a game here in LA?

LANCE LYNN: It would be good because we wouldn’t be down 3‑2.

Q. Lance, obviously once the game starts you are focused on that, but I’m just wondering what you do to sort of savor this kind of moment? It’s something that doesn’t come along necessarily so often in your career, either before or after the game.

LANCE LYNN: When it’s all said and done, you’ve just got to concentrate on the game. But having my wife and my daughter with me to be able to kind of just take it all in with them before, and this trip, and all that, it makes it fun. That’s what you play for. You play for your family and doing the best you can, and to have them with me is all I ask. It makes it fun, and I’m looking forward to sharing this with them.

Q. You mentioned that you have your family with you. Were you guys able to do anything yesterday? I know you got in late the night before, but were you able to get out and see anything or do anything?

LANCE LYNN: Yeah, my 2‑year‑old daughter’s first time to LA, so we tried to show her the city a little bit. But she could care a less. But it’s good to get out. A 2‑year‑old couped up in a hotel room all day is not fun for anybody. So we got her out and got her walking around and things like that. It was good for her.

Q. When you see the pitching dominate the way it has the first two games, how do you react to that? Is it a potential confidence builder or what?

LANCE LYNN: You have two really good offensive teams that haven’t done much so far, and I’ve never been one to be naive to the fact that somebody’s probably due. But when it’s all said and done, you have to concentrate on all you can take care of, and that’s just one pitch at a time, whoever in the box you try to execute your game plan against them.

We have two great offenses here that haven’t done anything yet, so there could be a couple good games here offensively. But as a starting pitcher, you don’t want to see it.