Ned Yost Playing Quotations

Playing .500 is the first step. Eventually, we're trying to get to where we can contend with St. Louis for the division. I'd rather have a winning record. We're tired of being labeled a loser for the last 12 years. We want to get past that. We don't want anybody calling us a loser again.

You'd like him to get as many balls as he can, to get used to playing the position. He looked good out there. He's going to be fine. He's got the athletic ability to be a good outfielder.

We're playing pretty sound, fundamentally. We're going from first to third when we need to. We're picking up big runs. We're running the bases good. We're doing a lot of little things right.

Billy knows his role. His versatility gives us a weapon at more than one position. He will get his playing time.

Billy looked like he was playing in for the bunt.

Doug's a believer that he wants these guys playing deep into September and into October so that they can get used to it, ... That's a place we want to play in the near future.

We've never played as well as we're playing right now, since I've been here. We're playing the game so mistake-free.

That's going to be the hardest thing I'm going to have to do this season is finding Billy Hall playing time.

They've been playing great since they got here. A huge part of what makes this so exciting is watching those kids get an opportunity and do well with it.

This is not a strict platoon basis. It doesn't have anything to do with the numbers (which favor a right-handed hitting batter against a left-handed pitcher). This has to do with finding Billy Hall playing time.

I'm thinking about a lot of things. I don't want guys not playing an extended amount of time.

I want them to get used to playing all three outfield spots. Versatility is certainly the key to what we want to do.

How do you get to the top of the stairs without getting on the first step? It's a building process, and your first major step has to be playing .500 baseball.

It's an attitude. You're doing what needs to be done to get the run in. The last thing you want is a strikeout. Then nothing can happen. You have to see where the defense is playing you, formulate a plan and go to work.

You can't have your defensive guys everywhere. It wasn't like Brady was playing with his back against the wall. Brady came in a few steps. He just hit it under the coverage. It would be nice if you could have 15 guys out there, but you can't.

It's just a day game after a night game. Miller would be catching if we were playing a night game.

You have to have that type of balance. You got a 25-man team and every man has to go out there and do his job. That's what happened in that (seventh) inning. Now, we've got talented, experienced veteran leadership in Carlos (Lee) and (Geoff) Jenkins, Ben Sheets. We've got the young kids learning and playing hard, too. It's a nice blend to have.

It's been a lot different. In years past, we focused on playing baseball games. From Day 1 (this year), we've gotten ready to win baseball games. We've focused more on little things, fundamental things.

For the first time, they actually can come into camp and live the dream of playing into October. There are a lot of things that have to go right, but for the first time we can dream about that in a realistic sense.