Torre Pre-Game Rap

I was just on the field and sat in on Joe Torre's pre-game talk with the media. Here are some notes:

• Kershaw coming into last nights game was really only operative if Kuroda could not go 5 innings. He certainly would have been available if the game went into extra innings.
• Dodgers miss Manny's presence. He knows how to stay within the game- try not to do too much. He contributes with his personality.
• We can win a lot of close games since we do not depend on the home run. We have the ability to manufacture runs.
• "It's not how far you hit it, it's how often you hit it."
  
• Torre is very comfortable with the offense. We can score in a lot of different ways.
• Team has good balance.
• Someone asked if the 13-0 start at home and the following poorer record was indicative of anything. He basically said it is only natural for the team to revert to the mean after a start like that.
  
• Russell Martin didn't center a lot of balls last night that ultimately contributed to the wild pitches. His day off tonight has nothing to do with yesterday's game. Torre had already decided on Tuesday as a day off on the plane trip back from the recent road trip.
• Felt Kuroda overthrew a bit yesterday.
• Casey Blake is running better today. He brings a "grunt" mentality to the game.