There is no substitute for facing live pitching. When you go against the machine or the coaches, it's just not the same.

Early in the year we lost Ben for a while (to an inner-ear ailment) and as a pitching staff we picked up the slack pretty well, ... So this time we just got together and said, 'Hey, we've got to do the same thing here.'

We haven't seen live pitching in a while, not (seen) any game situations. But no excuses.

I'm not surprised. When you win, obviously, everybody is going to reap the benefits of it. Coaches get mentioned, they get other jobs. Athletic directors get mentioned and they get other jobs, and that's how it is.

The consistency I've had, I think, is the most important thing. When I'm pitching, I feel our team is going to have an opportunity to win the game. I like that the best of everything I've accomplished this year.

But whenever you need something like that, there's no substitute.