PHOENIX – Santiago Casilla did not blow a save Thursday night. He merely blew his top.
And a day later, with a cooler head, he walked into the manager’s office and apologized to Bruce Bochy.
“We had a good talk,” Casilla said through interpreter Erwin Higueros. “I just apologized for my outburst from yesterday. It’s something that happened. I don’t know what made me do it. It’s in the past now.”
Casilla didn’t merrely storm off the mound and shove the baseball into Bochy’s hand when the manager took him out with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth. He also fumed to reporters at his locker Thursday night, saying “the manager didn’t have faith in me” and, “Don’t just take the ball and say nothing. It is not a kid. It is a man on the mound.”
A day later …
“A lot of times you let your emotions get the best of you,” Casilla said. “Sometimes you say things without meaning it. After thinking about it overnight, I realized I have to respect my manager.”
Casilla also acknowledged that Bochy’s move – he brought in left-hander Javier Lopez to face Jake Lamb, who was batting .130 against lefties and had hit a game-tying homer off Casilla April 18 – was the correct one.
“Lopez is a great pitcher, and it turned out to be a great move,” Casilla said.
Bochy said Casilla initiated the meeting, even though the closer had told reporters a night earlier that he had nothing to discuss with the manager.
“So that’s over,” Bochy said. “That’s not Santiago. But I get it. It’s part of it. It’s over and I’ll leave it at that. What was said, it’s between us. It’s over.”
Bochy said Casilla would be available if a save situation presents itself Friday. Casilla has thrown 21 and 17 pitches in the past two games.
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It keeps getting overlooked, but Buster Posey is throwing out baserunners at the highest rate of his career. He caught Jean Segura on Thursday to boost his caught stealing percentage to 50 percent. It’s even better (8 for 17) when you add his one catcher pickoff this season.
Posey’s previous high was 36 percent, which he established last season.
Bochy said Posey has the same premium throwing skills that he possessed in the past. His pitchers are doing a better job being quick to the plate and giving him an opportunity to throw out runners.
“Buster throws very well,” Bochy said. “If you give him a chance, you like your chances. His confidence probably soared with the fact he does have a chance now. There are times when he had no chance.”
Tim Lincecum always had trouble holding runners over the years, and Ryan Vogelsong wasn’t much better last season. Opponents combined to go 23 for 24 against those two pitchers in 2015.
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