Kevin Frandsen 'loving winning' with the Nationals

Former Phillie Kevin Frandsen spoke to the media as the Nationals came to town for a three game set starting Friday night. He touched on a variety of topics:

On how things have worked out with the Nationals:

"It is what it is. I'm excited to be a National. I was excited and lucky to be a Phillie. That's first and foremost. I got an opportunity to make it back up to the big leagues and play really well for them. But some things you really can't control and I really didn't control it, obviously."

"It happened and I'm in a great spot. They're playing some good baseball over there, too."

On his anger at the Phillies:

"I was pissed. I was pissed. I wasn't pissed … like I said, I knew where I stood with Ryno and Bo and all those guys and Hendu. But I was pissed. If they thought I was roster flexibility, that's what they thought. But I didn't think that of myself. I earned my way to being on the bench, to being a vital part over there. That's what I thought and that's the feeling I have and I'm going to go with it."

On timing and circumstance of Phillies cutting him:

'I don't care what it was on timing and circumstance. I earned my way. I earned my right to have that contract. I went about it the right way to be on that team over there. It didn't happen."

"We're 4 games over .500 here, and I'm loving that. I'm loving winning."

On the Nationals calling him immediately:

"A bunch of other teams did, too. A bunch of other teams said no way, no chance, it's too late. It's the end of the spring roster crunch and all that stuff. It was a leap of faith knowing my abilities and hoping that people would see it, especially what I've done against left-handers in the last couple years."

"It's something they had talked about over here, how they needed stuff against left-handers and I always would just laugh and just be like, I didn't prove anything else against left-handers the last two years for you guys? Again, that was another thing that bothered me. But it is what it is."

"Like I said, you could sense I'm pissed about it, but at the same time I'm grateful for the opportunity at both places. I'll always think fondly about what's over there on the other side."

On joining the other side of a divisional rivalry:

"It's a rivalry between two great teams and it's tough to jump over to the other side right away because you know you've spent the offseason planning how to kick their ass, in all honesty, it's the way I set forth my offseason. So when there's that opportunity to come over here, yeah it was tough. At the same time, there's a lot of talent over here."

"You don't have to face Strasburg and Zimmermann and Gio all the time. So… then you just have to jump to the other side and face Cliff and Burnett and Hamels."