WEBVTT - Dodger Talk (8-5-26) 0:00:00.680 --> 0:00:03.119 The quest for the free peat has begun. 0:00:03.360 --> 0:00:07.400 Only four teams in Major League Baseball history have won 0:00:07.520 --> 0:00:12.119 three consecutive titles. The Dodgers are the favorites to become 0:00:12.480 --> 0:00:13.320 the fifth. 0:00:13.400 --> 0:00:15.960 This is World Champion Dodger Talk. 0:00:16.040 --> 0:00:16.840 Here we go again. 0:00:16.880 --> 0:00:18.160 We get ready running back to. 0:00:18.079 --> 0:00:20.920 Get in on the show called eight six six eight 0:00:21.000 --> 0:00:24.119 seven two five seven and be sure to follow Dodger 0:00:24.160 --> 0:00:28.160 Talk wherever you catch your podcasts and now your host, 0:00:28.800 --> 0:00:30.160 here's Tim Kakes. 0:00:31.720 --> 0:00:31.960 Well. 0:00:32.000 --> 0:00:36.800 A rough afternoon in Chicago as they fall to the 0:00:36.920 --> 0:00:41.440 Cubbies seven to six as the Dodgers get swept out 0:00:41.440 --> 0:00:45.600 of the Windy City and lose all three games in 0:00:45.720 --> 0:00:50.040 Chicago this week. Get a brutal three game loss for 0:00:50.120 --> 0:00:53.880 the Dodgers after getting swept by the Boston Red Sox 0:00:53.920 --> 0:00:57.440 over the weekend. The Dodgers then go to Chicago and 0:00:57.520 --> 0:01:00.360 lose all three games and a day off tomorrow wouldn't 0:01:00.360 --> 0:01:04.280 come at a better time for this Dodgers teammate. Much 0:01:04.319 --> 0:01:06.600 needed day off as they are back at it on 0:01:06.760 --> 0:01:10.600 Friday in a three game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. 0:01:10.640 --> 0:01:14.639 But what a disaster in Chicago, losing all three games 0:01:14.680 --> 0:01:18.319 to a Cubs team that's fighting and scrapping in the 0:01:18.560 --> 0:01:22.000 NL Central to get back into that divisional race and 0:01:22.040 --> 0:01:24.280 certainly fighting for a wild card spot and trying to 0:01:24.360 --> 0:01:26.640 hang on there for one of those two spots in 0:01:26.680 --> 0:01:31.319 the National League. But just a disastrous weekend against the 0:01:31.360 --> 0:01:34.280 Red Sox and then the last three days in Chicago 0:01:34.360 --> 0:01:37.039 couldn't have gone worse. Eric Lower had been so good 0:01:37.080 --> 0:01:40.240 for this Dodgers team over the course of three games. 0:01:41.640 --> 0:01:44.280 Today he comes out four inny and six runs, eleven 0:01:44.360 --> 0:01:46.560 hits and gives up a couple of home runs to 0:01:46.600 --> 0:01:50.720 pie Crow Armstrong. Just absolutely disastrous for the Dodgers, who 0:01:50.760 --> 0:01:54.840 in all three games to the Chicago Cubs jumped out 0:01:55.240 --> 0:01:58.720 to a lead and then gave up the lead only 0:01:58.760 --> 0:02:03.120 to fall behind and really just not play clean baseball. 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:05.600 Just weren't able to do things they've been doing all year. 0:02:05.680 --> 0:02:09.960 Good pitching, timely defense, and lots of good offense. And 0:02:10.200 --> 0:02:13.560 the team that relies on pitching, defense and slug When 0:02:13.560 --> 0:02:16.680 you're not having one or two of those facets, you're 0:02:17.000 --> 0:02:18.920 not gonna win a lot of baseball games. And that 0:02:18.960 --> 0:02:21.200 has been the case for the Dodgers over the last 0:02:21.240 --> 0:02:21.840 six games. 0:02:21.840 --> 0:02:24.240 And really you go back over the last two weeks. 0:02:24.240 --> 0:02:26.480 I mean, this is a five hundred baseball team since 0:02:26.520 --> 0:02:27.400 the All Star Break. 0:02:27.560 --> 0:02:28.760 As much as we talk about. 0:02:28.520 --> 0:02:31.840 How they have won those series in New York and Philadelphia, 0:02:32.280 --> 0:02:35.320 they just could not come back home. And do you 0:02:35.360 --> 0:02:38.640 know anything against the Boston Red Sox and they were 0:02:38.720 --> 0:02:41.040 lucky to take two to three from the Seattle Mariners. 0:02:41.280 --> 0:02:44.080 They struggled in this series against the Chicago Cubs, and 0:02:44.560 --> 0:02:47.880 outside of the five run outburst in the eighth inning 0:02:48.240 --> 0:02:50.760 from the Dodgers, you know this was gonna be a 0:02:50.800 --> 0:02:55.120 tough go for them against the Cubbies. Down seven to one, offensively, 0:02:55.240 --> 0:02:58.240 just couldn't do anything until that five run eighth inning. 0:02:58.280 --> 0:03:01.120 And again, what do they rely on the slug What 0:03:01.160 --> 0:03:04.000 do they rely on the home runs for Max Munsey 0:03:04.120 --> 0:03:07.000 and show Hey o'tani as The Dodgers able to get 0:03:07.040 --> 0:03:09.079 back into it, but then when they needed a timely hit, 0:03:09.320 --> 0:03:11.840 they just couldn't get it. And at that point, you know, 0:03:11.880 --> 0:03:14.080 the Dodgers already had Andy Paez out of the game. 0:03:14.240 --> 0:03:16.320 At that point, they already had Freddy Freeman out of 0:03:16.320 --> 0:03:19.560 the game, and the Dodgers, relying on Alex Call and 0:03:19.639 --> 0:03:22.600 keyk Hernandez Alice Call got hit by a pitch got 0:03:22.600 --> 0:03:25.200 the second on a wild pitch, and the Dodgers with 0:03:25.280 --> 0:03:27.280 the ty and run at second base with two outs 0:03:27.400 --> 0:03:29.320 again couldn't get the big hit they needed. So it's 0:03:29.320 --> 0:03:32.920 certainly a disappointment for the Dodgers. You've got to be 0:03:32.960 --> 0:03:34.200 playing better at this time. 0:03:34.360 --> 0:03:34.680 Now. 0:03:35.040 --> 0:03:38.080 I say that with the preference that a year ago 0:03:38.440 --> 0:03:41.600 this Dodgers team lost seven in a row. 0:03:41.840 --> 0:03:42.600 Yeah, this is the. 0:03:42.560 --> 0:03:47.520 Dodgers team that's not you know, not gone through this 0:03:47.600 --> 0:03:49.760 before and been okay. I mean, you go back to 0:03:49.840 --> 0:03:51.840 last year and certainly they won a World Series, they 0:03:51.880 --> 0:03:53.960 win the division, they did what they did last year 0:03:54.160 --> 0:03:57.480 in twenty twenty five, and last year in July going 0:03:57.520 --> 0:04:00.000 into the All Star Break, this is a Dodgers team 0:04:00.000 --> 0:04:00.960 then had lost seven. 0:04:00.800 --> 0:04:01.320 In a row. 0:04:01.520 --> 0:04:03.800 They got swept by the Houston Astros in a three 0:04:03.840 --> 0:04:06.440 game series. Then they go to Milwaukee and they lose 0:04:06.520 --> 0:04:09.640 three games, and then they lose in San Francisco in 0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:11.680 the opening game of a three game set. They had 0:04:11.720 --> 0:04:15.520 dropped seven in a row and the Dodgers could not 0:04:15.680 --> 0:04:18.400 figure it out going into the All Star Break, and 0:04:18.400 --> 0:04:20.280 then come out in the second half of the season 0:04:20.720 --> 0:04:23.039 and we're okay, and they win a World series and 0:04:23.080 --> 0:04:25.920 the world is right. So we've been through this before, 0:04:26.400 --> 0:04:30.760 this long losing streak. Now do we want to continue? 0:04:30.839 --> 0:04:31.400 Certainly not. 0:04:31.600 --> 0:04:35.120 And for this Dodgers team, you now find yourself eight 0:04:35.120 --> 0:04:36.720 and a half games up in the division. 0:04:37.000 --> 0:04:39.599 And yes it's a big lead. Don't get me wrong. 0:04:39.640 --> 0:04:41.960 There are teams with lesser leads in the division right 0:04:42.000 --> 0:04:44.960 now around Major League Baseball. But for a team that 0:04:45.080 --> 0:04:47.800 was up fourteen games and running away from the division, 0:04:48.320 --> 0:04:51.000 I didn't think they were gonna be winning by this much. Yeah, 0:04:51.000 --> 0:04:53.320 they're not gonna win by fourteen or fifteen games. It 0:04:53.360 --> 0:04:55.760 wasn't gonna be that much of a boat race. But 0:04:55.880 --> 0:04:57.840 to see this lead now in the division down to 0:04:57.880 --> 0:04:59.720 eight and a half and oh by it. Wait, look 0:04:59.720 --> 0:05:03.719 at the Padres only nine and a half games back, folks. 0:05:03.839 --> 0:05:06.680 There's still a chunk of August to go in all 0:05:06.680 --> 0:05:10.760 of September to play before we get to October. And 0:05:11.520 --> 0:05:14.960 something to also keep in mind. And again, the top 0:05:15.000 --> 0:05:19.240 two teams don't have to play in the wildcard round. 0:05:20.480 --> 0:05:24.960 But right now as we speak, the Dodgers at sixty 0:05:25.040 --> 0:05:28.160 nine and forty six, are behind the Milwaukee Brewers, who 0:05:28.200 --> 0:05:31.000 have the best record in baseball and are one game 0:05:31.120 --> 0:05:33.640 up in the win column, ahead of the Atlanta Braves, 0:05:33.760 --> 0:05:35.880 who have won six in a row and can very 0:05:35.920 --> 0:05:37.719 easily leap fro out the Dodgers. 0:05:39.080 --> 0:05:41.599 So just when you think, oh, fourteen game. 0:05:41.560 --> 0:05:43.440 Lead, Okay, it's down to eight and a half, not 0:05:43.440 --> 0:05:46.839 not to panic, don't worry, We'll still win the NL West. Well, 0:05:47.240 --> 0:05:48.920 the last thing you want to do is go through 0:05:49.440 --> 0:05:50.760 the wildcard round again. 0:05:51.240 --> 0:05:52.640 You'd like to get to maybe a little. 0:05:52.400 --> 0:05:56.159 Bit of a break, But as it is, the Dodgers 0:05:56.240 --> 0:05:59.080 right now see themselves with the Braves and Brewers fighting 0:05:59.120 --> 0:06:01.360 for those two top two spots in the National League. 0:06:01.560 --> 0:06:02.680 Something to keep an eye on it. 0:06:02.720 --> 0:06:04.680 As much as you think, well, what do they have 0:06:04.760 --> 0:06:07.440 to play for, they're running away with the division still 0:06:07.480 --> 0:06:07.680 eight and. 0:06:07.680 --> 0:06:09.280 A half games to him. Slow down. 0:06:10.120 --> 0:06:12.560 It'd be nice to have a bye in the wildcard round. 0:06:12.560 --> 0:06:14.719 It'd be nice not have to play that series again 0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:17.600 this year. Think about all the mileage this team has 0:06:17.600 --> 0:06:19.400 had to go through the last two years to win 0:06:19.440 --> 0:06:21.160 back to back World Series championships. 0:06:21.400 --> 0:06:23.160 Shorter off seasons, a. 0:06:23.080 --> 0:06:25.560 Team that's full of thirty plus year old guys on it, 0:06:25.920 --> 0:06:30.760 dealing with injuries, dealing with struggles of down seasons. It'd 0:06:30.800 --> 0:06:32.480 be nice to get a little bit of a break 0:06:32.640 --> 0:06:35.360 and not have to play in the wildcard round. But again, 0:06:36.000 --> 0:06:38.520 just when you think, ah, we're gonna win the division 0:06:38.560 --> 0:06:41.320 hands down, there is something else to play for eight 0:06:41.360 --> 0:06:43.680 sixty six, nine eighty seven to two five seventy one. 0:06:43.720 --> 0:06:48.159 Other note, Mookie Betts. The struggle is real for Mookie 0:06:48.200 --> 0:06:48.640 this year. 0:06:49.279 --> 0:06:51.080 And last night after the game, I thought it was 0:06:51.120 --> 0:06:56.280 his comments were interesting, very professional, you know, and you're 0:06:56.320 --> 0:06:59.680 not gonna get a Mookie Bets who's gonna fly off 0:06:59.680 --> 0:07:02.240 the hand or get too down on himself. I thought 0:07:02.240 --> 0:07:03.960 he was interesting what he had to say last night 0:07:04.040 --> 0:07:06.520 when he talked about another zero for night, and he'say, like, 0:07:06.720 --> 0:07:07.719 I hit the ball hard. 0:07:07.560 --> 0:07:08.839 Man, I'm not going to change anything. 0:07:09.160 --> 0:07:10.960 It's not like I'm doing something wrong or I feel 0:07:10.960 --> 0:07:14.000 like my mechanics are wrong or my approach is wrong. 0:07:14.200 --> 0:07:16.920 I'm just hitting it right at guys. I'm just unlucky. 0:07:16.960 --> 0:07:19.720 I guess that's my word, unlucky. But he talked about 0:07:19.720 --> 0:07:22.040 how he feels like he's at a good spot. It's 0:07:22.120 --> 0:07:25.520 just not finding green grass. It's just not finding open 0:07:25.600 --> 0:07:28.560 parts of the field for base hits. And what happens 0:07:28.600 --> 0:07:32.360 today hits the ball hard again and has a four 0:07:32.520 --> 0:07:36.680 hit game against the Cups, and you hope maybe this 0:07:36.840 --> 0:07:41.680 is a springboard for him moving forward offensively, And at 0:07:41.680 --> 0:07:45.040 the same time, you hope it's a springboard moving forward 0:07:45.040 --> 0:07:49.920 for this team with that five run eighth inning that 0:07:50.000 --> 0:07:53.280 the Dodgers can build on going into Arizona. Eight six 0:07:53.360 --> 0:07:55.760 six nine eighty seven two five seventy is our number. 0:07:56.000 --> 0:07:59.320 Eight sixty six nine eight seven two five seventy. Dodges 0:07:59.360 --> 0:08:01.960 Baseball is brought to by Medello Midello, the. 0:08:01.840 --> 0:08:05.000 Mark of a fighter. So again the lead is dwindled. 0:08:05.640 --> 0:08:09.320 A big three game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, who remember, 0:08:09.600 --> 0:08:11.920 going into the All Star Break, went to Uniclow Field 0:08:11.920 --> 0:08:13.840 to Dodger Stadium and beat. 0:08:13.640 --> 0:08:15.320 The Dodgers in three games. 0:08:15.840 --> 0:08:18.280 They've got it lined up with Merril, Kelly, Brandon Fought, 0:08:18.280 --> 0:08:22.920 and Anuarno Rodriguez Friday, Saturday and Sunday against the Dodgers. 0:08:23.000 --> 0:08:24.640 That lead could dwindle even more. 0:08:25.120 --> 0:08:27.440 And besides the division which we all thought they were 0:08:27.480 --> 0:08:30.200 running away with and this thing was over again. I 0:08:30.240 --> 0:08:33.199 will keep bringing it up. The two top spots in 0:08:33.240 --> 0:08:36.400 the National League be nice to avoid the wild card 0:08:36.480 --> 0:08:38.800 Round eight six, six, nine, eight, seven, two five seventy 0:08:39.360 --> 0:08:41.360 is the number. All right, you got one line open 0:08:41.400 --> 0:08:43.040 if you want to jump on board. On this Wednesday 0:08:43.120 --> 0:08:45.520 afternoon Talk from Dodger Baseball, we. 0:08:45.559 --> 0:08:49.600 Go up to Utah. Love Utah. Heather next up here 0:08:49.640 --> 0:08:54.679 on Dodger Talk. How you doing, Heather Hallu, I'm doing fantastic. 0:08:54.679 --> 0:08:55.840 We're in Utah. Are you. 0:08:57.480 --> 0:08:58.640 Just south of Salt Lake City? 0:08:58.720 --> 0:08:59.000 Okay? 0:08:59.440 --> 0:09:00.240 Very cool? 0:09:00.280 --> 0:09:04.520 What wanted to be whenever we can so, so just 0:09:04.600 --> 0:09:07.080 calling in about the game. My parents were actually there. 0:09:07.120 --> 0:09:08.599 We were a big doctor. 0:09:08.360 --> 0:09:10.960 Baseball family, and we tried to travel with them when 0:09:11.000 --> 0:09:12.880 we can. We weren't able to go to Chicago with them, 0:09:12.920 --> 0:09:16.400 and we've got two boys playing travel team in high 0:09:16.440 --> 0:09:18.679 school baseball, you know, so it's busy. But they went. 0:09:18.760 --> 0:09:21.200 They said they had a great time. Really unfortunate that 0:09:21.200 --> 0:09:23.040 they couldn't get at least one win, but they said 0:09:23.040 --> 0:09:25.360 today was really great during the eighth inning to get 0:09:25.360 --> 0:09:28.360 the five runs and also just seeing show heyo, Tony, 0:09:28.400 --> 0:09:30.880 wake up, months he wake up. That's wake up. It 0:09:31.000 --> 0:09:33.360 stills a little, you know, doom and gloom, but I 0:09:33.400 --> 0:09:35.960 really think, truly, like for any Dodger fan out there, 0:09:36.000 --> 0:09:37.840 that's kind of panicking like me. You know, when we 0:09:37.880 --> 0:09:41.040 get these like five six game losing streak, Septembers matters 0:09:41.120 --> 0:09:44.199 more than August, and we don't need to panic right 0:09:44.280 --> 0:09:46.760 right now, it's going to be okay. It stills not great, 0:09:46.840 --> 0:09:49.240 but September matters, and you're gonna get smell and glass, 0:09:49.240 --> 0:09:51.760 noow back, and then the veteran hitters hopefully will wake up. 0:09:52.200 --> 0:09:54.679 So my thoughts are as far as that goes. I mean, 0:09:54.760 --> 0:09:56.840 is this just baseball being baseball? Or is there you know, 0:09:57.840 --> 0:10:00.160 not some pestimistic but is there anything going on in 0:10:00.200 --> 0:10:02.600 the clubhouse? Like I think it's probably just like it's August, 0:10:02.679 --> 0:10:03.120 you know what I. 0:10:03.080 --> 0:10:05.480 Mean, It's baseball. It's the ups and downs of one 0:10:05.640 --> 0:10:07.400 sixty two. Heather, great to hear from you. You don't be 0:10:07.440 --> 0:10:10.360 a stranger here to Dodger talk. Like we said a 0:10:10.440 --> 0:10:12.760 year ago, they went through a seven game losing streak, 0:10:12.760 --> 0:10:16.079 their longest skid since twenty nineteen. Right now it's sitting 0:10:16.120 --> 0:10:19.400 at six game losing streak for the Dodgers. You look 0:10:19.440 --> 0:10:23.840 at again what this Dodger team does so good slug, 0:10:24.360 --> 0:10:26.680 good pitching, and really good defense. 0:10:27.400 --> 0:10:30.559 Well, what have we not seen recently? 0:10:30.920 --> 0:10:34.599 The slug Okay, we're not seeing the offensive productions, not 0:10:34.679 --> 0:10:39.520 seeing a lot of runs on the scoreboard. Defense, base running, yeah, 0:10:39.840 --> 0:10:43.960 stop being great. Then you look at the pitching, and 0:10:44.320 --> 0:10:48.200 the pitching has not been great, both facets, the bullpen 0:10:48.320 --> 0:10:53.199 and starting pitching. So the Dodgers, I'm pretty confident they're 0:10:53.200 --> 0:10:55.800 going to turn things around. I'm pretty confident this Dodgers 0:10:55.800 --> 0:10:57.600 team we'll get out of this hole that they've now 0:10:57.640 --> 0:11:01.439 dug themselves into. And I guess you can say thankfully 0:11:01.480 --> 0:11:05.360 they built up such a big lead previously that a 0:11:05.400 --> 0:11:08.440 six game losing streak and a little run by the 0:11:08.440 --> 0:11:11.920 Arizona Diamondbacks has now got it at eight and a half. 0:11:12.080 --> 0:11:13.839 So you know, if they were only up eight or 0:11:13.920 --> 0:11:15.680 nine and all of a sudden this thing happened with 0:11:15.720 --> 0:11:17.680 both teams of the Dodgers' lead was a half game, 0:11:18.280 --> 0:11:20.120 I think we'd be hitting the panic button a little 0:11:20.160 --> 0:11:22.079 bit more. But because they had built a fourteen game 0:11:22.160 --> 0:11:24.880 lead in the division, a six game losing streak is 0:11:24.920 --> 0:11:28.480 not good. It's not ideal, but you had a little 0:11:28.480 --> 0:11:30.439 bit of a buffer there and a cushion to work with. 0:11:30.800 --> 0:11:33.520 Now it's time to crank it back up. It's time 0:11:33.559 --> 0:11:36.720 for the starters this weekend, beginning with Roki Sasaki on 0:11:36.800 --> 0:11:40.360 Friday to get dialed in in the dome there and 0:11:40.520 --> 0:11:42.560 Chase Field with the roof closed in nice seventy two 0:11:42.640 --> 0:11:45.920 degrees on Friday night against Merril Kelly to get it going. 0:11:46.200 --> 0:11:48.000 And it's time for the Dodgers to clean it up. 0:11:48.640 --> 0:11:52.319 And that's something that Dave Roberts has always coached his 0:11:52.400 --> 0:11:55.680 team as the fundamentals, and we're talking about fundamentals of defense. 0:11:56.000 --> 0:11:58.360 We're talking about the fundamentals of you know, winning necessary 0:11:58.440 --> 0:11:59.839 moving guys over which they don't do a lot of 0:12:00.000 --> 0:12:03.000 if I understand them. It's a huge topic, but also the 0:12:03.040 --> 0:12:06.960 fundamentals of defense and base running, base running. How many 0:12:06.960 --> 0:12:09.200 times did the Dodgers run themselves out of outs or 0:12:09.280 --> 0:12:12.880 innings or potential runs with a runner at second or third? 0:12:13.240 --> 0:12:16.320 Too many times? Too many times over. 0:12:16.200 --> 0:12:19.319 The last two weeks have we heard Dodger runner thrown out, 0:12:19.320 --> 0:12:21.560 a second, Dodger runner picked off at first? 0:12:21.600 --> 0:12:21.800 Show? 0:12:21.840 --> 0:12:24.440 Hey Otani, you know, show he's trying to stretch. 0:12:24.200 --> 0:12:27.079 A double in the triple, gets banged at third, you know, 0:12:27.360 --> 0:12:31.680 not running hard from second to home like Alfonso did 0:12:31.720 --> 0:12:32.960 in the Philadelphia series. 0:12:33.120 --> 0:12:34.920 A couple of weeks ago, you know. 0:12:35.480 --> 0:12:37.640 Not not tagging up and running when you're supposed to, 0:12:37.800 --> 0:12:39.960 or not getting a good jump on a ball and 0:12:40.000 --> 0:12:42.640 scoring from second on a ball hit to the outfield. 0:12:42.640 --> 0:12:44.160 And they're not even making a play at home. They're 0:12:44.240 --> 0:12:46.600 throwing a second and you pull up around third in hole. 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:52.480 See these little fundamental things the base running have got 0:12:52.520 --> 0:12:53.280 to be cleaned up. 0:12:53.320 --> 0:12:56.280 It's a huge part of the game, and the Dodgers. 0:12:55.920 --> 0:12:58.760 Aren't doing it right right now. They'll turn it around, 0:12:58.800 --> 0:13:01.600 no doubt about it. You're gonna see this team rattle 0:13:01.640 --> 0:13:04.079 off wins. I mean as bad as they're playing over 0:13:04.120 --> 0:13:07.079 the six game losing streak. Think about the last road trip, 0:13:07.480 --> 0:13:09.800 the two stops in New York and the three game 0:13:09.880 --> 0:13:12.760 series in Philadelphia. Okay, they didn't go nine to oh, 0:13:13.280 --> 0:13:16.240 but they went six and three and they won all 0:13:16.280 --> 0:13:19.720 three series. That's the big thing. Win series. Take two 0:13:19.720 --> 0:13:23.640 to three, win three of four, win the series and. 0:13:23.640 --> 0:13:24.439 You'll be all right. 0:13:24.720 --> 0:13:28.240 Unfortunately, the Dodgers have been swept in the last two series. 0:13:28.280 --> 0:13:28.960 And I look at this. 0:13:29.559 --> 0:13:33.240 You know, Arizona Diamondbacks team coming up Friday night. They 0:13:33.280 --> 0:13:35.760 got some momentum and a win tonight against San Diego 0:13:35.840 --> 0:13:37.439 in that game against the Padres. 0:13:37.920 --> 0:13:38.720 This leads eight. 0:13:38.880 --> 0:13:40.800 They got all the momentum going on the weekend, and 0:13:40.800 --> 0:13:43.160 as they got it stacked up, they got their three 0:13:43.720 --> 0:13:48.280 veteran best pitchers going at it, including Eduardo Rodriguez on 0:13:48.520 --> 0:13:52.920 Sunday in the finale. And you think about Roki Sasaki. Okay, 0:13:53.000 --> 0:13:55.319 which rookie we're gonna get on Friday Night? Hopefully the 0:13:55.360 --> 0:13:58.000 good rokie who the last two starts too and zero 0:13:58.200 --> 0:14:01.760 with a one to fifty era Yoshinobu Yamamoto. I don't 0:14:01.760 --> 0:14:05.080 worry about Justin Robleski on Sunday in the finale. Which 0:14:05.160 --> 0:14:08.160 Robleski is going to show up? The Robleski that was 0:14:08.200 --> 0:14:10.720 the All Star or the Juster Robleski the last few 0:14:10.760 --> 0:14:13.480 starts that has just giving up home run after home 0:14:13.559 --> 0:14:16.640 run after home run after home run. Hopefully he has 0:14:16.679 --> 0:14:19.000 a bounce back game on Sunday again, a huge three 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:22.600 game weekend series coming up Friday, Saturday and Sunday out 0:14:22.640 --> 0:14:25.960 at Chase Field, the game between the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks. 0:14:25.960 --> 0:14:28.560 Eight sixty sixth ninety seven, two five seventy. Let's go 0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:30.680 to Bill and see me Valley. Welcome to Dodger Talk. 0:14:30.720 --> 0:14:33.240 With Tim Kate TWI doing, Bill, good? 0:14:33.320 --> 0:14:33.920 How you doing? 0:14:34.200 --> 0:14:37.560 I'm all right, I'm not panicking yet, Bill, but you 0:14:37.680 --> 0:14:40.600 know what, I am kind of looking at this sideways, like, 0:14:40.880 --> 0:14:41.760 what's go on here? 0:14:41.800 --> 0:14:42.640 We need to be better than this. 0:14:43.480 --> 0:14:46.680 Fine, No, thanks for the facts, because I was just 0:14:46.800 --> 0:14:48.920 wondering when was the last time they lost? They got 0:14:49.000 --> 0:14:51.800 swept in two series and I thought, this is this 0:14:51.920 --> 0:14:55.080 is incredible that they did that. And I guess my 0:14:55.240 --> 0:14:59.560 frustration is, I think you're right, they'll turn it around. 0:14:59.720 --> 0:15:05.320 I know it's August. My concern is when October comes around. 0:15:05.960 --> 0:15:08.800 I hopefully it's not one of those where they say, oh, 0:15:08.920 --> 0:15:11.400 let's put it in another gear. Oh there is no 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:15.040 other gear, right, And you know, I just I know 0:15:15.080 --> 0:15:17.640 they're a veteran teams. They'll they'll probably get you know'll 0:15:18.000 --> 0:15:20.320 turn it around a little bit. It's just frustrating when 0:15:20.360 --> 0:15:25.080 they lose to you know, two big contenders, Boston and Chicago. 0:15:25.200 --> 0:15:27.320 And I think Boston's the best team in baseball now. 0:15:27.680 --> 0:15:31.640 I think Chicago and Milwaukee are pretty close. Even though 0:15:31.680 --> 0:15:34.840 the Dodgers have a better record, they're not playing better. 0:15:35.040 --> 0:15:38.560 And you know, it's just it's just frustrating because it's like, 0:15:38.960 --> 0:15:41.240 I don't think guys should be losing six games in 0:15:41.280 --> 0:15:44.400 a row to the contenders. Mentally, that can't be good. 0:15:45.080 --> 0:15:46.880 No, no, no, no doubt about it. Bill, and I 0:15:46.920 --> 0:15:49.200 appreciate the phone call. I mentioned it with Jose and 0:15:49.240 --> 0:15:51.800 the Clubouse show. You know, you go back to the 0:15:51.840 --> 0:15:54.080 start of the second half of the season and we 0:15:54.200 --> 0:15:56.000 talked about the nine game road trip and how big 0:15:56.080 --> 0:15:58.040 it was going to be. And with the Dodgers a 0:15:58.160 --> 0:15:59.960 huge lead at the All Star break, how are they 0:16:00.120 --> 0:16:02.000 going to come out of the All Star break? How 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:04.360 are they going to start on the road East Coast 0:16:04.840 --> 0:16:07.640 nine games, ten days, going to Washington, DC on the 0:16:07.720 --> 0:16:09.600 day off. How are they gonna fare? This is gonna 0:16:09.600 --> 0:16:13.280 be a big test for them. And the Dodgers took 0:16:13.320 --> 0:16:15.520 two or three from the Yankees, took two to three 0:16:15.640 --> 0:16:18.040 from the Phillies, took two of three from the Mets. 0:16:18.560 --> 0:16:20.240 You know, they come back home, they take two or 0:16:20.280 --> 0:16:23.120 three from the Seattle Mariners, who ended up being sellers 0:16:23.440 --> 0:16:26.800 at the deadline. The Mets were sellers, but the Phillies 0:16:26.840 --> 0:16:28.240 and the Yankees are playoff teams. 0:16:28.840 --> 0:16:29.000 You know. 0:16:29.080 --> 0:16:31.800 The Boston Red Sox, as Bill mentioned, the hottest team 0:16:31.840 --> 0:16:36.760 in baseball hands down the hottest team in the major leagues, 0:16:36.920 --> 0:16:40.000 the Chicago Cubs right there for a wildcard spot. And 0:16:40.040 --> 0:16:41.880 don't look now, they're only five games back in the 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:44.520 NL Central behind the Milwaukee Brewers, who have the best 0:16:44.520 --> 0:16:47.600 record in Baseball Arizona this weekend, you know, they got 0:16:47.640 --> 0:16:50.720 three game series against Kansas City coming up. The Royal's 0:16:50.760 --> 0:16:53.680 got nothing to fight for, you know. But then the 0:16:53.760 --> 0:16:57.320 Milwaukee Brewers come to town for a four game series 0:16:57.880 --> 0:17:02.560 at Dodgers Stadium. The Pirates who became buyers at the 0:17:02.640 --> 0:17:06.120 trade deadline are at Unicle Field, a Dodger Stadium coming 0:17:06.200 --> 0:17:07.280 up at the end of the month. 0:17:07.320 --> 0:17:08.320 And then you go to Atlanta. 0:17:08.840 --> 0:17:11.760 You know, you've got a stretch in which you're facing 0:17:12.160 --> 0:17:14.680 teams that you should just destroy, and the Cardinals and 0:17:14.760 --> 0:17:18.000 Nationals and Reds. But then you got Miami and you 0:17:18.119 --> 0:17:20.080 got a Padres team at the end of the year. 0:17:20.600 --> 0:17:23.000 You know, the schedule is the way it is. There 0:17:23.040 --> 0:17:25.240 are teams that are hunting for the Dodgers. There are teams, 0:17:25.560 --> 0:17:27.600 I mean, look at the trade deadline. It's a prime example. 0:17:27.960 --> 0:17:32.160 Thirty teams in Baseball twenty four of the thirty we're 0:17:32.240 --> 0:17:35.080 still in contention for the division or a wildcard spot 0:17:35.359 --> 0:17:39.400 within four and a half games. That left six teams 0:17:39.760 --> 0:17:44.040 that were legitimately out of it, no shot, absolute. 0:17:43.600 --> 0:17:47.680 Sellers at the deadline. That's a lot of teams still 0:17:47.680 --> 0:17:48.119 in contention. 0:17:48.240 --> 0:17:49.639 You can say this is good for baseball, and I 0:17:49.680 --> 0:17:52.840 will argue it is because the wildcard has added this competition. 0:17:53.160 --> 0:17:55.920 If there's no wildcard in the American League or the 0:17:56.040 --> 0:17:59.320 National League, we're talking about a boat race in two 0:17:59.359 --> 0:18:01.720 of the three league in the National League, two of 0:18:01.760 --> 0:18:04.040 the three divisions in the National League, and we're talking 0:18:04.080 --> 0:18:06.600 about one of the divisions in the American League being 0:18:06.600 --> 0:18:09.320 a runaway as well. So it has created a lot 0:18:09.400 --> 0:18:12.720 of competition and it's good for the sport. Absolutely, it's 0:18:12.800 --> 0:18:15.040 great for all these markets that are still in it. 0:18:15.680 --> 0:18:17.480 But with that being said, if you're the team like 0:18:17.560 --> 0:18:20.919 the Dodgers, you've got to be ready now because as 0:18:20.960 --> 0:18:23.199 we get here in the last seven weeks of the season, 0:18:23.960 --> 0:18:25.960 there are teams fighting and not just throwing it in 0:18:26.080 --> 0:18:29.359 and saying one, two, three can con they're fighting and 0:18:29.440 --> 0:18:31.760 they may not have been fighters in years past, but 0:18:31.880 --> 0:18:34.280 now you got teams that are scrapping and klawn and 0:18:34.560 --> 0:18:36.439 they're looking at the Dodgers now and they're seeing them 0:18:36.480 --> 0:18:39.320 being picked off by the Cubs, swept by the Red Sox, 0:18:39.600 --> 0:18:40.480 Diamondbacks got. 0:18:40.440 --> 0:18:42.560 Them for three before the All Star breaking and you 0:18:42.640 --> 0:18:45.480 know what, they're beautible. We can get to them. 0:18:46.040 --> 0:18:48.080 You know, there's a recipe here to how to pitch 0:18:48.119 --> 0:18:51.280