WEBVTT - Dodger Talk (8-24-26) 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:02.560 This is world champion Dodger Talk. 0:00:02.640 --> 0:00:03.400 Here we go again. 0:00:03.480 --> 0:00:06.320 We get ready running back, hosted by Dodgers and signer 0:00:06.519 --> 0:00:07.320 David Bassi. 0:00:07.440 --> 0:00:09.000 How are you three peat? In the mix? 0:00:09.400 --> 0:00:12.320 Dodger Talk is brought to you by LA County Public 0:00:12.400 --> 0:00:17.520 Works Champions Recycle Beverage Containers make the play Recycle Today, 0:00:17.760 --> 0:00:21.680 and by Children's Hospital LA From colts to cancer. We 0:00:21.840 --> 0:00:24.160 got this to get in on the show called eight 0:00:24.239 --> 0:00:27.159 six six eighty seven two five seven days and be 0:00:27.240 --> 0:00:30.520 sure to follow Dodger Talk wherever you catch your podcasts 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:34.080 and now your host, here's Tim Kakes. 0:00:35.560 --> 0:00:39.120 Great to be with you on this Monday night, August 0:00:39.159 --> 0:00:42.600 the twenty fourth, as your Los Angeles Dodgers and join 0:00:42.680 --> 0:00:45.800 a day off as they head to Atlanta to begin 0:00:45.880 --> 0:00:49.920 a six game road trip tomorrow, first to three against 0:00:49.960 --> 0:00:52.440 the Brays. Hi, everybody, Tim Kates with you here for 0:00:52.440 --> 0:00:54.640 the next hour here on off Night Dodger Talk on 0:00:54.680 --> 0:00:57.320 your Home of the Dodgers, A five seventy LA Sports 0:00:57.320 --> 0:01:01.560 Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app Scorcher. Out there here 0:01:01.600 --> 0:01:04.520 in southern California, we have started a heat wave. We 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:07.680 have started the heat of August, and just in time 0:01:07.760 --> 0:01:09.839 for all the kids that have gone back to school. 0:01:10.480 --> 0:01:11.399 As it was a. 0:01:11.440 --> 0:01:16.319 Nice cool, mid hot summer. It wasn't too bad really 0:01:16.400 --> 0:01:18.760 right through June and July. But here we are in 0:01:18.840 --> 0:01:21.080 late August, the kids have all gone back to school, 0:01:21.360 --> 0:01:24.679 colleges have restarted, and it's one hundred degrees in the 0:01:24.720 --> 0:01:27.639 San Fernando Valley. Is gonna be that way the rest 0:01:27.840 --> 0:01:30.520 of the week. But we got Dodgers baseball that is 0:01:30.600 --> 0:01:33.800 equally as hot. Dodgers winners of six in a row 0:01:33.840 --> 0:01:37.000 after a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend, 0:01:37.080 --> 0:01:40.199 and then now head to Atlanta for a big three 0:01:40.280 --> 0:01:43.000 game series against the Atlanta Braves, the team that is 0:01:43.080 --> 0:01:45.960 chasing them in the National League standings as far as 0:01:46.000 --> 0:01:49.240 the best record overall and the second place standings is concerned. 0:01:49.440 --> 0:01:51.800 And that's really at this point of the year I'm 0:01:51.840 --> 0:01:55.040 gonna start focusing on. I think the race as a 0:01:55.080 --> 0:01:58.480 whole is done. The Dodgers are gonna win the NL West, 0:01:58.600 --> 0:02:01.000 and I can say that with coms in that they 0:02:01.000 --> 0:02:04.840 are nine games up with thirty one to play. Now, 0:02:06.560 --> 0:02:11.320 can it happened? Certainly? We've seen teams blow leads before 0:02:11.320 --> 0:02:13.800 in the division, but it would have to take a 0:02:13.919 --> 0:02:17.200 disastrous run and a stretch of baseball that we have 0:02:17.360 --> 0:02:21.000 not seen in years from the Dodgers for that to happen. 0:02:21.040 --> 0:02:22.840 So I can say with a lot of confidence, I 0:02:22.840 --> 0:02:25.440 think we can all agree, right, Dodger fans, the Dodgers, 0:02:25.480 --> 0:02:28.360 with nine game lead in the division over the Padres, 0:02:28.639 --> 0:02:31.360 are gonna win the NL West at this point. The 0:02:31.400 --> 0:02:35.720 standings that to me mean the most are the overall 0:02:35.880 --> 0:02:39.480 National League standings. Best team in the league is the 0:02:39.480 --> 0:02:42.000 Milwaukee Brewers at eighty one and fifty infact, they're the 0:02:42.040 --> 0:02:44.560 best team in all of baseball. The Dodgers are one 0:02:44.639 --> 0:02:47.839 game back of the Milwaukee Brewers at eighty and fifty one, 0:02:47.960 --> 0:02:50.320 just one game back in the win and the lost 0:02:50.320 --> 0:02:53.840 column behind the Dodgers is the Atlanta Braves, who are 0:02:53.919 --> 0:02:56.440 four games back of the Dodgers at seventy six and 0:02:56.480 --> 0:02:59.239 fifty five. And nipping on their heels is the Chicago 0:02:59.280 --> 0:03:02.880 Cubs and right beyond them the Philadelphia Phillies. But those 0:03:02.880 --> 0:03:05.400 are teams that we're not necessarily worrying about right now. 0:03:05.560 --> 0:03:09.160 We're more focused on that separation between first and second 0:03:09.240 --> 0:03:11.800 and second and third in the National League standis because 0:03:11.840 --> 0:03:14.800 it is oh so important Dodger fans that the Dodgers 0:03:14.840 --> 0:03:17.440 get a buye in the wild Card round when it 0:03:17.440 --> 0:03:20.800 comes to October baseball. And certainly it's been up and 0:03:20.840 --> 0:03:23.240 down second half of this season. And a week ago 0:03:23.280 --> 0:03:26.400 we're talking and the sky is falling. The Dodgers lost 0:03:26.400 --> 0:03:28.639 three of four to the Milwaukee Brewers, and it's a 0:03:28.720 --> 0:03:31.320 Dodgers team that was struggling to do the simple things 0:03:31.400 --> 0:03:36.560 right defense, moving runners along, base running. Certainly, the pitching 0:03:36.560 --> 0:03:38.200 would have been up and down, the hitting had been 0:03:38.240 --> 0:03:41.600 sparsed times. The Dodgers just weren't playing very good baseball 0:03:41.720 --> 0:03:45.160 in all facets. And how things have dramatically changed for 0:03:45.280 --> 0:03:48.120 Dave Roberts and this Dodgers team, which had lost three 0:03:48.200 --> 0:03:50.200 or four to the Brewers, had a four and three 0:03:50.200 --> 0:03:53.040 homestand including the wins over the Kansas City Royals, and 0:03:53.120 --> 0:03:56.120 Dave Roberts said, this team was not playing up to par. 0:03:56.280 --> 0:03:59.040 This team was not playing the way he expected him 0:03:59.040 --> 0:04:01.920 to play. They go to Colorado, they sweep the Rockies 0:04:01.920 --> 0:04:03.960 in three games, and then they take care of the 0:04:04.000 --> 0:04:06.680 Pirates over the weekend in a three game sweep, and 0:04:06.760 --> 0:04:08.800 now the Dodgers have won six in a row. 0:04:09.120 --> 0:04:12.560 Really excited, I think, you know, from one side, it's 0:04:13.040 --> 0:04:15.000 good for us to feel like every single night we 0:04:15.080 --> 0:04:17.760 have a chance to win with the starter. On the 0:04:17.800 --> 0:04:20.640 other side, it's it's like I've used before, it's daunting 0:04:21.040 --> 0:04:24.159 as an offense, opposing offense to look at the PROBA 0:04:24.240 --> 0:04:29.160 bulls and you see Glass now Yamamoto, Snell Sasaki and 0:04:29.200 --> 0:04:32.680 then potentially show, Hey, it's like it gets daunting. And 0:04:32.800 --> 0:04:35.719 so from our standpoint, you know, you feel like you 0:04:35.760 --> 0:04:38.760 can keep you know, sustaining this run that we're on 0:04:38.839 --> 0:04:39.240 right now. 0:04:39.480 --> 0:04:42.039 Yeah, that is the best way to describe what the 0:04:42.160 --> 0:04:45.599 Dodgers have moving forward, and that's why it's so important 0:04:45.600 --> 0:04:48.040 for them to get the wild card spot and not 0:04:48.160 --> 0:04:49.840 have to play in that round and get one of 0:04:49.880 --> 0:04:52.080 the top two spots in the National League. Is this 0:04:52.160 --> 0:04:56.800 is a daunting pitching staff and rotation that the Dodgers 0:04:56.839 --> 0:04:58.560 have now put together here in the second half of 0:04:58.600 --> 0:05:01.479 the season. And it's only you gonna get stronger with 0:05:01.640 --> 0:05:04.839 Tyler Glass now making the return tomorrow and further down 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:08.000 the road show Hey Otani expected to get back into 0:05:08.000 --> 0:05:13.720 this starting rotation. This is absolutely a daunting rotation if 0:05:13.720 --> 0:05:15.960 you're an opposing team that you're gonna have to face, 0:05:16.000 --> 0:05:18.640 we talk about how deep this lineup has been over 0:05:18.680 --> 0:05:20.800 the years, and especially in the last three years one 0:05:20.839 --> 0:05:23.080 through nine. Where do you come up for water? Where 0:05:23.080 --> 0:05:24.600 do you get to take a deep breath if you're 0:05:24.640 --> 0:05:27.320 a pitcher on the opposing team. Where is there a break? 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:30.000 Where's that out that you can see in this lineup? 0:05:30.320 --> 0:05:33.000 There's just hadn't been one. There was no holes really 0:05:33.000 --> 0:05:36.520 in this Dodgers' lineup. Well that's now the case with 0:05:36.560 --> 0:05:38.839 this Dodgers' pitching staff because they are going to finally 0:05:38.880 --> 0:05:41.520 be healthy here in short order, with Tyler Glass now 0:05:41.600 --> 0:05:45.159 returning and show Heyotani returning here down the road, this 0:05:46.000 --> 0:05:51.080 could be and there's no doubt the best rotation in baseball. 0:05:51.120 --> 0:05:53.440 And all the non Dodger fans are gonna say, yeah, 0:05:53.480 --> 0:05:56.120 of course, yeah, you stockpiled Blake's. Now you go out 0:05:56.160 --> 0:05:59.320 and get Trek Scoogle. Well, it hasn't necessarily panned out 0:05:59.360 --> 0:06:02.839 that way for this Dodgers team the last two plus seasons, 0:06:02.880 --> 0:06:04.560 and go back to twenty twenty four, as greyt as 0:06:04.600 --> 0:06:08.080 a rotation looked, everybody got hurt. There was nobody around 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:10.440 to help you a start, and except for Yamamoto and 0:06:10.600 --> 0:06:14.000 Jack Flaherty in twenty twenty four. We were back in 0:06:14.120 --> 0:06:18.400 re We watched the three part docu series on Apple 0:06:18.440 --> 0:06:21.479 TV of the seven or the five game World Series 0:06:21.480 --> 0:06:23.719 back in twenty twenty four, and what a great series 0:06:23.760 --> 0:06:27.119 it is, by the way, my voice all over it. Yeah, 0:06:27.200 --> 0:06:29.800 the Dodgers relied so much on the bullpen because the 0:06:29.839 --> 0:06:32.640 starting pitching was banged up and hurt. Gavin Stone carried 0:06:32.640 --> 0:06:35.640 that rotation along with Yamamoto got hurt in twenty twenty four. 0:06:35.720 --> 0:06:39.279 It wasn't there for October last year. It flipped with 0:06:39.320 --> 0:06:42.120 the great starting pitching. The bullpen was up and down, 0:06:42.160 --> 0:06:45.360 but they made it work because guys like Yamamoto and 0:06:45.400 --> 0:06:48.000 Glass now came out of the bullpen and helped pitch 0:06:48.320 --> 0:06:51.159 in the World Series and the NLCS. You fast forward 0:06:51.200 --> 0:06:52.680 to this year, just when you think they have enough 0:06:52.680 --> 0:06:56.040 starting pitching, guys get hurt. Blake Snell's not ready, Tyler 0:06:56.080 --> 0:06:59.120 glassdow misses three months show, Heo Tani get shut down, 0:06:59.160 --> 0:07:01.120 hasn't pitched in the Cup couple of months, and the 0:07:01.200 --> 0:07:04.440 Dodgers are relying on Eric Lower and Justin Robleski to 0:07:04.480 --> 0:07:07.039 go along with a up and down rookie Susaki and 0:07:07.120 --> 0:07:10.600 a Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yeah, so on paper, all the Dodger 0:07:10.680 --> 0:07:12.200 haters are going to say, well, this is what you 0:07:12.240 --> 0:07:13.960 get when you buy the team, this is what you 0:07:14.000 --> 0:07:16.240 get when you get the best players in baseball via 0:07:16.320 --> 0:07:19.080 trade as well. Well, you know what, they hadn't had 0:07:19.160 --> 0:07:23.760 everybody healthy up until now this point. Tyler Glass now 0:07:23.840 --> 0:07:25.600 is going to return tomorrow and it's going to make 0:07:25.640 --> 0:07:28.440 this rotation even deeper than it was been or has 0:07:28.480 --> 0:07:31.520 been the last few weeks. And even so, Terror schoobill 0:07:31.520 --> 0:07:34.559 to get his first win until over the weekend. Blake 0:07:34.600 --> 0:07:39.120 Snell three great starts, but he's only made four this season. 0:07:39.720 --> 0:07:42.160 Health has been an issue. But now that they are 0:07:42.160 --> 0:07:46.760 getting healthy, look out at this daunting starting rotation that 0:07:46.800 --> 0:07:49.440 the Dodgers have. And we just need this rotation to 0:07:49.480 --> 0:07:51.520 stay healthy and we need to see show Hey o 0:07:51.640 --> 0:07:53.600 Tani slowly ramp back up. 0:07:53.960 --> 0:07:54.120 Now. 0:07:54.120 --> 0:07:56.280 It's interesting. Matt mney Smith was talking about this earlier 0:07:56.320 --> 0:07:58.720 on Petro Some Money Show. Yeah, he's gonna come back 0:07:58.760 --> 0:08:01.520 and get some starts. Fingers crossed. He throws a bullpen 0:08:01.560 --> 0:08:04.400 session in Atlanta here either tomorrow or Wednesday, and if 0:08:04.400 --> 0:08:07.520 he feels good after that, the next thing that Shoeyotani 0:08:07.560 --> 0:08:09.360 is gonna do is most likely pitch in a game, 0:08:09.720 --> 0:08:12.400 be a starter. But he's not gonna throw five or 0:08:12.440 --> 0:08:14.680 six innings. He's not gonna empty the tank and throw 0:08:14.680 --> 0:08:17.360 a hundred pitches. This is gonna be the same thing 0:08:17.400 --> 0:08:19.840 we saw last year with Shoeo Tani coming back from 0:08:19.960 --> 0:08:23.560 arm surgery. It's gonna be one inning first start, one 0:08:23.560 --> 0:08:27.120 inning when he returns, then it's gonna be one plus 0:08:27.240 --> 0:08:30.880 two maybe two plus, and then after that maybe he 0:08:30.880 --> 0:08:33.160 builds up the three innings and then we're looking at 0:08:33.200 --> 0:08:36.319 the middle of the middle of September. Then you get 0:08:36.320 --> 0:08:37.480 to the end of the month and the end of 0:08:37.480 --> 0:08:40.160 the regular season, maybe he's up to four or five innings. 0:08:40.520 --> 0:08:42.640 So it's not like he's gonna come back and he's 0:08:42.760 --> 0:08:45.880 rarely ready to go and all right, five innings, seventy 0:08:45.880 --> 0:08:48.720 five pitches, and then six innings the eighty five pitches. 0:08:49.200 --> 0:08:51.800 This is gonna be a slow ramp up. And that's 0:08:51.840 --> 0:08:55.000 why I think that when he wants to win the 0:08:55.280 --> 0:08:57.920 MVP and he wants to go up against PCA, I 0:08:57.960 --> 0:09:00.560 think he's also keeping back of his mind shoot that 0:09:01.000 --> 0:09:03.840 he's also got to look at October and what he 0:09:03.960 --> 0:09:07.080 plans are for October baseball right now and being able 0:09:07.080 --> 0:09:09.560 to pitch and hit and be that two way dominant 0:09:09.559 --> 0:09:12.760 player for the Dodgers when it really counts in the 0:09:12.800 --> 0:09:15.960 month of October. Because right now, the Chicago Cubs, yeah, 0:09:16.040 --> 0:09:17.680 PCA has carried them, and they are one of the 0:09:17.679 --> 0:09:20.760 wildcard teams right now, but they're hanging on to a 0:09:20.840 --> 0:09:23.000 wild card spot in the National League along with the Phillies. 0:09:23.000 --> 0:09:25.319 They've got the Padres and the Diamondbacks all playing good 0:09:25.320 --> 0:09:28.760 baseball right behind them, so they've got their own issues 0:09:28.800 --> 0:09:33.080 in Chicago. The Dodgers, again, this lineup, this rotation is 0:09:33.120 --> 0:09:35.800 getting healthy at the absolute perfect time. And again Tyler 0:09:35.800 --> 0:09:38.400 Glass now tomorrow will be coming back. He is going 0:09:38.480 --> 0:09:40.600 to have Eric Lauer to piggyback him. That is the 0:09:40.640 --> 0:09:44.079 plan in case something happens and maybe he can't get 0:09:44.080 --> 0:09:46.120 out of a first or a second, or it's only 0:09:46.160 --> 0:09:48.679 a two plus in and outing for a Tyler Glass. 0:09:48.720 --> 0:09:50.520 Note who knows it's his first time pitching back in 0:09:50.520 --> 0:09:52.480 the big leagues in three months. You can make all 0:09:52.480 --> 0:09:54.640 the minor league rehab starts you want, but you get 0:09:54.679 --> 0:09:56.320 back to the big leagues and let's say you have 0:09:56.360 --> 0:09:58.480 a slip up and you can't get guys out. You 0:09:58.480 --> 0:10:00.600 don't have the control. It's just not there. In your 0:10:00.600 --> 0:10:03.640 first game back, they have Eric Lauer ready to go 0:10:03.679 --> 0:10:06.360 as he shifts to the bullpen in a long relief 0:10:06.400 --> 0:10:08.599 and a role now, and he'll be available to piggyback 0:10:08.880 --> 0:10:12.400 not only not only Tyler Glass now, but it looks 0:10:12.440 --> 0:10:15.240 like he and when Justin Robuski comes back, will be 0:10:15.280 --> 0:10:18.800 the two guys piggybacking show Heo Tani as well. Because again, 0:10:18.960 --> 0:10:22.640 when Shoeyotani returns, if it's in a week or ten days, 0:10:22.679 --> 0:10:25.160 whenever it may be, when he does return to the 0:10:25.200 --> 0:10:29.680 Dodgers starting rotation, it's gonna be one inning, two innings, 0:10:30.000 --> 0:10:33.280 two plus innings, three innings. It's gonna be a slow 0:10:33.360 --> 0:10:35.840 ramp up. So you need somebody to be that bulk 0:10:35.880 --> 0:10:38.560 inning guy. Almost like show Hay is an opener in 0:10:38.640 --> 0:10:40.599 what is a bullpen game, except this is one to 0:10:40.640 --> 0:10:42.800 be a bullpen game. This would just be a rehab 0:10:42.840 --> 0:10:46.400 one inning assignment so to speak, for shoe Heo Tani 0:10:46.440 --> 0:10:48.520 when he comes back. So that's what we're looking at 0:10:48.600 --> 0:10:51.120 with show Hay coming back, with Tyler Glass now coming 0:10:51.160 --> 0:10:53.880 back tomorrow and what is gonna be a fantastic three 0:10:53.920 --> 0:10:57.560 game series against the Atlanta brace And for thinking about 0:10:57.640 --> 0:11:00.560 how big this series is, well, the Dog right now 0:11:00.760 --> 0:11:03.840 are four games up on the Atlanta Braves for the 0:11:03.920 --> 0:11:07.880 second best record in the National League. That's important. Top 0:11:07.920 --> 0:11:12.319 two teams get a wild card by that round. If 0:11:12.360 --> 0:11:16.480 the Dodgers sweep the Atlanta Braves, that lead goes from 0:11:16.520 --> 0:11:19.040 four games up over Atlanta for the number two spot 0:11:19.080 --> 0:11:23.280 to seven games up over the Atlanta Braves. Let's say 0:11:23.360 --> 0:11:27.080 the Dodgers split, or the Dodgers come out of their 0:11:27.200 --> 0:11:31.600 five games up. That's still impressive. Worst case, the Dodgers 0:11:31.640 --> 0:11:36.720 get swept in Atlanta with glass now Susaki Yamamoto pitching, 0:11:37.160 --> 0:11:39.680 I find that hard to believe. But let's say they 0:11:39.760 --> 0:11:41.439 still get swept over the next three days by the 0:11:41.480 --> 0:11:43.960 Atlanta Braves. Is at the end of the world. No, 0:11:44.400 --> 0:11:46.120 because a four game lead will be down to a 0:11:46.160 --> 0:11:48.760 one game lead for the second best record in baseball 0:11:49.040 --> 0:11:51.840 with when what twenty eight games to go in the 0:11:51.880 --> 0:11:55.320 regular season. So it could be a big weekend for 0:11:55.400 --> 0:11:57.560 the Dog or big three game series for the Dodgers 0:11:57.600 --> 0:11:59.800 expanding their lead over the Atlanta Braves. Or they can 0:11:59.800 --> 0:12:02.400 find themselves in a little tighter crunch with Atlanta for 0:12:02.440 --> 0:12:04.440 the number two spot in the National League. Again, that 0:12:04.559 --> 0:12:07.840 to me is what is most important for the Dodgers 0:12:08.120 --> 0:12:11.080 the standings is looking at the top two spots in 0:12:11.120 --> 0:12:13.280 the National League from here on out to the end 0:12:13.320 --> 0:12:16.199 of the regular season. That last weekend in September eight six, 0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:19.080 sixth nine eighty seven two five seventy eight sixty six 0:12:19.240 --> 0:12:22.280 nine eight seven two five seventy. How about Will Smith 0:12:22.559 --> 0:12:27.439 gonna start a rehabit signment with Oklahoma City tomorrow. That's big. 0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:31.440 We haven't seen Will Smith since June fifth. We haven't 0:12:31.480 --> 0:12:34.320 seen Will Smith in a long time. And to have 0:12:34.480 --> 0:12:36.480 him going out on a minor league rehabit signment here 0:12:36.520 --> 0:12:41.400 on what will be tomorrow, August twenty fifth, potentially we're 0:12:41.440 --> 0:12:43.960 looking at a week to ten days for him to 0:12:44.080 --> 0:12:46.720 be in the minor leagues rehabbing and getting at bats 0:12:46.760 --> 0:12:48.880 and catching and going through all that he needs to 0:12:48.920 --> 0:12:51.120 do to get back to being Will Smith behind the 0:12:51.160 --> 0:12:55.200 plate catching every day. That's most likely what you're looking 0:12:55.240 --> 0:12:56.760 at is that kind of time from I don't think 0:12:56.760 --> 0:12:58.760 it needs three to four weeks for him to ramp 0:12:58.760 --> 0:13:01.200 back up, certainly, I know he's missed some time, and 0:13:01.240 --> 0:13:04.800 catching is a grueling position. But to me, seven to 0:13:04.800 --> 0:13:06.960 ten days down the minor leagues, he should be good 0:13:06.960 --> 0:13:09.760 to go after that, if everything checks out and he's 0:13:09.800 --> 0:13:12.320 healthy and his neck feels better and he's back to 0:13:12.360 --> 0:13:15.920 being Will Smith Man. What another cholt for this Dodgers team. 0:13:16.559 --> 0:13:19.440 Not that Hunter Forradusha and Ben Roadveatt haven't done a 0:13:19.440 --> 0:13:21.800 really good job. Because Roordy is one of the best 0:13:21.800 --> 0:13:23.640 defensive catchers. And I call him Rody because he's one 0:13:23.679 --> 0:13:26.200 of my favorite catchers. I just love everything about him. 0:13:26.320 --> 0:13:30.079 His style is command behind the plate, calling games and 0:13:30.080 --> 0:13:34.560 at this toughness. And then Hunter Fradusha, Hunter Forraducia delivering 0:13:34.640 --> 0:13:38.000 yesterday with a big RBI single proved to be big 0:13:38.040 --> 0:13:39.680 for the Dodgers and the win over the Pirates. So 0:13:39.720 --> 0:13:43.040 these guys have done everything they can possibly do to 0:13:43.120 --> 0:13:45.599 help out this Dodgers team with the absence of a 0:13:45.640 --> 0:13:48.760 Dulton rushing and Will smith both hurt and both on 0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:52.040 the injure list. Hunter Fradusha RBI single yesterday, I mean 0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:55.760 any offensive production you get from Fraducia and from Ben Roartfatt, 0:13:56.440 --> 0:13:58.960 it's like the cherry on top right, It's like just 0:13:59.040 --> 0:14:01.520 anything extra is all right. We'll take it. We're not 0:14:01.559 --> 0:14:04.000 expecting it, but we'll take it. Because what you brought 0:14:04.000 --> 0:14:06.760 those two guys in to do is be leaders behind 0:14:06.800 --> 0:14:09.840 the plate. Familiar with Mark Pryor, familiar with Connor McGinnis 0:14:09.920 --> 0:14:14.720 the assistant pitching coach, Familiar with Dave Roberts, this coaching staff, philosophies, 0:14:15.040 --> 0:14:19.240 game planning, terminology, everything that goes into it, and even 0:14:19.280 --> 0:14:22.800 for that matter, getting used to these pitchers again, having 0:14:22.840 --> 0:14:25.160 either caught some of these guys either starters or leievers, 0:14:25.240 --> 0:14:28.440 or been around them enough that it's right back into routine, 0:14:28.480 --> 0:14:31.040 catching them, calling pitches, knowing what they throw. Being on 0:14:31.080 --> 0:14:33.920 the same page with the Dodger pitchers, it was huge 0:14:34.480 --> 0:14:35.840 to be able to go out and get these two 0:14:35.880 --> 0:14:40.320 catchers again, not big all star catchers, not guys who 0:14:40.400 --> 0:14:42.400 are gonna tear the cover off the ball and hit 0:14:42.440 --> 0:14:45.000 thirty home runs, but for what you needed them for. 0:14:45.480 --> 0:14:50.000 They absolutely fill the void, both of these guys together 0:14:50.440 --> 0:14:54.160 and have been fantastic for Dave Roberts at the catching spot. 0:14:54.240 --> 0:14:56.440 And again, hopefully Will Smith is back in seven to 0:14:56.480 --> 0:14:58.800 ten days. That's the timeline I'm putting on it. That's 0:14:58.840 --> 0:15:00.640 not the timeline the Dodgers are putting on it, or 0:15:00.680 --> 0:15:02.840 Will Smith is put on it. I'm just hoping that 0:15:02.920 --> 0:15:05.200 within the next week to ten days, if he starts 0:15:05.240 --> 0:15:08.040 tomorrow in a minor league rehab assignment, we can see 0:15:08.080 --> 0:15:10.160 him out there and back behind the plate for the 0:15:10.160 --> 0:15:12.240 Dodgers in the final month of the season. Eight sixty 0:15:12.240 --> 0:15:14.680 six nine eighty seven two five seventy is the number. 0:15:14.720 --> 0:15:17.400 Eight sixty six nine eight seven two five seven. He 0:15:17.480 --> 0:15:20.200 got plenty of time for your phone calls between now 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:22.920 and the top of the hour. We're gonna hear from 0:15:22.960 --> 0:15:25.880 John Hartong from Sports in ATLA coming up in just 0:15:25.920 --> 0:15:28.680 a little bit. It was just announced ago about maybe 0:15:28.720 --> 0:15:32.040 two hours ago from sports NETLA and our friends at 0:15:32.040 --> 0:15:35.320 the Dodgers that tomorrow on TV. Of course, you can 0:15:35.360 --> 0:15:36.960 hear every Dodger game right here on a five seventy 0:15:37.040 --> 0:15:40.640 LA Sports in the iHeartRadio app tomorrow will be Steven 0:15:40.680 --> 0:15:42.920 Nelson rip Monday doing a great job calling the games 0:15:42.920 --> 0:15:45.720 first pitch of four fifteen tomorrow on the TV side 0:15:45.720 --> 0:15:48.520 of it. If you sync him up, you'll be able 0:15:48.520 --> 0:15:54.040 to hear Joe Davis along with Clayton Kershaw. Yes, Joe 0:15:54.120 --> 0:15:57.280 Davis and Clayton Kershaw will be sliding into the analysts 0:15:57.360 --> 0:16:00.720 chair along with Joe calling nine innings of base ball tomorrow, 0:16:00.720 --> 0:16:03.200 so that'll be fun to hear him. Oral Herscheiz will 0:16:03.200 --> 0:16:06.160 rejoin the crew on Wednesday and Thursday in the final 0:16:06.200 --> 0:16:08.400 two games of the three game series in Atlanta, but 0:16:08.600 --> 0:16:10.200 will be kind of fun to hear for the first 0:16:10.240 --> 0:16:13.760 time ever. Clayton Kershaw is an analyst. I know he's 0:16:13.760 --> 0:16:17.080 done some stuff sitting dug outside for NBC and pre 0:16:17.200 --> 0:16:19.800 and postgame stuff for NBC on the Sunday Night Baseball, 0:16:20.120 --> 0:16:23.400 but for sitting into the analyst chair for nine innings 0:16:23.400 --> 0:16:26.240 and hear him break down what's happening during the game 0:16:26.280 --> 0:16:28.880 and at a during at bats and what's the thinking 0:16:28.920 --> 0:16:31.280 of Dodger pitchers and hitters. It's gonna be a lot 0:16:31.320 --> 0:16:35.640 of fun hearing Clayton Kershaw call a game tomorrow on TV. 0:16:35.840 --> 0:16:38.200 So that'll be the first time he gets to do it, 0:16:38.200 --> 0:16:40.640 and who knows, maybe that's something Clayton Kershaw wants to 0:16:40.640 --> 0:16:44.480 do more moving forward as he gets ready for Cooperstown 0:16:44.520 --> 0:16:46.600 to call him his name. In a couple of years, 0:16:46.600 --> 0:16:48.240 we'll take a break, we'll come back, We'll get to 0:16:48.280 --> 0:16:51.320 your phone calls. But up next from Sports net LA, 0:16:51.480 --> 0:16:54.320 the Emmy Award winning host at anchor. He's a guy 0:16:54.320 --> 0:16:56.600 who's been there since twenty fourteen, the day they flipped 0:16:56.640 --> 0:16:59.560 the switch to launch sports in NETLA and access sports Net. 0:16:59.600 --> 0:17:03.400 Dodger pre post off season. I get the honor of 0:17:03.400 --> 0:17:06.560 sitting over there with him during December and January and 0:17:06.600 --> 0:17:09.760 February and spring training, during all the off season Dodger covers. 0:17:10.160 --> 0:17:13.840 The great John Hartongue will join us when we come back. 0:17:13.960 --> 0:17:16.280 Not just a talking head, not just a good looking 0:17:16.280 --> 0:17:19.760 guy on Sports in LA. He's a valley guy. He's 0:17:19.800 --> 0:17:25.560 a Dodger fan, He's an Angelino. And we'll talk to 0:17:25.640 --> 0:17:28.920 John hartong next right here. Off Night Dodger Talk continues 0:17:28.920 --> 0:17:32.480 on n FI seventy LA Sports Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio. 0:17:33.000 --> 0:17:36.040 Off Night Dodger Talk continues here on AM five seventy 0:17:36.240 --> 0:17:40.320 LA Sports Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app. Dodgers heading 0:17:40.359 --> 0:17:43.520 to Atlanta. They start a six game East Coast road 0:17:43.520 --> 0:17:46.760 trip tomorrow at Trewis Park in Atlanta against the Braves. 0:17:46.960 --> 0:17:49.520 First pitch at four to fifteen Marago Casino. Dodgers on 0:17:49.560 --> 0:17:52.280 deck will get our coverage started at three o'clock. Tyler 0:17:52.320 --> 0:17:55.480 Glass now on the mount against Bryce Elder and joining 0:17:55.560 --> 0:17:58.040 us right now. One of the good guys, no, one 0:17:58.040 --> 0:18:01.399 of the great guys over at Sports a LA. You 0:18:01.400 --> 0:18:05.800 see his face every single night during the season, out 0:18:05.800 --> 0:18:09.239 of season Emmy Award winning host anchor sports net LA 0:18:09.280 --> 0:18:12.600 has been there since the launch of the Dodger station 0:18:13.160 --> 0:18:16.359 in twenty fourteen. It's been a fixed year here in 0:18:16.400 --> 0:18:20.920 Southern California's entire life. In fact, greatest moment I ever 0:18:20.960 --> 0:18:23.520 saw of John Hartzung hitting the home run in the 0:18:23.560 --> 0:18:27.639 media game Dodger Stadium many years ago. He legitimately hit 0:18:27.680 --> 0:18:30.359 it out of the ballpark at the Ravine. The only 0:18:30.400 --> 0:18:33.359 guy I've ever seen do it outside of a professional 0:18:33.400 --> 0:18:35.719 baseball player, the one and only John Hartzong. 0:18:35.720 --> 0:18:37.520 How you doing, John, Jim. 0:18:37.640 --> 0:18:41.240 That's a fabulous introduction, Thank you very much. And setting 0:18:41.240 --> 0:18:43.600 the mood as well with the music kount of thinking that. 0:18:43.800 --> 0:18:44.000 Yeah. 0:18:44.080 --> 0:18:48.600 Heading to the South here against the Atlanta Braves Dodgers 0:18:48.640 --> 0:18:51.240 eighty wins. John, You've seen this team all season long. 0:18:51.280 --> 0:18:53.280 They've had their ups, they've had their downs, They've gotten 0:18:53.320 --> 0:18:55.560 through the injuries. They're still going through the injuries right 0:18:55.560 --> 0:18:58.880 now with Poe has but getting Glass now back, and man, 0:18:59.320 --> 0:19:02.119 you look at the road over the weekend with Yamamoto, 0:19:02.560 --> 0:19:05.399 with schoobl and Snell. This is how they drew it up, right. 0:19:05.400 --> 0:19:06.720 I mean, it doesn't get any better than what we 0:19:06.760 --> 0:19:07.480 saw over the weekend. 0:19:07.480 --> 0:19:11.120 Pitching wise, Yeah, I think it's scary for any other 0:19:11.160 --> 0:19:14.600 team watching these guys that they just keep putting out 0:19:14.600 --> 0:19:17.240 to the mound to start games. And now we get 0:19:17.280 --> 0:19:21.080 Tyler Glass now back tomorrow Showhy's going to be back 0:19:21.200 --> 0:19:23.880 possibly and I don't know this for certain, but possibly 0:19:23.920 --> 0:19:27.199 as soon as this weekend in Detroit. Otherwise when the 0:19:27.240 --> 0:19:29.399 Dodgers get back home next week, and so you're going 0:19:29.480 --> 0:19:32.000 to add him into the mix. And you've got Roki 0:19:32.080 --> 0:19:35.480 as well. I mean, what a scary group of starting 0:19:35.520 --> 0:19:38.159 pitchers the Dodgers have. On any given night. Any of 0:19:38.200 --> 0:19:40.360 these guys can shut down the best teams in baseball. 0:19:40.400 --> 0:19:42.120 And it's gonna be a lot of fun to watch 0:19:42.160 --> 0:19:44.720 over the final month of the regular season and to 0:19:44.760 --> 0:19:48.359 see how Dave Roberts uses all of these guys this 0:19:48.640 --> 0:19:51.720 wealth of starting pitching when they get to October again. 0:19:51.560 --> 0:19:53.640 John, you got a front row seed watching these games 0:19:53.680 --> 0:19:56.280 every single night, whether in studio or out there in 0:19:56.359 --> 0:19:59.480 the right field pavilion. What is about this team that's 0:19:59.480 --> 0:20:01.919 different you, I think in the last two years. Is 0:20:01.920 --> 0:20:04.440 there any difference from the twenty four and twenty five 0:20:04.480 --> 0:20:05.479 team that jumps out at you. 0:20:07.200 --> 0:20:09.280 Yeah, I mean a lot of your core guys are 0:20:09.359 --> 0:20:11.679 still the same. And actually one of the differences for 0:20:11.720 --> 0:20:14.720 me is you have certain guys that quite haven't performed 0:20:14.800 --> 0:20:16.919 up to you know, the numbers on the back of 0:20:16.920 --> 0:20:20.440 their baseball cards, and yet you look at where they're 0:20:20.440 --> 0:20:22.400 at in the standings right now, just a game behind 0:20:22.480 --> 0:20:25.040 the Milwaukee Brewers for the best record in all of baseball, 0:20:25.040 --> 0:20:27.359 and I think that speaks to, you know, some of 0:20:27.400 --> 0:20:30.639 the pitching that they've they've brought in this year and 0:20:30.760 --> 0:20:33.440 other guys just stepping up, and Andy Paie is taking 0:20:33.480 --> 0:20:37.399 another step in his career. But I think for the 0:20:37.440 --> 0:20:40.199 most part, for me, there's a lot of similarities. And 0:20:40.280 --> 0:20:43.480 I've seen this team come back against teams late in games, 0:20:44.200 --> 0:20:46.960 and they look like they still have another really good 0:20:47.080 --> 0:20:49.119 run in them. And I can't wait to see what 0:20:49.160 --> 0:20:52.359 these guys do. Because since day one of spring training, 0:20:52.600 --> 0:20:55.640 they've pointed toward the month of October and they've embraced 0:20:56.200 --> 0:20:58.480 the target on their backs is trying to three paint, 0:20:58.480 --> 0:21:00.359 and they didn't shy away from it. I know that 0:21:00.480 --> 0:21:02.360 any team and every team is going to go through 0:21:02.480 --> 0:21:05.720 rolls throughout the course of the season. The Dodgers are 0:21:05.800 --> 0:21:08.520 no different. But I think they're a really good place, 0:21:08.560 --> 0:21:11.160 and you look at their schedule going into September to 0:21:11.200 --> 0:21:13.199 be in a nice little run as they begin the 0:21:13.200 --> 0:21:14.000 month of October. 0:21:14.119 --> 0:21:16.320 You mentioned it. They have the core group, certainly, but 0:21:16.359 --> 0:21:18.520 I think what's been great about this last couple of 0:21:18.600 --> 0:21:21.240 years and the opportunity maybe to three pete is you've 0:21:21.280 --> 0:21:23.960 got those core guys that have been around certainly, but 0:21:24.240 --> 0:21:26.720 then you bring in guys that haven't won, whether it 0:21:26.760 --> 0:21:29.280 was a Blake Snell or Tyler Glass now or now 0:21:29.280 --> 0:21:32.040 you've got a Trek School bll and Kyle Tucker, guys 0:21:32.040 --> 0:21:34.399 who want to taste that and they've seen what the 0:21:34.440 --> 0:21:36.000 Dodgers are able to do. And I think that's something 0:21:36.000 --> 0:21:38.439 that Andrew Freeman and Brandon Gomes and even Dave Roberts 0:21:38.480 --> 0:21:40.840 have done a really good job, John, is to bring 0:21:40.880 --> 0:21:43.000 in guys that are still hungry and can keep that 0:21:43.119 --> 0:21:45.480 hunger going For the guys who have done this two, three, 0:21:45.520 --> 0:21:46.440 four times already. 0:21:47.240 --> 0:21:49.600 Absolutely, And that's a great point that you made, because 0:21:49.680 --> 0:21:52.879 Andrew Freeman has talked about that specific thing, and so 0:21:53.000 --> 0:21:56.600 is Dave Roberts. How it is important to incorporate some 0:21:56.680 --> 0:21:59.560 guys that have that hunger. We saw that last year 0:21:59.600 --> 0:22:02.520 with Blake Snell. And you know Blake being on the 0:22:02.560 --> 0:22:05.440 opening day roster last year and watching everybody else get 0:22:05.480 --> 0:22:08.320 their World Series rings and how that just drove him 0:22:08.359 --> 0:22:10.840 and motivated him to I want to be one of 0:22:10.880 --> 0:22:13.199 those guys next year getting one of these rings. And 0:22:13.280 --> 0:22:16.399 Derek Scooble, he's been in the postseason before, he's pitched 0:22:16.440 --> 0:22:19.159 in the biggest of games outside of the World Series, 0:22:19.200 --> 0:22:21.639 but he wants to get his hands on one as well. 0:22:22.040 --> 0:22:24.720 And you have other guys that just have a hunger 0:22:24.760 --> 0:22:27.520 in them that just want to win every single year, 0:22:28.040 --> 0:22:31.920 and you combine that hunger with the new blood as well. Yeah, 0:22:32.000 --> 0:22:34.000 and I think it's a great mixture of guys going 0:22:34.040 --> 0:22:34.640 into October. 0:22:34.640 --> 0:22:37.280 Again, John, when you think back to twenty fourteen in 0:22:37.320 --> 0:22:40.040 sports and at LA launches and the Dodgers had their 0:22:40.040 --> 0:22:42.560 own TV channel, you know, three hundred and sixty five 0:22:42.640 --> 0:22:45.600 days a year, it was still a Dodger period in 0:22:45.600 --> 0:22:48.040 which head they're winning the divisions or getting to the playoffs, 0:22:48.080 --> 0:22:51.080 and it really started this run that we've seen now 0:22:51.359 --> 0:22:53.440 that they've just rattled off, you know, going to World 0:22:53.480 --> 0:22:55.679 Series and playing in World Series and winning them. But 0:22:55.960 --> 0:22:58.360 that was kind of the infancy of when things really 0:22:58.359 --> 0:23:00.880 started with Andrew Freeman. What do you remember about those 0:23:00.880 --> 0:23:04.120 twenty fourteen, twenty fifteen, those twenty sixteen years, those first 0:23:04.119 --> 0:23:06.560 couple of years of sports in La John and watching 0:23:06.640 --> 0:23:09.560 this team and what Andrew Freeman and Dave Roberts eventually 0:23:09.560 --> 0:23:10.160 started doing. 0:23:11.560 --> 0:23:13.800 We were just excited they were going to the postseason 0:23:13.840 --> 0:23:15.639 those first couple of years. To be honest with you, 0:23:15.720 --> 0:23:17.800 because as you know, I mean, if you've been a 0:23:17.840 --> 0:23:19.720 Dodger fan as long as I have, going back to 0:23:19.760 --> 0:23:23.160 the seventies, yablo make the playoffs year there, maybe make 0:23:23.160 --> 0:23:26.240 a run toward the World Series. But we haven't seen 0:23:26.359 --> 0:23:29.399 anything remotely like this in the history of this organization, 0:23:29.480 --> 0:23:32.040 where they've been in the playoffs every single year. This 0:23:32.119 --> 0:23:35.320 is now year thirteen of the network and we just 0:23:35.400 --> 0:23:37.080 never could have seen this coming if you would have 0:23:37.119 --> 0:23:39.760 told me we'd been here and year thirteen and the 0:23:39.800 --> 0:23:42.600 Dodgers have been in the postseason every year. They've won 0:23:42.720 --> 0:23:45.159 three World Series in the span of six years and 0:23:45.240 --> 0:23:47.960 been two other times as well. We probably wouldn't have 0:23:47.960 --> 0:23:52.480 believed you, but that groundwork was laid, you know, those 0:23:52.520 --> 0:23:55.199 early seasons of our network, even going back to the 0:23:55.200 --> 0:23:57.679 net Colletti teams and the guys that he drafted and 0:23:57.720 --> 0:24:00.760 brought in, whether it was Clayton Kershaw and Cory Seeger 0:24:00.800 --> 0:24:05.119 and Cody Bellinger, Jack Peterson bringing Justin Turner in. So 0:24:05.160 --> 0:24:08.160 the foundation was laid early on. We just didn't see 0:24:08.160 --> 0:24:12.080 this level of success coming. But Andrew Freeman, his group 0:24:12.080 --> 0:24:14.720 and this ownership group that had done just an unbelievable 0:24:14.800 --> 0:24:18.240 job of keeping the Dodgers not just relevant, but keeping 0:24:18.320 --> 0:24:20.119 the Dodgers at the top of the sport for so 0:24:20.160 --> 0:24:20.640 many years. 0:24:20.640 --> 0:24:23.119 Now, John, what is it like for you being a 0:24:23.160 --> 0:24:26.440 Southern California kid growing up, as you said, a Dodger fan, 0:24:26.800 --> 0:24:29.320 and to be the anchor, to be the face of 0:24:29.400 --> 0:24:31.760 the Dodger channel on sports and at LA What is 0:24:31.800 --> 0:24:32.520 this meant for you? 0:24:33.880 --> 0:24:36.639 I still have pinch me moments to this day. In fact, 0:24:36.720 --> 0:24:40.960 what happened just last week when Laurel Hersheiser invited me 0:24:41.040 --> 0:24:44.920 to be part of his Hollywood Walk of Fame star 0:24:45.160 --> 0:24:47.880 unveiling and thinking back to when I was a kid 0:24:47.920 --> 0:24:50.560 watching him pitch, and you know, even having a chance 0:24:50.600 --> 0:24:52.879 to do some pre and post game shows with Steve 0:24:52.920 --> 0:24:56.159 Garvey many years ago as well. These are guys that 0:24:56.280 --> 0:24:59.879 I grew up in, real baseball heroes of mine, you know, 0:25:00.000 --> 0:25:02.159 growing up in Wild Hills in the San Fernando Valley. 0:25:02.160 --> 0:25:04.959 And now to be able to work alongside these guys 0:25:05.000 --> 0:25:07.320 and to call them friends and you know, hang out 0:25:07.359 --> 0:25:11.920 with them outside of baseball, outside of works, it's truly incredible. 0:25:11.960 --> 0:25:14.000 I mean to be honest with you, Tim, and to 0:25:14.040 --> 0:25:17.560 be able to cover my favorite team growing up as 0:25:17.600 --> 0:25:20.320 a kid in the manner that I do, it's truly 0:25:20.320 --> 0:25:22.080 a dream job. It's been incredible. 0:25:22.359 --> 0:25:24.720 I think it's awesome that the opportunities I have to 0:25:24.760 --> 0:25:26.920 come in during the offseason and sit with you guys 0:25:27.200 --> 0:25:29.720 at sports and at LA, to just sit then talk 0:25:29.840 --> 0:25:33.320 baseball with yourself and guys who played the game at 0:25:33.320 --> 0:25:36.800 the highest level and were Dodgers is unbelievable. What is 0:25:36.840 --> 0:25:39.359 that like, John take the listeners and Dodger fans kind 0:25:39.359 --> 0:25:41.560 of behind the scenes, What is that like, you know, 0:25:41.600 --> 0:25:44.560 on a nightly basis, to recap a game, to preview 0:25:44.640 --> 0:25:47.840 a game, to pick the brains of a Nomar Garcia 0:25:47.840 --> 0:25:51.879 par and Adrian Gonzalez A Jerry Harriston Junior and James Loni. 0:25:52.119 --> 0:25:54.960 What is it like, Dontrelle willis to just talk shop 0:25:55.000 --> 0:25:55.679 with these guys. 0:25:57.400 --> 0:26:00.320 It's you know, you played baseball yourself. I know you 0:26:00.320 --> 0:26:02.200 played it at a high level when you're in high 0:26:02.240 --> 0:26:04.159 school and maybe a little bit past that. And I 0:26:04.240 --> 0:26:07.119 played baseball as well. We also grew up fans, and 0:26:07.200 --> 0:26:10.440 I felt like I knew the game pretty darn well. 0:26:10.960 --> 0:26:12.720 And even some of the guys will say, wow, you 0:26:12.760 --> 0:26:15.520 really do know baseball. But I realized I didn't know 0:26:15.600 --> 0:26:18.800 a thing until I started talking about hitting or talked 0:26:18.840 --> 0:26:22.680 about pitching with oral and talking about certain strategy, and 0:26:23.640 --> 0:26:26.359 it just it's a completely different level that I can't 0:26:26.520 --> 0:26:29.600 truly explain to friends of mine. And some of the 0:26:29.640 --> 0:26:32.399 conversations that I've had, I mean, I've had a moment 0:26:32.400 --> 0:26:36.359 where Nomar and Chase Sutley were in the office and 0:26:36.400 --> 0:26:38.800 I'm sitting across from the guys. We're just talking about 0:26:38.840 --> 0:26:41.399 life in baseball, and then they get into this maybe 0:26:41.440 --> 0:26:45.879 twenty thirty minute passionate discussion about hitting, and I was speechless. 0:26:45.880 --> 0:26:48.840 I'm just listening to this, to these two guys talk 0:26:48.920 --> 0:26:52.240 about hitting the way that I've never heard anyone discuss 0:26:52.359 --> 0:26:55.440 hitting before ever, And I'm looking at these two guys thinking, Okay, 0:26:55.520 --> 0:26:58.160 now I realize why both of them were as great 0:26:58.200 --> 0:27:00.840 as they were. And even I've had conversations with Adrian 0:27:00.880 --> 0:27:03.800 Gonzalez too where I had the same reaction as I'm 0:27:03.840 --> 0:27:07.600 thinking to myself or talking pitching with Oral Herscheizer. So 0:27:07.720 --> 0:27:11.359 it's sometimes I'll find myself while we're on the postgame 0:27:11.359 --> 0:27:15.399 show and they're breaking down a pitching performance. They're breaking 0:27:15.440 --> 0:27:18.120 down and at bat, and I'm listening to what they 0:27:18.119 --> 0:27:20.919 were probably thinking if they were the hit or in 0:27:20.960 --> 0:27:23.880 the batter's box, then maybe try to put themselves in 0:27:24.440 --> 0:27:27.199 the shoes of whoever was at the plate in that 0:27:27.240 --> 0:27:29.520 moment as they're breaking down that bat, and I'm thinking 0:27:29.560 --> 0:27:33.840 to myself, Wow, I can't believe that these guys are 0:27:33.920 --> 0:27:37.520 sharing these thoughts and taking us behind the scenes and 0:27:37.560 --> 0:27:40.120 taking us inside the minds of these guys, because it's 0:27:40.119 --> 0:27:42.520 truly brilliant to hear and listen to the way that 0:27:42.560 --> 0:27:44.600 they think about the game and talk about. 0:27:44.400 --> 0:27:46.600 The game that is John Hartong from Sports and at 0:27:46.800 --> 0:27:49.760 LA Gimmy Award winning host anchor. You see him every 0:27:49.880 --> 0:27:52.840 night before and after all the Dodger games. All right, John, 0:27:53.080 --> 0:27:55.760 you watch this team, you know, night after night. What's 0:27:55.800 --> 0:27:58.400 the one thing that makes you believe that they can 0:27:58.440 --> 0:28:01.480 actually get a three peet when it's all said and done. 0:28:01.840 --> 0:28:03.679 Well, I'm going to start with the pitching because, and 0:28:03.720 --> 0:28:07.160 you mentioned the starting pitching. We've never seen a starting 0:28:07.240 --> 0:28:11.600 staff assembled like what the Dodgers have going into the 0:28:11.640 --> 0:28:14.879 month of September. Now, everyone has to be healthy, of course, 0:28:15.600 --> 0:28:18.199 but the bullpen has been a concern like it was 0:28:18.640 --> 0:28:21.640 last year. But you have even more starting pitching depth 0:28:21.800 --> 0:28:23.879 this year that you could use at the back end 0:28:23.920 --> 0:28:27.600 of that bullpen to help finish off games. And at 0:28:27.600 --> 0:28:31.240 the same time, I'm convinced and I'm confidence that you 0:28:31.320 --> 0:28:34.000 have certain guys that haven't performed up to their normal 0:28:34.119 --> 0:28:36.359 levels through the course of this season. But I think 0:28:36.400 --> 0:28:38.960 when the lights get the brightest down the stretch in 0:28:39.000 --> 0:28:41.960 September and into October, I think that they will perform 0:28:42.160 --> 0:28:45.080 up to those levels. So I have the utmost confidence 0:28:45.680 --> 0:28:49.360 in this team going into October that they can three peats. Obviously, 0:28:49.400 --> 0:28:50.960 It's a bit of a crapshoot. When you get to 0:28:50.960 --> 0:28:54.120 the postseason. You have a short series, but you get 0:28:54.160 --> 0:28:56.840 Will Smith back in this lineup, and you get Andy 0:28:56.880 --> 0:28:59.880 Paz back for October. And I don't see any reason 0:29:00.160 --> 0:29:01.320 these guys can't win another one. 0:29:01.400 --> 0:29:03.320 All Right, you guys do something fun on the pregame 0:29:03.320 --> 0:29:06.440 show right before first pitch, call your shot, which Dodger 0:29:06.480 --> 0:29:07.880 is going to hit a home run or have that 0:29:07.960 --> 0:29:10.320 big hit in that game that night. We're gonna do 0:29:10.320 --> 0:29:12.080 a little caller shot right here as far as the 0:29:12.080 --> 0:29:15.040 Dodgers are concerned with, John Hartzog, all right, which team 0:29:15.120 --> 0:29:18.480 do you believe presents the biggest threat to the Dodgers 0:29:18.480 --> 0:29:22.080 in this postseas? Either National League team or American League team? 0:29:22.120 --> 0:29:24.560 But when it comes October? Is there a team that 0:29:24.840 --> 0:29:27.160 just really opens your eyes? John, Like, Oh, this could 0:29:27.160 --> 0:29:28.400 be the team that knocks him off. 0:29:29.320 --> 0:29:34.440 The obvious pick would be the Milwaukee Brewers. The other team, 0:29:34.480 --> 0:29:37.080 though that would scare me because of the left handers 0:29:37.120 --> 0:29:42.600 they have, would be the Philadelphia Phillies. Yeah, and we 0:29:42.720 --> 0:29:46.160 remember that series last year. How close that series was? 0:29:46.240 --> 0:29:48.800 You know, Tail hitting the three run home run in 0:29:48.880 --> 0:29:51.800 Game one, which kind of flipped the series around, and 0:29:51.840 --> 0:29:54.760 then we know what happened in Game four when O'Ryan 0:29:54.880 --> 0:29:57.720 Kirkering threw that ball away. There were so many moments 0:29:57.760 --> 0:30:00.320 in that series alone that could have gone either away. 0:30:00.840 --> 0:30:02.760 Obviously there were a lot of those moments as well 0:30:02.800 --> 0:30:05.920 throughout the World Series too, but that series against the 0:30:05.960 --> 0:30:09.239 Phillies was very scary, and the pitchers that they have 0:30:09.400 --> 0:30:12.080 and having a healthy Zach Wheeler back as well, and 0:30:12.120 --> 0:30:15.440 they added a rise. For some reason, that Philly team 0:30:15.680 --> 0:30:17.600 scares me, I think a little bit more than most 0:30:17.640 --> 0:30:18.320 of the other teams. 0:30:18.360 --> 0:30:21.560 All Right, call your shot for October. Usually one guy 0:30:21.680 --> 0:30:24.400 rises to the occasion more so in the postseason than 0:30:24.480 --> 0:30:26.840 they're in the regular season. Keith A Hernandez is a 0:30:27.040 --> 0:30:30.480 prime example of that, Mister October with the Dodgers, who 0:30:30.480 --> 0:30:32.840 would you put your money on to be the Dodgers 0:30:32.880 --> 0:30:35.720 postseason MVP. Who's that one guy that really you think 0:30:35.800 --> 0:30:37.640 is going to shine this October? 0:30:38.480 --> 0:30:40.360 Oh my gosh, I mean, because they have so many 0:30:40.400 --> 0:30:42.120 guys that have already done it. If I'm going to 0:30:42.200 --> 0:30:45.880 pick someone who hasn't had that moment or done it yet, 0:30:46.360 --> 0:30:48.920 I'm going to say, if Andy pay has comes back 0:30:49.520 --> 0:30:51.840 and he's healthy from the hand that he's going to 0:30:51.880 --> 0:30:53.840 have a little bit of redemption on his mind for 0:30:53.920 --> 0:30:56.960 how his postseason went last year up until, of course, 0:30:57.080 --> 0:31:00.200 the catch of all catches saving the World Series in 0:31:00.240 --> 0:31:01.880 the bottom of the ninth inning. But you know, he 0:31:02.080 --> 0:31:04.080 listened to it and heard about it during the off 0:31:04.160 --> 0:31:06.880 season and spring training, and how he was benched the 0:31:06.880 --> 0:31:09.000 final two games of the World Series because he didn't 0:31:09.080 --> 0:31:12.040 hit at all. He was really struggling all throughout the 0:31:12.080 --> 0:31:14.840 month of October with the bat. I think Andy Paie 0:31:14.880 --> 0:31:17.760 has gonna have some big moments with the bat for 0:31:17.840 --> 0:31:18.880 the Dodgers in October. 0:31:18.960 --> 0:31:21.920 That, yeah, I hope. 0:31:21.920 --> 0:31:22.000 So. 0:31:22.040 --> 0:31:23.800 I think that's a great call for Andy pye is. 0:31:23.920 --> 0:31:26.360 Hopefully he can come back healthier and better than ever 0:31:26.640 --> 0:31:29.080 after that fracture at hand. Final one call your shot. 0:31:29.160 --> 0:31:32.640 John Hartongue here on Dodger to Talk. Can show hey 0:31:32.680 --> 0:31:37.720 Otani beat PCA for the MVP Award for the regular 0:31:37.760 --> 0:31:39.160 season the National League. 0:31:40.080 --> 0:31:43.160 Of course he can't, but he is a huge underdog 0:31:43.360 --> 0:31:46.120 right now. He would have to come back to the 0:31:46.200 --> 0:31:50.400 mounds very soon, and not just you know, pitch, He 0:31:50.440 --> 0:31:52.760 would have to dominate, I think on the mound for 0:31:52.880 --> 0:31:56.400 maybe five starts be great, but also he has to 0:31:56.440 --> 0:32:02.560 start in power again because what PCA has done the 0:32:02.680 --> 0:32:05.920 last three months of this season are unbelievable. I mean, 0:32:06.080 --> 0:32:08.040 you look at what he did his first couple months 0:32:08.040 --> 0:32:11.440 of the season. He was awful. He was betting eighth 0:32:11.480 --> 0:32:13.360 and ninth in the line if he was striking out 0:32:13.400 --> 0:32:15.720 a lot. And I don't know what changed with him, 0:32:15.720 --> 0:32:18.520 But the last three months he's been out of his 0:32:18.720 --> 0:32:23.720 mind and he's consistently kept going and he's probably he's 0:32:23.800 --> 0:32:26.400 probably going to have a forty to forty season and 0:32:26.480 --> 0:32:28.960 what he does defensively in center field. And I'm not 0:32:29.000 --> 0:32:31.880 a big fan of the war stat. I hate it, 0:32:31.960 --> 0:32:34.400 to be honest with you, but they're already talking about 0:32:34.440 --> 0:32:37.360 he could have one of the highest war numbers in 0:32:37.400 --> 0:32:40.200 the history of the game, and a lot of the 0:32:40.320 --> 0:32:44.560 MVP voters love that war stat for whatever reason. And 0:32:44.640 --> 0:32:48.480 I think PCA is the very likely winner of the 0:32:48.600 --> 0:32:51.280 MVP this year. But he could always tail off in 0:32:51.320 --> 0:32:54.440 September and show he could start doing show hey things 0:32:54.480 --> 0:32:56.760 and be dominant on the mound and for more power 0:32:57.040 --> 0:32:58.920 and could take it away from him. But right now 0:32:58.920 --> 0:33:00.440 I see PCA winning the MVP. 0:33:00.600 --> 0:33:02.360 Yeah, it's gonna take a lot for show heye to 0:33:02.440 --> 0:33:05.680 overtake him Tomorrow, Dodgers in the Atlanta Brays, first to 0:33:05.760 --> 0:33:08.200 three from Truis Park, first pitch of four fifteen. You, 0:33:08.200 --> 0:33:09.760 of course can hear the game right here on AFI 0:33:09.840 --> 0:33:12.080 seven e LA Sports and watch it on Sports and 0:33:12.120 --> 0:33:15.360 at LA. And how about a special color analyst tomorrow 0:33:15.480 --> 0:33:18.080 in the booth for Sports in at LA, Clayton Kershaw. 0:33:19.120 --> 0:33:21.760 Yeah, we heard about this. We had to keep it quiet. 0:33:21.800 --> 0:33:25.240 We heard about it a little while ago. And I'm excited, 0:33:25.280 --> 0:33:28.760 and I know Clayton's excited, Joe Davis is excited. As 0:33:28.760 --> 0:33:31.680 a network, We're obviously very excited to have Clayton on 0:33:31.760 --> 0:33:33.520 the game and on the call for the game. And 0:33:33.920 --> 0:33:35.880 I think he wants just to see if he can 0:33:36.200 --> 0:33:38.760 be the next John Smoltz in the booth, if he 0:33:38.840 --> 0:33:41.560 can be and Adam Wainwright or someone like that, to 0:33:41.560 --> 0:33:44.440 see if he enjoys it. Yeah, because I think he's 0:33:44.480 --> 0:33:46.840 going to be very good, and this is going to 0:33:46.920 --> 0:33:49.320 come down to whether he wants to do something like 0:33:49.400 --> 0:33:52.840 that on a more regular basis. And everybody's waiting to 0:33:52.880 --> 0:33:56.160 see how Curse, How Curse does I'd like I said, 0:33:56.200 --> 0:33:58.120 he's going to be great in breaking down the game. 0:33:58.400 --> 0:34:00.720 It's just gonna be a matter of love and want 0:34:00.720 --> 0:34:02.120 to do it more regularly. 0:34:01.920 --> 0:34:03.959 No doubt. It's gonna be a great listen to tomorrow 0:34:04.040 --> 0:34:06.520 and watch on sports and at LA. John, really appreciate 0:34:06.560 --> 0:34:09.240 you jumping on Dodger Talk tonight talking some Dodgers baseball 0:34:09.400 --> 0:34:11.479 as we are now in the final stretch with five 0:34:11.480 --> 0:34:14.240 plus weeks to go here in the regular season before 0:34:14.440 --> 0:34:16.680 the postseason begins. So I really appreciate you, John, have 0:34:16.760 --> 0:34:17.239 a great night. 0:34:17.960 --> 0:34:19.040 Great up with you, Tim. 0:34:19.080 --> 0:34:21.520 Thanks all right, there, he goes John Hartsong from Sports 0:34:21.520 --> 0:34:23.080 in Net LA. We'll come back. We'll get to your 0:34:23.080 --> 0:34:24.839 phone calls at eighty six six ninet eighty seven two, 0:34:24.920 --> 0:34:28.000 five seventy off night. Dodger Talk continues as a Dodgers 0:34:28.200 --> 0:34:31.120 in Atlanta tomorrow, Marongo, because you know Dodgers on Decad three, 0:34:31.239 --> 0:34:33.160 first pitch of four fifteen right here on a five 0:34:33.160 --> 0:34:37.799 seventy LA Sports Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app five 0:34:37.840 --> 0:34:41.200 to seventy LA Sports thanks to John Hartsong from Sports 0:34:41.239 --> 0:34:44.719 net LA. Great guy. You see him every night pre 0:34:44.800 --> 0:34:48.239 and posts on Access sports Net Dodgers. You see him 0:34:48.280 --> 0:34:51.839 during the offseason as well. Great guy, big Dodger fan, 0:34:51.960 --> 0:34:54.520 live his dream and certainly great to catch up with 0:34:54.600 --> 0:34:58.359 John here on Dodger Talk. Eight six, six, nine eighty seven, 0:34:58.400 --> 0:35:00.560 two five seventy is the number before we get back 0:35:00.560 --> 0:35:02.880 out to the phones. Earlier today, down in San Diego, 0:35:03.320 --> 0:35:08.439 a new era of Padres baseball was officially introduced as 0:35:08.520 --> 0:35:12.960 they welcomed in the new owners. Jose E. Afliciano and 0:35:13.040 --> 0:35:17.080 Kwanza Jones were introduced as the new majority owners of 0:35:17.160 --> 0:35:22.560 the San Diego Padres. They were introduced at a press conference. 0:35:22.600 --> 0:35:26.160 They walked out to some theme music. It was certainly theatrical. 0:35:27.200 --> 0:35:30.640 They talked to the media and answered questions for almost 0:35:30.640 --> 0:35:34.360 an hour and set all the right things and things. 0:35:34.360 --> 0:35:36.840 As a fan of a team, you want your owner 0:35:36.960 --> 0:35:39.359 to say, you know, we're gonna be competitive, we want 0:35:39.360 --> 0:35:41.839 to win. What does that look like. We don't know, 0:35:42.080 --> 0:35:45.440 but we envisioned some things and we're gonna be competitive 0:35:45.520 --> 0:35:47.799 and our goal is to bring a championship to the 0:35:47.840 --> 0:35:50.360 San Diego Yeah. They set all the right things and 0:35:50.400 --> 0:35:53.520 talked about the fan base and the community in San Diego, 0:35:53.600 --> 0:35:57.200 and that's all you could ask for for a team 0:35:57.280 --> 0:36:00.480 to have owners that are willing to win and do 0:36:00.560 --> 0:36:03.280 whatever it takes to win, and certainly as Dodger fans, 0:36:03.280 --> 0:36:06.640 and we've seen that the last almost fifteen years with 0:36:06.719 --> 0:36:09.560 this ownership, with Mark Walter and Company and the group 0:36:09.560 --> 0:36:13.840 in Guggenheim committing to win. And I say that because 0:36:13.880 --> 0:36:16.400 you look around Major League Baseball and certainly with the 0:36:16.400 --> 0:36:20.279 impending labor stoppage which we can all assume is going 0:36:20.320 --> 0:36:22.719 to happen after this World Series is all over, because 0:36:22.760 --> 0:36:24.799 the owners want one thing and our dead said at 0:36:24.840 --> 0:36:27.480 having a salary cap, and the players do not want it, 0:36:27.560 --> 0:36:29.759 and they're drawn a line in the sand. You know, 0:36:29.800 --> 0:36:32.160 we could have a work stoppage and most likely will 0:36:32.480 --> 0:36:35.400 come next Spring training. Whether it's a lockout or a strike, 0:36:35.920 --> 0:36:38.160 whatever you want to call it, there's going to be 0:36:38.400 --> 0:36:42.239 labor strife between the two sides. And it's because there 0:36:42.280 --> 0:36:46.480 are certain owners around Major League Baseball who, while they're 0:36:46.520 --> 0:36:48.480 the owners of the team and the stewards of that 0:36:48.640 --> 0:36:51.920 team in that city, don't do whatever they can to 0:36:52.000 --> 0:36:54.640 win each and every year, don't put their money where 0:36:54.640 --> 0:36:57.520 their mouths are, don't necessarily spend what they should be 0:36:57.880 --> 0:37:01.160 to be competitive. And certainly, I get every market is different, 0:37:01.280 --> 0:37:06.000 every range of money that you have to spend as different. 0:37:06.239 --> 0:37:08.719 Whether you're in Kansas City or Pittsburgh or Cleveland, or 0:37:08.760 --> 0:37:12.480 if you're in New York, San Francisco or LA it's different. 0:37:12.719 --> 0:37:16.200 The revenues are different. I get all that, but Baseball 0:37:16.239 --> 0:37:19.160 has done a really good job at trying to level 0:37:19.200 --> 0:37:23.840 the field as best they can with the luxury tax. 0:37:24.280 --> 0:37:28.120 And the luxury tax is there to provide support for 0:37:28.239 --> 0:37:30.799 teams that maybe are in smaller markets that don't have 0:37:30.880 --> 0:37:34.480 as deep as pockets as the big market teams and 0:37:34.520 --> 0:37:38.240 owners do. It's there to level it out as best 0:37:38.280 --> 0:37:41.000 as possible and put money back in the pockets of 0:37:41.080 --> 0:37:43.520 owners who maybe can't get the revenue from radio and 0:37:43.640 --> 0:37:46.440 TV and advertising deals that the New York's and San 0:37:46.480 --> 0:37:49.799 Francisco's and Seattle's and Chicago's the New York's of the 0:37:49.840 --> 0:37:52.839 world can, but they don't put the money back into 0:37:52.880 --> 0:37:56.359 their teams. They don't put that money back into the 0:37:56.400 --> 0:38:01.160 product and to the development around. That's a shame and 0:38:01.200 --> 0:38:03.080 that is a problem, and that is the cry of 0:38:03.080 --> 0:38:07.400 the players Union, which I support. It's one thing to say, well, 0:38:07.520 --> 0:38:09.799 as owners, we need a cap. Spending is getting out 0:38:09.800 --> 0:38:12.439 of control as far as these players' salaries. We want 0:38:12.440 --> 0:38:14.960 to cap it off. We want to limit to what 0:38:15.040 --> 0:38:19.120 these players can make with the salary cap. Well, the 0:38:19.160 --> 0:38:21.839 players are rightfully saying, whoa, whoa, whoa. If you're trying 0:38:21.880 --> 0:38:24.000 to do that, and we got to make a floor here, 0:38:24.040 --> 0:38:26.160 we have to make some kind of floor where the 0:38:26.239 --> 0:38:29.600 owners have to spend at least this amount of money 0:38:29.719 --> 0:38:31.799 to make a case that they're trying to be competitive. 0:38:32.400 --> 0:38:35.840 You can't have salary you know, you can't have a 0:38:35.880 --> 0:38:38.200 salary cap at three hundred million dollars when you got 0:38:38.200 --> 0:38:40.240 a team that an owner not willing to spend seventy 0:38:40.280 --> 0:38:43.400 five million dollars total on a roster or one hundred 0:38:43.440 --> 0:38:46.280 million dollars on a roster. Again, this is big money 0:38:46.480 --> 0:38:49.560 that you and I can't live in that same world. 0:38:50.000 --> 0:38:53.080 It's just not a reality. But to see these guys 0:38:53.400 --> 0:38:56.799 next year potentially going at it owners and players over 0:38:56.880 --> 0:39:00.759 spending and salary caps and salary floors something nobody wants 0:39:00.800 --> 0:39:03.279 to hear about. I get that, and it's not fun 0:39:03.320 --> 0:39:05.279 to talk about it. And fans don't care about that 0:39:05.360 --> 0:39:07.240 kind of stuff because they just want to see baseball. 0:39:07.600 --> 0:39:10.400 I get all that, but this all being said to 0:39:10.400 --> 0:39:12.759 see these new owners in San Diego, and yeah, it's 0:39:12.800 --> 0:39:14.400 kind of funny. People are making fun of them on 0:39:14.440 --> 0:39:17.480 social media for their their personal song they walked out 0:39:17.520 --> 0:39:21.120 to and a kwanza Jones and Jose Fliciano saying things 0:39:21.160 --> 0:39:23.360 and kind of being outgoing and you know, not the 0:39:23.400 --> 0:39:26.759 typical owners meeting and press conference you used to see him. 0:39:26.760 --> 0:39:29.319 But I like that. I think it's fun. I think 0:39:29.320 --> 0:39:32.200 it spices things up. It shows you have young owners 0:39:32.480 --> 0:39:36.000 and a couple that is investing in now a city 0:39:36.000 --> 0:39:40.000 in San Diego, a professional sports team in the Padres 0:39:40.120 --> 0:39:44.680 and that stadium, and want to build a competitor. That's great. 0:39:45.040 --> 0:39:49.000 It's great for them, it's great for the Dodgers. It's 0:39:49.040 --> 0:39:54.520 great for baseball because it's another competitive franchise and that's 0:39:54.560 --> 0:39:58.440 what you want. More teams with fresh blood if it 0:39:58.520 --> 0:40:01.320 needs or the old doll us start spending some of 0:40:01.400 --> 0:40:03.799 that money that they got in their pockets, because they've 0:40:03.840 --> 0:40:04.239 got it. 0:40:04.640 --> 0:40:05.319 These guys are. 0:40:05.239 --> 0:40:08.920 Billionaires for a reason. They're businessmen and women. There's a 0:40:08.920 --> 0:40:11.720 reason why they're they're upper one percent of one percent 0:40:11.760 --> 0:40:15.400 as far as money in this world and owning professional teams. 0:40:15.800 --> 0:40:19.120 Spend that money you invest in it spend it make 0:40:19.160 --> 0:40:24.680 more money, because certainly the blueprint is there for successful 0:40:24.719 --> 0:40:27.600 teams and it's not just all about spending. For those 0:40:27.640 --> 0:40:28.879 of you who want to look at the New York 0:40:28.920 --> 0:40:31.560 Mets prime example, you can have all the money in 0:40:31.560 --> 0:40:34.000 the world, Steve Cohen, but if you don't make the 0:40:34.040 --> 0:40:38.880 best decisions for your team and that fit for your organization, 0:40:39.360 --> 0:40:41.879 from the major league roster to the people who put 0:40:41.920 --> 0:40:45.000 it together to the minor league system and development, it's 0:40:45.040 --> 0:40:46.759 not all going to come together like it has for 0:40:46.800 --> 0:40:49.760 the Dodgers. They've clicked on everything, putting the right people 0:40:49.800 --> 0:40:52.279 in place to call the shots and Andrew Freeman and 0:40:52.320 --> 0:40:55.640 Brandon Gohins in the front office, to the coaching staff 0:40:55.760 --> 0:40:58.239 to the players, bringing in the right players because you 0:40:58.280 --> 0:41:01.839 can bring in superstars and they don't work. I mean, heck, 0:41:02.000 --> 0:41:04.239 we can look at two superstars they signed this past 0:41:04.280 --> 0:41:07.040 offseason that haven't had the kind of twenty twenty six 0:41:07.360 --> 0:41:09.200 that we thought in the vision they'd have, and Edwin 0:41:09.280 --> 0:41:12.440 Diaz and Kyle Tucker. It hasn't panned out. It hasn't, 0:41:13.239 --> 0:41:16.960 but they've hit more times than they've missed, the Los 0:41:16.960 --> 0:41:19.839 Angeles Dodgers. And then you bring into development and how 0:41:19.840 --> 0:41:22.680 to draft and bring up players and go out and 0:41:22.680 --> 0:41:24.600 get other players from the minor league systems to be 0:41:24.640 --> 0:41:27.080 a trade and develop those players. They just do it right. 0:41:27.800 --> 0:41:29.719 And again with the new ownership in San Diego with 0:41:29.800 --> 0:41:33.239 Quanta Jones and jose E Feliciano, you hope they bring 0:41:33.320 --> 0:41:38.040 some new blood and that same competitive spirit that we 0:41:38.160 --> 0:41:42.439 see with this Dodgers ownership. Eight six six, nine eighty 0:41:42.440 --> 0:41:44.600 seven two five seventy. Let's go out to the phones. 0:41:44.640 --> 0:41:47.480 Thank you for being patient. We appreciate it. Stu and 0:41:47.520 --> 0:41:49.759 Calabass to start things off here on this Monday night 0:41:49.800 --> 0:41:51.200 and off night Dodgers talk. How you doing, Stu? 0:41:52.719 --> 0:41:56.680 Excellent? Very little warm out here today, but we can survive. 0:41:57.400 --> 0:42:00.400 Let me give you some options to wake up the 0:42:00.480 --> 0:42:05.200 Dodger offense. Okay, you move Miggi Rojas to second base. 0:42:05.880 --> 0:42:09.520 You take Tommy Edmond and put him into either left 0:42:09.719 --> 0:42:13.680 or right doesn't matter. You put Tieke in center, and 0:42:13.760 --> 0:42:19.799 you rotate Tucker and Tao one against the lefty and 0:42:19.840 --> 0:42:22.560 one against the righty. I don't think those guys are 0:42:22.640 --> 0:42:27.480 hitting above two hundred against the lefty, lefty, righty, righty. 0:42:28.040 --> 0:42:30.200 You tell me that's not a good option. 0:42:30.400 --> 0:42:33.319 That is an option. I don't necessarily think it's an 0:42:33.320 --> 0:42:37.200 option right now. I still think the landing runway here 0:42:37.400 --> 0:42:40.839 for Kyle Tucker and Taskar Hernandez to get right is 0:42:40.840 --> 0:42:42.840 going to extend all the way through the end of 0:42:42.880 --> 0:42:46.000 the regular season, and even then so Taskar hernanz John 0:42:46.000 --> 0:42:48.160 Hartong mentioned just a few minutes ago the big three 0:42:48.239 --> 0:42:51.440 run home run, the Tao hit in Philadelphia. Guy's proven 0:42:51.480 --> 0:42:54.239 in the postseason he can perform. I'm still gonna bet 0:42:54.280 --> 0:42:56.960 on him in the lineup rather than him not in 0:42:57.000 --> 0:42:59.080 the lineup. Kyle Tucker's still going to prove it to me. 0:42:59.520 --> 0:43:02.319 And the last couple of days, you know, he's come 0:43:02.360 --> 0:43:04.240 through with some hits. He had a big RBI single 0:43:04.520 --> 0:43:07.880 over the weekend against the Pirates. We're seeing some glimpses. 0:43:08.320 --> 0:43:11.160 They're small glimpses, but we're seeing them. So there's still 0:43:11.280 --> 0:43:17.040 time for him, in my mind, to show that he 0:43:17.400 --> 0:43:19.920 come October is going to be that right fielder for 0:43:19.960 --> 0:43:22.759 the Dodgers. I don't see it changing. I don't see 0:43:22.800 --> 0:43:24.719 them abandoned him all of a sudden and going to 0:43:24.760 --> 0:43:27.279 a different option. I think they're going to give him 0:43:27.280 --> 0:43:30.520 the longest route possible here to make it work here 0:43:30.520 --> 0:43:33.279 in twenty twenty six and then into the postseason here 0:43:33.480 --> 0:43:35.880 of twenty twenty six, but that is certainly an option 0:43:36.360 --> 0:43:38.520 now with the center field spot and Andy Paie has 0:43:39.719 --> 0:43:43.120 you know, Alec Thomas has come in and had back 0:43:43.160 --> 0:43:46.319 to back RBI singles Saturday and Sunday since coming up 0:43:46.320 --> 0:43:48.920 from Triple A Oklahoma City Again. He's got four years 0:43:49.360 --> 0:43:52.720 in the major leagues with the Arizona Diamondbacks. For whatever reason, 0:43:52.920 --> 0:43:56.120 he fell off to start this season. They dfa'ed him, 0:43:56.160 --> 0:43:59.440 and the Dodgers gladly took them put him in Triple A, 0:44:00.040 --> 0:44:03.520 and for the last four months he has been redoing 0:44:03.560 --> 0:44:06.760 his swing. He has been working on, you know, his defense, 0:44:07.320 --> 0:44:10.279 and Alec Thomas the last couple of days has looked like, 0:44:10.600 --> 0:44:13.560 you know, the Alec Thomas we saw in Arizona, and 0:44:13.600 --> 0:44:16.840 that's all you can ask for from him until Andy 0:44:16.840 --> 0:44:19.799 Piz comes back. Now, the left field spot with you know, 0:44:19.880 --> 0:44:24.440 taoscar Hernandez. Okay, maybe maybe Tommy Edmand gets more more 0:44:24.480 --> 0:44:27.040 love some Keiky a Hernandez out in left field a 0:44:27.040 --> 0:44:30.240 little bit more. Okay, I'm all right with that because 0:44:30.280 --> 0:44:33.400 certainly those guys deserve playing time. I mean Kei ky 0:44:33.440 --> 0:44:35.920 Hearnandaz in particular. I'm talking about you got to get 0:44:35.960 --> 0:44:38.719 him more swings. It just feels like when Keyk's out there, 0:44:38.920 --> 0:44:43.000 he's making something happen. He's a spark and he's, you know, 0:44:43.200 --> 0:44:45.760 a guy who with you know you need a rally, 0:44:45.760 --> 0:44:47.880 you need something to get going. It's key K. I 0:44:47.920 --> 0:44:50.080 mean again, I watched the docu series and we watched 0:44:50.080 --> 0:44:52.359 the world series from twenty twenty four. It was Kei 0:44:52.400 --> 0:44:54.640 y Hernandez who got things going when they needed a 0:44:54.640 --> 0:44:59.160 big hit. Isabelle quickly, how you doing, Hey, I'm going 0:44:59.239 --> 0:44:59.520 to do it. 0:44:59.600 --> 0:45:01.879 Cam. I agree with you. I agree with you when 0:45:01.920 --> 0:45:05.120 you take there and they love Challenger. 0:45:05.200 --> 0:45:06.240 I agree everything. 0:45:06.760 --> 0:45:12.040 Dodger be fine. So anyway, all right, all right. 0:45:12.080 --> 0:45:13.680 Is it great to hear from you. Have a great 0:45:13.719 --> 0:45:16.040 rest of your night. Everybody else, you have a great 0:45:16.080 --> 0:45:18.000 rest of your night as well. Thanks to Ronnie Fossil 0:45:18.080 --> 0:45:20.120 for all his help. Thank you for listening, being a 0:45:20.160 --> 0:45:22.879 part of the show, Dodger Fans, and of course being 0:45:22.880 --> 0:45:24.520 a part on the podcast as well, where you can 0:45:24.560 --> 0:45:27.840 always listen on the iHeartRadio app Just listen for Dodger 0:45:27.880 --> 0:45:29.960 Talk and find it, subscribed to it and it's right 0:45:29.960 --> 0:45:32.960 there on your phone or tablet wherever you get your podcasts. Well, 0:45:33.000 --> 0:45:35.400 I'm wrong with casino Dodgers on deck beginning to three tomorrow. 0:45:35.560 --> 0:45:38.320 It's tyler Glass now making his return, Dodgers and braves 0:45:38.560 --> 0:45:40.239 until then, so everybody