Speaker 1: And an exclusive interview with David Bassay for Dodger Talk.
Speaker 1: The Dodgers are wrapping up thirteen straight games in a row,
Speaker 1: and it's time now for the Managers Meeting taking place today,
Speaker 1: presented by Downy Hunday with the one and only Dave Roberts. Dave,
Speaker 1: thanks a lot for the time.
Speaker 2: Appreciate it, Dave, good to sit with you and chat.
Speaker 2: You know, coming off a couple of wins here in Denver,
Speaker 2: so in a good place right now. Offense is kind
Speaker 2: of rebounded, pitching has been good, so you know, want
Speaker 2: to close these guys out.
Speaker 1: Yeah, just to get the pulse of you and the
Speaker 1: team after a couple of games here in Denver, what
Speaker 1: are the vibes? Are you convinced things are going in
Speaker 1: the right direction?
Speaker 2: I am, you know, I'm not totally still appreciating results matter,
Speaker 2: just kind of how we've gone about things the last
Speaker 2: couple of days. You know, I think the team at
Speaker 2: bats and what I mean by that is, you know,
Speaker 2: swinging at strikes, taking balls. Our swing percentage is lower,
Speaker 2: our chase rate is low, and then the production's gone
Speaker 2: up and I can see that from everyone in the lineup.
Speaker 2: So that's something to bet on going forward. So yeah,
Speaker 2: I think that we stacked a couple days together and
Speaker 2: just kind of the vibe right now. Guys are feeling good,
Speaker 2: they're looking forward to that off day coming up tomorrow,
Speaker 2: and then we've got another one on Monday, so you know,
Speaker 2: guys are in a good spot.
Speaker 1: Dave, You've taught us a lot over the years, But
Speaker 1: the one thing that stands out to me is how
Speaker 1: you've talked about earning good counts, which in turn has
Speaker 1: good results. Where does that come from individually and collectively?
Speaker 2: Well, I think first it is collectively in the sense
Speaker 2: of really understanding that that philosophy and buying into it,
Speaker 2: and then individually just understanding that, yeah, you get four
Speaker 2: balls for a walk, three balls for a strikeout, but
Speaker 2: they're all valuable, right, and so that dictates what a
Speaker 2: pitcher is going to do, what he can do, what
Speaker 2: he can't do, and so you know, you take that
Speaker 2: first pitch slider off, you want to know you've earned
Speaker 2: a better opportunity where if they want to be too
Speaker 2: fine again and nibble, then you could be two to zero.
Speaker 3: And so those are.
Speaker 2: Things that I think that you continue to earn good
Speaker 2: counts and then you look at the body of work,
Speaker 2: then you look at you're in good counts, and then
Speaker 2: you have more production.
Speaker 1: Since you took over. I remember being next to your
Speaker 1: dugout and those group of players and yourself would always
Speaker 1: be screaming at the hitter at the plate, keep going,
Speaker 1: keep going. Do you feel like that's the identity you
Speaker 1: have to rediscover?
Speaker 2: I do, you know, and we have it as part
Speaker 2: of our DNA, But I think sometimes in a one
Speaker 2: sixty two marathon, you know, it's a grind, and every
Speaker 2: hitter will say that, then it gets kind of lost
Speaker 2: a little bit, and you got to kind of bring
Speaker 2: that to the forefront.
Speaker 3: And yeah, you.
Speaker 2: Could be O too, and you know, you win a
Speaker 2: pitch right there, you get back to one, two, and
Speaker 2: you just keep going and you you you know, in
Speaker 2: Max months he did it a couple a couple of
Speaker 2: nights ago where he was O two and one. A
Speaker 2: couple pitches, got back to two to two, spoiled to
Speaker 2: two inside heater, and then got to three and the
Speaker 2: next pitch was a homer.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: So those are things that you keep fighting, you keep
Speaker 2: going and not just just wave the white flag.
Speaker 1: Dave your best player show, Hey, Otani told me last night, yes,
Speaker 1: it was nice to hit his thirtieth home run of
Speaker 1: the year, but he was lamenting the fact that his
Speaker 1: other ad bats he wasn't able to drive in runs
Speaker 1: in those situations. Is that a good feeling, a good
Speaker 1: tone setter from the best player?
Speaker 3: It is?
Speaker 2: It is, And I think that everyone praises the homer
Speaker 2: and the things that you can kind of see, but
Speaker 2: you know, not getting a guy in from third base,
Speaker 2: not getting a guy over second base, those are things
Speaker 2: when you have great players that lament, as you said,
Speaker 2: you know value those things, and you know that's when
Speaker 2: you have a championship culture, and you know, to hear
Speaker 2: show Hey say that, that kind of that gives me goosebumps.
Speaker 3: I love it.
Speaker 1: Dave Roberts with goosebumps here. I got another question for
Speaker 1: Otani in last night. I asked him whether or not
Speaker 1: he's paying attention to what PCA is doing in Chicago.
Speaker 1: He would not concede that he is, But how much
Speaker 1: do you believe the MVP and the way PCA is
Speaker 1: pushing him this year is a factor going down the stretch.
Speaker 2: You know, Showhey is always going to want to be
Speaker 2: his best version, right and realize whatever expectation he has
Speaker 2: for himself. But obviously, I think he's a very smart
Speaker 2: in tune player that it's hard not to ignore that.
Speaker 2: And you know, you only get so many chances to
Speaker 2: be an MVP, and obviously he's done it, you know,
Speaker 2: many times over. But you know, you got another guy
Speaker 2: making some noise. So I'm certain he's aware of it.
Speaker 2: But it certainly doesn't play into is every at that
Speaker 2: kind of mindset? But I'm glad it's funny that he
Speaker 2: played Little koy.
Speaker 1: What about the pitching side of it? Everybody keeps debating
Speaker 1: PCA's defense and Otani's fourteen starts this year. Where are
Speaker 1: we with the possibility of Otani returning.
Speaker 2: Well, he's had two good bullpen sessions right around thirty
Speaker 2: five pitches, and he's either gonna you know, another bullpen
Speaker 2: here at home over the weekend, or do a live
Speaker 2: session at some point soon, a one inning session to
Speaker 2: build off of that. But I could see early September him,
Speaker 2: you know, coming back and you know, building up from
Speaker 2: an inning to two innings and going forward.
Speaker 1: Are you comfortable with all that? Doing what you did
Speaker 1: last year with the rehab starts being at the major
Speaker 1: league level.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think we all are.
Speaker 2: We're all aligned from show Hey to the front office,
Speaker 2: to the training staff, coaching staff, and he's one of
Speaker 2: our best pitchers. So any inning we can get from
Speaker 2: him is certainly valuable and additive.
Speaker 3: So yeah, we're good with it.
Speaker 1: The manager's meeting is presented by Downey Hyundai. We're in
Speaker 1: the manager's office with the great Dave Roberts. You obviously
Speaker 1: had to put Edwin Diaz back on the il. Whatever's
Speaker 1: happening with the neck and him getting back on track.
Speaker 1: Does he have enough time to show whether or not
Speaker 1: he can be a weapon for you in the postseason
Speaker 1: or is he running out of time?
Speaker 3: He certainly has enough time.
Speaker 2: What we came back from the doctors with the MRI nothing,
Speaker 2: there was no founding, so that was good and so
Speaker 2: now it's just kind of, you know, get back to
Speaker 2: feeling good, feeling like yourself. There's some things that we
Speaker 2: can do to loosen up the neck, but for me,
Speaker 2: he's one of our best pictures.
Speaker 3: He will be, you know.
Speaker 2: We'll give him every opportunity, obviously to be on the
Speaker 2: postseason roster, and I don't know what role he'll have
Speaker 2: when he comes back, and I know he wants to
Speaker 2: earn that opportunity, that right to be at the back end.
Speaker 2: But yeah, get him back to health, get him back
Speaker 2: on the roster, and then we'll see where we go
Speaker 2: from there.
Speaker 1: You guys are still trying to win games, still trying
Speaker 1: to position yourselves in the top two seeds. Does the
Speaker 1: best thirteen pitchers start to enter your mind? Or are
Speaker 1: we a little bit too early for that?
Speaker 2: I think right now it's a little premature, But I
Speaker 2: think that when we get into the middle of September
Speaker 2: then it starts to we kind of hone in on
Speaker 2: that a little bit more.
Speaker 1: I know you talked about this a couple of times
Speaker 1: as well, but I'd be remiss if I didn't ask
Speaker 1: you about the conversations you've had with Kyle Tucker, how
Speaker 1: you're trying to manage him. And I guess the biggest
Speaker 1: thing that everybody's asking, does he have somebody to lean on?
Speaker 3: Or are you that guy? You know what, I hope
Speaker 3: I'm that guy.
Speaker 2: I think that I'm proactively intentionally building a relationship with him,
Speaker 2: And you know, he's a hard guy to get to
Speaker 2: know and build trust with, and but you know, I
Speaker 2: think that We've made a lot of end roads and
Speaker 2: I feel really good with our relationship and just kind
Speaker 2: of making sure he's not alone in this. And he's
Speaker 2: got teammates and staff that are supporting him. But I
Speaker 2: definitely want to be a person that, you know, for
Speaker 2: counsel and support. I mean, that's part of my job.
Speaker 2: So I thought last night was a good sign. I
Speaker 2: thought defensively he was much more active. Defensively, I thought
Speaker 2: they had that that he had the double was great
Speaker 2: and the intent, So let's just keep stacking it and
Speaker 2: kind of make sure that he restores his confidence.
Speaker 1: Fair Enough, you got to win the day, and Dave
Speaker 1: Roberts is going to win today, tomorrow, and on Saturday,
Speaker 1: Dave Roberts is going to be at one of my
Speaker 1: favorite places, Cardboard Legends, starting at ten thirty out there
Speaker 1: in Van Eyes, and Dave's going to be out there
Speaker 1: kissing babies, sunning autographs, having a great time in my
Speaker 1: neck of the woods. Have you ever been to Van Eyes, Dave?
Speaker 1: Do you know what Van Eyes is all about?
Speaker 3: I have been into the valley.
Speaker 2: I do love Van Eyes, and I don't do these
Speaker 2: things very often, but this is going to be funny
Speaker 2: it's a chance for me to get with the fans,
Speaker 2: be personal, shake hands, as you said, kiss babies, and
Speaker 2: take photos and do some signing. So this is funny.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: I'll be out there for a couple hours and then
Speaker 2: get ready to manage a ball game. But I really
Speaker 2: enjoyed thanks for bringing that up.
Speaker 1: Hey, I got goosebumps. You're going to be in the
Speaker 1: Great one eight.
Speaker 2: That's right, that's right. Absolutely, I love that. I love
Speaker 2: your hood, Dave. Thanks a lot for the time, Dave.
Speaker 2: Enjoy your day off.
Speaker 1: And obviously the Dodgers are doing pretty well these days,
Speaker 1: with seventy six wins in counting. Thanks a lot for
Speaker 1: the time.
Speaker 3: All right, Dave, we'll catch up next week.