1
00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:07,000
Speaker 1: Bill Blankett covers the Dodgers for the Orange County Register

2
00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:09,000
Speaker 1: and joins us right now on Foul Territory.

3
00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:09,160
Speaker 2: Bell.

4
00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:10,760
Speaker 1: Great to have you on the show. Thank you for

5
00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:13,560
Speaker 1: joining us. I like to do this anytime we bring

6
00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:16,640
Speaker 1: someone on and a team is going through a mini rut.

7
00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:19,520
Speaker 1: They've lost about four or five. They had a tough

8
00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:22,160
Speaker 1: series against Pittsburgh. Are the Dodgers.

9
00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:27,920
Speaker 2: Okay, it's not a mini rut. They're twenty two and

10
00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,479
Speaker 2: twenty nine since the fourth of July, and I think

11
00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:34,600
Speaker 2: that's about eleventh or twelfth best in the National League

12
00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:39,120
Speaker 2: during that time. It's not a mini rut. They've been

13
00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:42,760
Speaker 2: fairly mediocre for a good two month stretch.

14
00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,920
Speaker 3: No matter what's wrong, Bill, Yeah.

15
00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:51,640
Speaker 2: It's mostly the offense. You know, you don't like to

16
00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:55,560
Speaker 2: point fingers, but it's mostly the offense. The starting pitching

17
00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:59,800
Speaker 2: has been pretty good, in fact, it's probably their strength

18
00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:03,640
Speaker 2: right now. The bullpen has been up and down, hasn't

19
00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:09,640
Speaker 2: been great, but the offense has just thoroughly underperformed. Based

20
00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:12,960
Speaker 2: on the names in you know that they put out

21
00:01:12,959 --> 00:01:16,959
Speaker 2: there every day. You could go down the lineup and

22
00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:21,480
Speaker 2: really the only guys who are living up to the

23
00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:26,600
Speaker 2: back of their baseball card are Freddie Freeman, Will Smith,

24
00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:31,959
Speaker 2: Shoheo Tani and even he is down from last year's

25
00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:33,280
Speaker 2: ridiculous performance.

26
00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:37,000
Speaker 3: Does it change? Does it change without them getting Max

27
00:01:37,080 --> 00:01:40,360
Speaker 3: Munsey back, because I've always said Max Munsey's at bats

28
00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:44,600
Speaker 3: really change how this lineup is approached by other teams.

29
00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:47,320
Speaker 3: They at bats just are not the same. They don't

30
00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:49,400
Speaker 3: put together a grinded at back.

31
00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:56,280
Speaker 2: Absolutely right. The effect that Max has on the lineup

32
00:01:56,640 --> 00:02:02,720
Speaker 2: is outsized. You can't can't explain it that that easily.

33
00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:06,480
Speaker 2: I actually asked him last week. I told him I

34
00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:08,840
Speaker 2: was going to start calling it the Max Months the effect,

35
00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:12,200
Speaker 2: and I wanted him to explain it, and he said,

36
00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:14,840
Speaker 2: just what you said. He he has the kind of

37
00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:20,639
Speaker 2: it bats that wear out pitchers, that allow other guys

38
00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:23,720
Speaker 2: in the lineup to be themselves. They don't have to

39
00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:27,400
Speaker 2: try and you know be the guy who does that.

40
00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:31,000
Speaker 2: Will Smith is the only other guy who sees a

41
00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:34,560
Speaker 2: lot of pitches. So when you take Max out of there,

42
00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:38,280
Speaker 2: we've seen a lot of nine to ten pitch one, two,

43
00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:43,480
Speaker 2: three innings. It's it's no coincidence last year when he

44
00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:46,679
Speaker 2: went out for three months with rib injury. They never

45
00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:49,639
Speaker 2: really replaced him, and the offense dragged a little bit

46
00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:53,639
Speaker 2: this year. He's been out for all but eight games

47
00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:56,799
Speaker 2: since that early July, and it's not a coincidence that

48
00:02:56,880 --> 00:02:57,960
Speaker 2: the offense has suffered.

49
00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:02,040
Speaker 1: He's going to back and so that'll help the offense.

50
00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:04,639
Speaker 1: So my question might be lazy, but I'm gonna ask

51
00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:09,600
Speaker 1: it anyway. Isn't this what the Dodgers wanted? And get

52
00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:13,880
Speaker 1: yourself off to a nice start, cruise, prepare for October.

53
00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:19,120
Speaker 1: Someone's out, someone needs a little blow, il take extra time.

54
00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:22,520
Speaker 1: Let's just make sure our October roster is stacked and

55
00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:26,120
Speaker 1: try and solve the ultimate problem in Major League Baseball

56
00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:28,640
Speaker 1: in the two thousands, winning back to back championships.

57
00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:33,040
Speaker 2: Yeah, you're right. You've defined the arrogance that is the

58
00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:38,080
Speaker 2: Los Angeles Dodgers. That is exactly how they operate the

59
00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:44,680
Speaker 2: regular season is not do or die. Other teams when

60
00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:47,720
Speaker 2: they play the Dodgers, it's the most important games on

61
00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:51,000
Speaker 2: their calendar. That is not the case for the Dodgers.

62
00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:56,200
Speaker 2: They don't match that intensity or urgency. The problem is,

63
00:03:56,240 --> 00:04:00,040
Speaker 2: and I've been saying this since the trade deadline, I

64
00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:01,960
Speaker 2: don't think they're as good as they think they are.

65
00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:06,800
Speaker 2: They didn't make any big moves at the deadline because

66
00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:10,360
Speaker 2: of what you're saying. They thought, you know, we'll be fine,

67
00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:14,320
Speaker 2: we'll be stacked when everybody comes back healthy. Well maybe

68
00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:17,200
Speaker 2: they you know, these guys come back healthy, maybe they

69
00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:19,839
Speaker 2: don't come back to the same level. You know. A

70
00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:23,120
Speaker 2: good example, Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates both came back

71
00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:26,640
Speaker 2: from a short stint on the IL and haven't looked good.

72
00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:29,279
Speaker 2: They didn't look great when they went on the aisle.

73
00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:34,160
Speaker 2: They don't look great now. And there's just too many

74
00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:37,919
Speaker 2: guys having down years. I mean, ta Oscar Hernandez is

75
00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:41,600
Speaker 2: not the same hitter he was last year. Mookie Betts

76
00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:46,039
Speaker 2: is having the worst season offensively of his career. The

77
00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:50,120
Speaker 2: bottom of the lineup is pretty thin right now with

78
00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:54,400
Speaker 2: Max Muncy out of there. So yeah, they're gonna make

79
00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:58,719
Speaker 2: it to October. They're gonna have a pretty good roster

80
00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:02,120
Speaker 2: when they get into October. Over in like we like

81
00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:04,719
Speaker 2: we've seen for twenty five, twenty six years, it's a

82
00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:08,040
Speaker 2: crap shoot once you get there, all right.

83
00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:09,800
Speaker 3: I have two questions for you.

84
00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:11,680
Speaker 4: One, Will Smith is doing this again where he hasn't

85
00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:14,960
Speaker 4: unbelievable first half and then he kind of falls off.

86
00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,680
Speaker 3: Is it wear and tear on him? Is it?

87
00:05:17,880 --> 00:05:21,880
Speaker 4: I mean, I know it happens to a lot of catchers.

88
00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:25,159
Speaker 4: Happened to him, I had, it happened to me a lot.

89
00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:27,280
Speaker 4: You just kind of get worn down mentally.

90
00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:28,280
Speaker 5: But what can they do?

91
00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:30,480
Speaker 4: Because they brought up rushing, they've tried to use him more,

92
00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:32,039
Speaker 4: but it hasn't seemed to help that much.

93
00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:36,640
Speaker 2: With Will, the drop off isn't as bad this year

94
00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:40,000
Speaker 2: as it has been the last couple. There were physical

95
00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:42,840
Speaker 2: issues that played into it. The last couple of years.

96
00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:46,560
Speaker 2: He had a rib injury one year, I think it

97
00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:50,919
Speaker 2: was a concussion, another year that kind of lingered for

98
00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:54,679
Speaker 2: a little while, and he hurt his ankle on a slide.

99
00:05:54,839 --> 00:05:59,200
Speaker 2: It just little things that you look back and you

100
00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:03,039
Speaker 2: can kind of point to them. But you're right, they've

101
00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:06,680
Speaker 2: done everything they can to keep the workload down and

102
00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:10,479
Speaker 2: it's still happening. I asked Dave Roberts about that the

103
00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:13,039
Speaker 2: other day and he said, no, it's not the same thing.

104
00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:16,120
Speaker 2: It's not the same thing. There's a little mechanical issue

105
00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:19,359
Speaker 2: that he's working on. Well. Then the next day he

106
00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:21,200
Speaker 2: hit a pinch at home run to win a game.

107
00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:25,159
Speaker 2: He had a three hit game Tuesday here in Pittsburgh,

108
00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:27,960
Speaker 2: and then last night foul ball off his hand. Won't

109
00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:29,479
Speaker 2: be in the lineup for a couple of days, so

110
00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:34,480
Speaker 2: you know you played the position. It's hard. There's a

111
00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:38,400
Speaker 2: lot of banging and wear and tear. And that's the

112
00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,559
Speaker 2: problem with counting on a catcher to be a key

113
00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:46,520
Speaker 2: offensive piece in your lineup. It just demands so much.

114
00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:52,120
Speaker 1: FTFAM designer clothes can be expensive, but we want our

115
00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:53,960
Speaker 1: clothes to look good, we want to feel good. We

116
00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:55,080
Speaker 1: want it to be affordable.

117
00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:55,880
Speaker 3: And Kratz.

118
00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:57,880
Speaker 1: If you tell me that I can wear a T

119
00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:00,800
Speaker 1: shirt that looks like it's tailored but it's not actually

120
00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:03,400
Speaker 1: tailored and it just comes that way, then sign me

121
00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:04,320
Speaker 1: up for True Classic.

122
00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:07,760
Speaker 3: Have to you gotta sign up for it because these

123
00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:13,200
Speaker 3: shirts are soft, they're thin, they're durable, and they're very versatile.

124
00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:15,040
Speaker 3: You can wear them to the gym, you can wear

125
00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:18,000
Speaker 3: them out to a nice dinner. Let's get after it

126
00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:19,960
Speaker 3: because these shirts are the real deal.

127
00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:20,960
Speaker 2: They are.

128
00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:21,560
Speaker 3: Check it out.

129
00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:23,880
Speaker 1: I've got one of the performance ones. It's a nice

130
00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:27,120
Speaker 1: blue fits well. I can go to the gym, I

131
00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:29,720
Speaker 1: can go out, I can do FT in a shirt

132
00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:33,040
Speaker 1: like this. Ft fam. There's a reason why True Classic

133
00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:35,560
Speaker 1: has sold over twenty five million shirts to more than

134
00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:38,280
Speaker 1: five million customers, and they are racking up over two

135
00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:39,040
Speaker 1: hundred thousand and.

136
00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:40,080
Speaker 2: Five star reviews.

137
00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:43,200
Speaker 1: See for yourself with our exclusive link at true classic

138
00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:46,040
Speaker 1: dot com slash foul to say that's True Classic dot

139
00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:47,560
Speaker 1: com slash foul.

140
00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:50,400
Speaker 3: This is probably a story that's about a week and

141
00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:53,520
Speaker 3: a half old. But is there a chance that we

142
00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:55,920
Speaker 3: see Mooki going back to right now field?

143
00:07:56,160 --> 00:08:00,920
Speaker 5: No? Zero, Chick's just stop just nope, no, Well, so

144
00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:02,120
Speaker 5: then on a.

145
00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:07,600
Speaker 3: Tao can move to left and they upbraid somehow and

146
00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:08,640
Speaker 3: right okay.

147
00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:13,440
Speaker 2: Yes, I can see that. Honestly, the best right fielder

148
00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:16,640
Speaker 2: they have defensively right now is Andy pie Has and

149
00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:20,239
Speaker 2: he's playing center field. So when Tommy Edmund comes back

150
00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:23,080
Speaker 2: from his injury, his ankle injury, and that'd probably be

151
00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:28,360
Speaker 2: next week, they plan on playing Tommy in center field. Well,

152
00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:30,400
Speaker 2: what does that mean for Andy paie Has. Does he

153
00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:33,320
Speaker 2: go to left field and bump Conforto out of the

154
00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:36,400
Speaker 2: lineup or does he go to right field where he

155
00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:40,280
Speaker 2: would you know, he belongs where his defensive skill set

156
00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:45,120
Speaker 2: would be best. And Tao moves to left where I

157
00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:48,600
Speaker 2: think he does less damage defensively. He's not a good

158
00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:52,040
Speaker 2: left fielder either, but he does less damage over there.

159
00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:56,760
Speaker 2: The problem is Tao isn't hitting very well regardless of

160
00:08:56,800 --> 00:09:00,520
Speaker 2: where you play him. But the outfield does doesn't need

161
00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:04,120
Speaker 2: Mooky Betts. They can they have other ways of doing this.

162
00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:08,640
Speaker 2: Mooki is a good shortstop. I'm sorry people don't seem

163
00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:10,880
Speaker 2: to be getting this. You can look at the numbers

164
00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:14,680
Speaker 2: and it reflects it. He's a good shortstop. Remarkable that

165
00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:19,280
Speaker 2: he's made that adjustment. But he's not hitting. He's not hitting,

166
00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:23,320
Speaker 2: and you know, does going to right field free up

167
00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:25,840
Speaker 2: the offense a little bit, then it'd be worth it.

168
00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:29,840
Speaker 2: But I the Dodgers don't believe that's the case. He's

169
00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:32,040
Speaker 2: not moving not this year.

170
00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:34,320
Speaker 4: He's not. That's for sure. If you're right, he's not,

171
00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:37,520
Speaker 4: he's not this year. Two things. One, you know you talk,

172
00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:41,120
Speaker 4: you mentioned Colforida. Dodger fans are clamoring for Canforida to

173
00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:45,200
Speaker 4: to not be on this team. So what what I

174
00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:47,800
Speaker 4: mean where he's been a good player his whole career,

175
00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:50,480
Speaker 4: what's going on this year with him?

176
00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:52,960
Speaker 2: Yeah, he has not been a good player this year.

177
00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:58,040
Speaker 2: That's for sure, it's his numbers since his shoulder surgery

178
00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:02,440
Speaker 2: a couple of years ago have not quite rebounded, is it.

179
00:10:02,559 --> 00:10:05,360
Speaker 2: Bats this year have just been terrible. He seems to

180
00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:09,400
Speaker 2: step out of the dugout and be owen too. They

181
00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:11,840
Speaker 2: gave him plenty of time to find his way out

182
00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:16,000
Speaker 2: of it. He tried some changes mechanically, he tried a

183
00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:20,839
Speaker 2: different bat style. It's not working. He's you know, even

184
00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:25,440
Speaker 2: his little hot streaks have lasted, you know, two three games.

185
00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:30,120
Speaker 2: So it's a bust. They signed it from one year.

186
00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:32,920
Speaker 2: They just got to cut their losses now. And you know,

187
00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:36,920
Speaker 2: maybe some of those other outfield configurations work. But boy,

188
00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:40,559
Speaker 2: you right about the fans. There are what we would

189
00:10:40,559 --> 00:10:43,480
Speaker 2: call one issue voters out there who want to blame

190
00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:45,400
Speaker 2: him for everything.

191
00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:49,440
Speaker 4: True, true, All right, So I want to know can

192
00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:51,480
Speaker 4: the Dodgers turn it on and win the World Series?

193
00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:53,400
Speaker 4: That's kind of what you said at the beginning. They

194
00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:56,040
Speaker 4: just kind of float through the regular season and oh,

195
00:10:56,040 --> 00:10:57,160
Speaker 4: here it is the postseason.

196
00:10:57,200 --> 00:10:58,160
Speaker 3: Can they turn it on?

197
00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:01,200
Speaker 4: And when the world's with the way the team is

198
00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:03,880
Speaker 4: constructed and when you know, obviously they're getting everybody back,

199
00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:06,080
Speaker 4: But can they win the World Series with this team?

200
00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:07,000
Speaker 4: The way it's constructed.

201
00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:12,160
Speaker 2: Absolutely. I mean, is there a powerhouse out there in

202
00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:15,440
Speaker 2: either league this year that you say, you know, they're

203
00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:20,920
Speaker 2: clearly the World Series favorite. I don't think there is. Ironically,

204
00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:23,920
Speaker 2: after the way they had the teams they had in

205
00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:27,480
Speaker 2: the playoffs the last two years, they've got great starting

206
00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:30,319
Speaker 2: pitching this year and that can carry you a little

207
00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:36,760
Speaker 2: bit in the postseason. They also, when you get their attention,

208
00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:39,480
Speaker 2: they're still a good team. You saw that with the

209
00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:43,560
Speaker 2: Padres when the Padres closed on them and tied the division,

210
00:11:43,640 --> 00:11:48,160
Speaker 2: took the lead, Dodgers swept the Padres at home. That

211
00:11:48,679 --> 00:11:50,800
Speaker 2: that was the one time where they kind of got

212
00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:54,679
Speaker 2: their attention, got some urgency. So if that's the team

213
00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:57,720
Speaker 2: you get in October, absolutely they can win it again.

214
00:11:58,559 --> 00:12:00,600
Speaker 3: Do they need to get to buy They're two games

215
00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:03,599
Speaker 3: behind the Phillies right now. Phillies aren't playing the best baseball.

216
00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:06,400
Speaker 3: Do they need the buy for a team that has

217
00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:09,400
Speaker 3: battled injury or like the team is just kind of

218
00:12:09,640 --> 00:12:13,880
Speaker 3: sheltered guys and made sure everybody's healthy to get back

219
00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:14,800
Speaker 3: and not rushing back.

220
00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:18,960
Speaker 5: Do they need those off days they want them? I

221
00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:22,920
Speaker 5: don't know if they need them. The last few years

222
00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:26,440
Speaker 5: when they had the five days off. They've had some

223
00:12:26,559 --> 00:12:29,120
Speaker 5: trouble with how to handle it.

224
00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:32,920
Speaker 2: Last year they managed, but you know, two years before

225
00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:35,960
Speaker 2: that they were out in the first round. I don't

226
00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:38,960
Speaker 2: think a first round wild card is that bad a

227
00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:43,040
Speaker 2: thing because as it would play out, they would probably

228
00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:45,360
Speaker 2: have it at home, and they're a very good team

229
00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:49,120
Speaker 2: at home, so the danger of losing two out of

230
00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:54,120
Speaker 2: three is less. But yeah, I think they would much

231
00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:57,000
Speaker 2: rather have the five days off, line up their pitching

232
00:12:57,080 --> 00:12:59,160
Speaker 2: for whoever and take it from there.

233
00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:04,320
Speaker 3: But that is exactly my point. Yamamoto is not going

234
00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:08,160
Speaker 3: to pitch on five days. To me, there's nobody that

235
00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:13,560
Speaker 3: needs more time off than the Dodgers, because if Yamamoto throws,

236
00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:18,400
Speaker 3: you might not see him until Game four of the NLDS.

237
00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:21,880
Speaker 2: Yeah, the way it lines up, I think what you

238
00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:24,600
Speaker 2: get is Blake Snell in the first game of the

239
00:13:24,679 --> 00:13:28,360
Speaker 2: best of five and then Yamamoto in Game two, which

240
00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:31,240
Speaker 2: sets him up for the Game one start in the

241
00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:35,680
Speaker 2: next round if you move on. I think the interesting

242
00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:38,679
Speaker 2: thing is going to be how they use Otani as

243
00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:42,520
Speaker 2: a pitcher in the postseason. You know, the last couple

244
00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:46,520
Speaker 2: of times out the way he's pitched, he's not exactly

245
00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:52,199
Speaker 2: one of their four best. You got Snell, Yamamoto, Glassnow's

246
00:13:52,200 --> 00:13:56,000
Speaker 2: pitched well since he came back, and Kershaw? Where does

247
00:13:56,040 --> 00:13:58,920
Speaker 2: Otani fit in there? The other part of that is

248
00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:01,520
Speaker 2: the two way player rule. A lot of people are saying,

249
00:14:01,559 --> 00:14:03,920
Speaker 2: pitch Otani out of the bullpen. Well, if you do that,

250
00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:08,000
Speaker 2: it's problematic because he has to finish the game as

251
00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:10,839
Speaker 2: the pitcher or you lose lose him as the DH.

252
00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:13,400
Speaker 2: The other way you do it, if he starts, he can,

253
00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:15,720
Speaker 2: he can pitch for a while and then go to DH.

254
00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:19,280
Speaker 2: So do we see him piggybacking with somebody? Do we

255
00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:22,920
Speaker 2: see I've been throwing out this scenario for a while.

256
00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:27,480
Speaker 2: Do we see Otani starting a game and Kershaw coming

257
00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:30,800
Speaker 2: in in the fourth inning or the fifth inning? Uh?

258
00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:33,680
Speaker 2: And and they kind of uh, you know, that's a

259
00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:38,400
Speaker 2: heck of a contrast in styles for the opposing opposing team.

260
00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:41,640
Speaker 2: So how they use Otani as a pitcher I think

261
00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:45,320
Speaker 2: is going to be a fascinating part of the postseason.

262
00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:49,920
Speaker 3: Right now September fourth. Is Showani a better option to

263
00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:51,800
Speaker 3: start than Clayton Kershaw?

264
00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:58,360
Speaker 2: He I can't say he is. Uh, you gotta show

265
00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:03,920
Speaker 2: me some con consistently good starts. He was terrific when

266
00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:06,800
Speaker 2: he was going two or three innings. Since he's stretched

267
00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:11,560
Speaker 2: out four and five, there's been more trouble. He's you know,

268
00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:14,360
Speaker 2: he's extending his pitch mix a little bit and doesn't

269
00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:20,280
Speaker 2: have quite the same effectiveness. So you know, right now,

270
00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:24,440
Speaker 2: I think there'd be a lot of examination of the

271
00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:28,600
Speaker 2: matchups with whoever they draw. Let's put it this way,

272
00:15:28,640 --> 00:15:32,680
Speaker 2: the Dodgers have a good history, a solid history of

273
00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:37,440
Speaker 2: overthinking their pitching decisions in the postseason. I'm looking back

274
00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:42,000
Speaker 2: at when they used an opener for Julio Urias, when

275
00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:45,680
Speaker 2: they moved, used Max Scherzer to close out a game

276
00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:49,520
Speaker 2: in the NLDS in twenty one, and then he was

277
00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:53,600
Speaker 2: useless in the NLCS. They just have a way of

278
00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:58,720
Speaker 2: overthinking these things, and I think the Otani situation gives

279
00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:02,240
Speaker 2: them ample oppertunities to overthink things once again.

280
00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:08,000
Speaker 1: Hey Bill, last one from us, which team do you

281
00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:12,080
Speaker 1: think is the biggest threat to take down the Dodgers.

282
00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:17,880
Speaker 2: Well, I think I would have said the Padres until

283
00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:21,440
Speaker 2: this run of injuries that they've had. The Padres were

284
00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:26,400
Speaker 2: clearly the best team they've faced in the postseason. Last year,

285
00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:31,640
Speaker 2: and the rivalry. The intensity of that matchup is terrific.

286
00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:35,280
Speaker 2: It's something that the Dodgers don't always handle well, but

287
00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:38,000
Speaker 2: their injuries have kind of taken the edge off of them.

288
00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:41,560
Speaker 2: You know, Philly sticks in my mind a little bit

289
00:16:41,640 --> 00:16:44,000
Speaker 2: because the Dodgers just don't have a history of playing

290
00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:48,160
Speaker 2: well in Philly for whatever reason. So if they have

291
00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:51,680
Speaker 2: their pitching in order, if they can get a little

292
00:16:51,680 --> 00:16:55,720
Speaker 2: bit healthy on that side, I could see the Dodgers

293
00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:59,720
Speaker 2: in Philly being the showdown series in the postseason.

294
00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:01,360
Speaker 4: I love it.

295
00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:04,520
Speaker 1: Sign me up for that one. I'm pumped for the

296
00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:07,600
Speaker 1: playoffs bill. This was great. Thank you for catching us

297
00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:09,560
Speaker 1: up on where the Dodgers are at right now. And

298
00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:12,520
Speaker 1: you're right right from the jump, it's been anytime.

299
00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:16,600
Speaker 2: I want to see AJ in the Arizona Fall League.

300
00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:19,320
Speaker 2: I'm looking forward to that right now.

301
00:17:19,359 --> 00:17:21,080
Speaker 4: You know what, you know what, I found the perfect

302
00:17:21,080 --> 00:17:24,199
Speaker 4: thing for me. Banana Ball All Stars play against a

303
00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:25,240
Speaker 4: college team.

304
00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:27,440
Speaker 3: I mean, how can I not be on that game?

305
00:17:28,080 --> 00:17:33,720
Speaker 5: You're a natural, That's what do you mean?

306
00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:37,880
Speaker 4: I wasn't an All Star and I played banana Ball.

307
00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:40,240
Speaker 3: Doesn't that make me an All Star? I thought you

308
00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:42,119
Speaker 3: were a Banana Ball All star like you had to

309
00:17:42,119 --> 00:17:43,840
Speaker 3: play good for the banana ball.

310
00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:47,240
Speaker 4: I've caught great. No one stole, no run scored. I

311
00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:49,840
Speaker 4: caught great Peter Peter.

312
00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:53,000
Speaker 1: Thank you, Belle, Appreciate you.

313
00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:54,080
Speaker 2: You got it, guys,