WEBVTT - Dodgers updates: Rōki’s recovery, Mookie RF debate, Ohtani 1000 0:00:04.960 --> 0:00:05.240 Shoe. 0:00:05.320 --> 0:00:08.920 Otani had a day yesterday. He was dealing, He struck 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:11.200 out the side in the fourth inning, he punched out eight. 0:00:11.920 --> 0:00:14.880 He hit a danger who was his one thousandth career hit, 0:00:15.320 --> 0:00:18.639 and it went to center fields Otani style. Now, his 0:00:18.680 --> 0:00:20.600 team lost the game five to three, So we'll get 0:00:20.640 --> 0:00:23.600 into that as well, but we are again witnessing something 0:00:23.640 --> 0:00:26.640 that no one else has done really ever in our sport. 0:00:26.720 --> 0:00:28.080 You can go back to Babe Ruth. It was a 0:00:28.120 --> 0:00:30.160 little bit of a different style and a different game 0:00:30.160 --> 0:00:32.440 back then. Show Otani is one of a kind. Jack 0:00:32.520 --> 0:00:35.800 hairis La times. That's the pleasure of watching Otani often 0:00:35.840 --> 0:00:37.800 in person. Jack Ray to have you back on the show. 0:00:37.920 --> 0:00:41.440 So how did Otani look? Because I will also mention 0:00:41.640 --> 0:00:44.199 that there was some concern from fans about the cramping 0:00:44.240 --> 0:00:46.959 that he had, and I think those concerns are dwindling. 0:00:48.200 --> 0:00:50.800 Yeah, I mean, he can still pitch a little bit. 0:00:50.840 --> 0:00:52.760 He can still swing the bat pretty hard. I mean, 0:00:53.760 --> 0:00:55.600 you know, and even in that game in Cincinnati, like 0:00:55.640 --> 0:00:58.040 he was pitching okay until the fourth inning. It was 0:00:58.040 --> 0:01:00.160 really like the first time all year he's kind to 0:01:00.160 --> 0:01:02.800 look human in a way of just like not being 0:01:03.200 --> 0:01:05.759 able on one day to physically, you know, get through 0:01:05.800 --> 0:01:07.880 a full two way outing. So to see him come 0:01:07.920 --> 0:01:11.319 back yesterday and look as dominant as he did on 0:01:11.360 --> 0:01:13.520 the mound, continue to look as sharp as he has 0:01:13.560 --> 0:01:15.640 coming off a second Tommy John, which I think is 0:01:15.720 --> 0:01:18.039 kind of the underrated part of all this is just 0:01:18.080 --> 0:01:20.240 how seamlessly he's come back as a pitcher this year, 0:01:20.920 --> 0:01:22.360 and then to have another good day at the plate. 0:01:22.440 --> 0:01:25.000 He had been struggling a little bit. He'd only been 0:01:25.040 --> 0:01:28.160 hitting you know, like two thirty since he started pitching 0:01:28.160 --> 0:01:31.200 again back in June. But the last week you've seen 0:01:31.240 --> 0:01:33.320 him get on base a little bit more, You've seen 0:01:33.360 --> 0:01:35.080 him come up with some really big hits, and then 0:01:35.200 --> 0:01:37.440 you know, obviously the home run he had yesterday put 0:01:37.480 --> 0:01:39.959 him in a position to win the game. It was 0:01:39.959 --> 0:01:43.840 his thousandth career hit. So for all the little other 0:01:43.959 --> 0:01:46.200 things that the Dodgers are still working through right now, 0:01:46.200 --> 0:01:48.400 to have that guy playing as well as he is 0:01:48.440 --> 0:01:52.720 again probably is the biggest reason for hope that they 0:01:52.760 --> 0:01:54.480 have going into these final two months here, that they 0:01:54.480 --> 0:01:56.080 can play up to their ceiling in a way that 0:01:56.320 --> 0:01:58.520 they haven't really done for an extended stretch this season. 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:02.640 Hey Jacks, as a fan, now that I'm on the 0:02:02.680 --> 0:02:05.280 side of a fan and now media as well, and 0:02:05.320 --> 0:02:08.200 we talk about things like voter for teg, voter fatigue, 0:02:08.240 --> 0:02:10.959 and I'm not even talking about the MVP race. Do 0:02:11.160 --> 0:02:14.320 the Doddie fans still appreciate how special it is to 0:02:14.360 --> 0:02:16.280 watch Shoe Halo tiny on the daily basis now that 0:02:16.320 --> 0:02:17.840 he's back on the mount as well. I know last 0:02:17.919 --> 0:02:20.239 year he was incredible as a DH, but to see 0:02:20.240 --> 0:02:22.919 what he's doing on both sides, I think sometimes as fans, 0:02:23.280 --> 0:02:25.640 you know, we take for granted how special this is. 0:02:25.680 --> 0:02:28.680 I mean, it hadn't happened over you know, centuries, you know, 0:02:28.760 --> 0:02:32.280 since Babe Ruth. How special you know, is it to 0:02:32.360 --> 0:02:34.920 watch him? Do they still appreciate how good he really is? 0:02:35.760 --> 0:02:35.959 Yeah? 0:02:36.000 --> 0:02:38.200 I think especially just because they're getting to watch him 0:02:38.240 --> 0:02:40.160 pitch for the first time since he didn't do it 0:02:40.240 --> 0:02:44.040 last year, and to see him, you know, like watching 0:02:44.120 --> 0:02:46.440 him pitch is such a it's just a visually kind 0:02:46.440 --> 0:02:49.679 of different experience. He throws the ball so hard. He's 0:02:49.680 --> 0:02:52.040 such an imposing presence up on the mound. He has 0:02:52.080 --> 0:02:54.560 a little bit of a different demeanor, you know, when 0:02:54.560 --> 0:02:57.040 he's hitting, he's he kind of playful, you know, waving 0:02:57.120 --> 0:02:59.480 around it guys, and when he's pitching, he just Dave 0:02:59.560 --> 0:03:01.839 Roberts talked about this, you know, just has a little 0:03:01.880 --> 0:03:04.200 bit more of an edge out there, like, okay, this 0:03:04.280 --> 0:03:06.600 is this is the thing that you know, going all 0:03:06.639 --> 0:03:08.080 the way back to when he was coming up like 0:03:08.120 --> 0:03:10.320 that's he always kind of looked at himself as a 0:03:10.320 --> 0:03:13.040 pitcher first. So I think that's been a cool thing 0:03:13.080 --> 0:03:15.079 for fans to get to experience. Obviously in a game 0:03:15.120 --> 0:03:17.200 like yesterday where he strikes out eight guys and then 0:03:17.200 --> 0:03:19.160 goes to the plate and hits a home run. You know, 0:03:19.200 --> 0:03:22.160 for all he did last year, that kind of experience 0:03:22.280 --> 0:03:25.480 is a different thing. And I think again has been 0:03:25.520 --> 0:03:27.680 one of the cooler parts about this season for the 0:03:27.720 --> 0:03:30.320 Dodgers is because when he signed last year, there was 0:03:30.360 --> 0:03:33.160 some uncertainty about, Okay, how you know, how long is 0:03:33.200 --> 0:03:34.400 it going to take him to go back to being 0:03:34.400 --> 0:03:36.200 a two way player? Is he going to be as 0:03:36.200 --> 0:03:38.240 good as a pitcher once he does try to return 0:03:38.240 --> 0:03:40.960 to it, Can he be you know, as good at 0:03:41.000 --> 0:03:44.600 this incredibly difficult role as he was with the Angels, 0:03:44.600 --> 0:03:46.440 And so far he has been. And I think it's 0:03:46.440 --> 0:03:49.600 been one of the things that Dodger fans have appreciated 0:03:49.640 --> 0:03:50.560 most about the season. 0:03:54.960 --> 0:03:58.200 Can't be you up, Yeah, I mean we're gonna just 0:03:58.200 --> 0:04:00.320 talk about a talent hit right here, and during break 0:04:00.360 --> 0:04:03.000 I was able to get my baseball, my one thousand 0:04:03.080 --> 0:04:05.320 hit off my show. This is one of my pride 0:04:05.360 --> 0:04:07.480 and joys. But it took me almost ten years to 0:04:07.480 --> 0:04:09.880 get it. So there's not really a question here. I 0:04:09.920 --> 0:04:11.320 just want to say it makes me sick how good 0:04:11.320 --> 0:04:13.040 he is, how quickly he is able to get it. 0:04:13.480 --> 0:04:15.600 But my question to you is just being around the team, 0:04:15.680 --> 0:04:18.520 watching the team. I know it's a real thing. I've 0:04:18.520 --> 0:04:20.279 been a part of some good teams that have been 0:04:20.320 --> 0:04:23.000 to the playoffs every year and really they're playing to 0:04:23.040 --> 0:04:25.599 win a World Series. Do you think there's an element 0:04:25.640 --> 0:04:28.000 of just a little bit of complacency in the regular 0:04:28.040 --> 0:04:30.360 season right now, just you know, kind of count down 0:04:30.360 --> 0:04:32.640 the days waiting to get to the regular season. Obviously 0:04:32.640 --> 0:04:35.440 they've had some health issues too, but you know, when 0:04:35.440 --> 0:04:37.479 you're a team that goes to the playoffs every year, 0:04:38.320 --> 0:04:40.720 you know, I don't want to make breaking news here, 0:04:40.760 --> 0:04:42.400 but the regular season to a lot of those guys 0:04:42.480 --> 0:04:44.800 is a little bit boring, you know, it's kind of 0:04:44.880 --> 0:04:47.120 all practice games until they get to the real season. 0:04:47.320 --> 0:04:49.160 Do you get a sense of that at all. 0:04:49.880 --> 0:04:52.320 Yeah, I mean that's always been something the Dodgers, as 0:04:52.360 --> 0:04:54.560 you know, Kevin like, would have to battle over the 0:04:54.640 --> 0:04:58.080 last decade. Now with the run of success that they've had, 0:04:58.440 --> 0:05:00.480 I think especially this year, I mean you look back 0:05:00.520 --> 0:05:03.320 at the last eighteen months for this team. They've had 0:05:03.320 --> 0:05:07.440 two international trips to Korea and Japan. They have had 0:05:07.480 --> 0:05:10.800 the circus of the media, circus of having Shoheo Tani around, 0:05:10.839 --> 0:05:14.400 and all that's gone into that. They have last year's 0:05:14.440 --> 0:05:17.640 you know, World Series run, they have this offseason where 0:05:17.640 --> 0:05:19.440 they spend a bunch of money and there's all this 0:05:19.560 --> 0:05:21.880 talk about are they bad for the sport or whatnot? 0:05:22.000 --> 0:05:24.479 And yeah, I think what you might be seeing now 0:05:24.640 --> 0:05:27.760 is a team that has all of that baggage in 0:05:27.800 --> 0:05:31.240 the background, coupled with Max Munsey was hurt and some 0:05:31.320 --> 0:05:33.600 of their best hitters were struggling, and you're at that 0:05:33.640 --> 0:05:36.160 part of the season where, especially when you're in kind 0:05:36.160 --> 0:05:40.479 of an extended slump as a lineup, it's hard to 0:05:40.520 --> 0:05:42.680 generate a lot of energy if guys aren't hitting and 0:05:42.720 --> 0:05:45.000 you have, you know, key guys that are out injured, 0:05:45.040 --> 0:05:47.160 and you're kind of trying to grind through the year. 0:05:47.600 --> 0:05:49.920 I think to that end, you know, the impressive part 0:05:49.920 --> 0:05:51.720 about what the Dodgers have done so far is keep 0:05:51.760 --> 0:05:54.520 themselves in first place, is to overcome some of the 0:05:54.560 --> 0:05:58.080 injuries and underperformances and just the general grind of the 0:05:58.120 --> 0:06:00.520 season and still be in a pretty good spot going 0:06:00.600 --> 0:06:02.640 into the last two months. But now they're getting to 0:06:02.640 --> 0:06:04.159 the point where they do need to flip the switch 0:06:04.160 --> 0:06:06.680 a little bit, especially as the Padres keep nipping at 0:06:06.680 --> 0:06:09.200 their heels, especially as the rest of the NL continues 0:06:09.240 --> 0:06:11.360 to play well. I mean, the Dodgers want to win 0:06:11.360 --> 0:06:13.279 the division. They want to have a top two seed, 0:06:13.480 --> 0:06:14.920 and if they're gonna do that, they're gonna have to 0:06:14.960 --> 0:06:17.279 be a lot better over these last two months and 0:06:17.360 --> 0:06:20.360 kind of find that higher gear again like they did, 0:06:20.400 --> 0:06:21.839 you know, way back at the start of the season 0:06:21.839 --> 0:06:23.040 when they got off to a hot start. 0:06:25.240 --> 0:06:27.960 It's summertime, it's bathing suit time, and it's time to 0:06:27.960 --> 0:06:31.120 get a better bathing suit liner. 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Slash foul 0:07:07.800 --> 0:07:11.040 and use code foul for twenty percent off your first purchase. 0:07:11.440 --> 0:07:16.440 That's Fair h A R B O R Clothing dot com. 0:07:16.480 --> 0:07:19.800 Backslash foul for twenty percent off your first purchase, and 0:07:20.200 --> 0:07:22.480 make sure that you use the FT promo code so 0:07:22.480 --> 0:07:25.560 that they know we sent you and you get the discount. Foul. 0:07:27.080 --> 0:07:29.720 You talk about flipping the switch, jack, Is there any 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:32.040 chance when we flip that switch and the lights come on, 0:07:32.520 --> 0:07:34.680 well we see Mookie Betts and right field. Because I 0:07:34.720 --> 0:07:37.360 truly believe you know, Dave Roberts has done this for 0:07:37.360 --> 0:07:38.760 a long time. He is one of my mentors in 0:07:38.800 --> 0:07:41.120 San Diego. But I spoke about this the other day 0:07:41.160 --> 0:07:44.040 and started somewhat of a debate. I truly believe if 0:07:44.040 --> 0:07:46.200 you want to take some pressure, some mental pressure off 0:07:46.200 --> 0:07:48.240 of Mookie bekscause I think it's between the ears. I 0:07:48.280 --> 0:07:50.800 know physically he went through some things early in the season, 0:07:51.080 --> 0:07:54.080 but I just really believe, you know, having going through 0:07:54.320 --> 0:07:57.680 going gone through a position change, moving him back to 0:07:57.720 --> 0:08:00.640 right field will really free up some mental and allow 0:08:00.720 --> 0:08:03.280 him to just do something that he's really accustomed to 0:08:03.360 --> 0:08:05.440 in the big leagues and go out and just focus 0:08:05.520 --> 0:08:07.560 on hitting. Like, what are the chances that you know, 0:08:07.600 --> 0:08:10.000 when that switch comes back on, we see MOOKI and 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:12.000 right and not to mention it might make the defense 0:08:12.040 --> 0:08:14.240 better when you put Tao in left. It kind of 0:08:14.280 --> 0:08:17.280 lines everything up in the way that I think defensively, 0:08:17.440 --> 0:08:20.200 you know, bodes well for the Dodgers. Yeah. 0:08:20.200 --> 0:08:22.760 I mean this has been the big unanswerable question with 0:08:22.840 --> 0:08:24.880 Mookie Betts's season and kind of what it means for 0:08:25.240 --> 0:08:29.400 the team. He's been pretty adamant that playing shortstop is 0:08:29.440 --> 0:08:31.960 not the reason why he has struggled. He points to 0:08:31.960 --> 0:08:34.439 the fact that last year he hit really well over 0:08:34.480 --> 0:08:37.040 the first half of the season while initially making that switch. 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:39.000 You know, the fact that that at the start of 0:08:39.040 --> 0:08:40.960 this season. He got off to a good start his 0:08:40.960 --> 0:08:43.640 first couple of weeks while trying to you know, reacclimate 0:08:43.679 --> 0:08:46.960 at the shortstop position at the same time. You know, 0:08:47.000 --> 0:08:49.280 the longer this slump has gone on, the harder it 0:08:49.360 --> 0:08:52.000 is to not look at the shortstop things at least 0:08:52.080 --> 0:08:54.240 being a factor. And maybe it's not the reason he 0:08:54.360 --> 0:08:57.440 has slumped or did kind of lose his mechanics with 0:08:57.480 --> 0:08:59.520 the swing, but you know it might be something that 0:08:59.559 --> 0:09:02.200 certainly is and helping him get out of it. I 0:09:02.200 --> 0:09:04.839 think the challenge this year compared to last year when 0:09:04.840 --> 0:09:06.760 they did move him back to right field down the 0:09:06.760 --> 0:09:08.920 stretch and did have him there when they won the 0:09:08.920 --> 0:09:12.800 World Series, is that a the roster it doesn't quite 0:09:12.880 --> 0:09:15.839 line up as well. You know, if you put him 0:09:15.880 --> 0:09:18.319 back and right, you probably could move to Oscar to 0:09:18.840 --> 0:09:21.160 the left. You'd have Andy pae Has in center. But 0:09:21.200 --> 0:09:23.840 they've liked the way Michael Confordo's been swinging the bat. 0:09:23.880 --> 0:09:26.760 They added another outfielder, and Alex called the trade deadline. 0:09:26.960 --> 0:09:29.959 They certainly haven't operated as if they're planning to move 0:09:30.000 --> 0:09:32.760 Mookie Bets back to the outfield at some point. And 0:09:32.760 --> 0:09:34.840 then Mookie Betts has been a lot better shortstop this 0:09:34.920 --> 0:09:36.400 year than he was last year, and I think he 0:09:36.440 --> 0:09:39.720 does take pride in that and in the fact that 0:09:39.880 --> 0:09:42.559 you know, he's become, you know, an above league average 0:09:42.600 --> 0:09:46.600 player at you know, one of the most demanding positions defensively. 0:09:48.320 --> 0:09:50.360 This is, though, is all kind of part of the 0:09:50.400 --> 0:09:52.000 calculus the Dodgers have to weigh. 0:09:52.080 --> 0:09:52.200 Now. 0:09:52.280 --> 0:09:54.520 Dave Roberts has been adamant, like, you know, I don't 0:09:54.559 --> 0:09:56.200 see if I just put him in right field one day, 0:09:56.240 --> 0:09:58.560 he's suddenly going to have three hits and everything's fixed. 0:09:58.559 --> 0:10:01.640 And I do think that whatever the cumulative toll of 0:10:01.640 --> 0:10:04.760 playing shortstop has been, you know, at this point, I 0:10:04.760 --> 0:10:06.600 don't know if moving him to the outfield kind of 0:10:06.679 --> 0:10:09.200 undoes all that and fixes it. So I'm not expecting 0:10:09.240 --> 0:10:13.320 him to move. The Dodgers certainly haven't indicated that that's 0:10:13.360 --> 0:10:15.240 going to be something. They consider it all. They like 0:10:15.280 --> 0:10:19.040 what he's giving them defensively. They think that there's still 0:10:19.160 --> 0:10:21.120 going to be some production in his back come the 0:10:21.200 --> 0:10:23.599 end of the season. You Know, one thing that he 0:10:23.640 --> 0:10:25.920 did well last year is he didn't finish the season 0:10:25.960 --> 0:10:27.920 all that great. The last three weeks. He was really 0:10:27.960 --> 0:10:30.160 bad going into the playoffs, but then he got to 0:10:30.240 --> 0:10:33.000 October and just kind of wiped the slate clean, focused 0:10:33.040 --> 0:10:35.520 on putting together more competitive at bats, got out of 0:10:35.520 --> 0:10:37.240 his head a little bit about all the mechanics, and 0:10:37.280 --> 0:10:39.560 then had a really nice postseason. That's kind of what 0:10:39.600 --> 0:10:42.040 the Dodgers are banking on again, and this time doing 0:10:42.080 --> 0:10:43.679 it probably with him at shortstop. 0:10:48.200 --> 0:10:51.080 Yeah. I want to give my flowers to Will Smith. 0:10:51.160 --> 0:10:53.760 And I guess my question to you is are we 0:10:53.840 --> 0:10:56.240 not making a big enough deal of the season he's having. 0:10:56.520 --> 0:10:58.800 I mean, he's on the verge of potentially winning the 0:10:58.800 --> 0:11:01.600 batting title as a catcher. And I don't know the 0:11:01.760 --> 0:11:05.079 historical context. I know it hasn't been done in recent history. 0:11:05.120 --> 0:11:07.120 I don't know how many years. But are we not 0:11:07.240 --> 0:11:09.960 making a we? It sounds we like we the media. 0:11:10.000 --> 0:11:12.040 I guess I'm part of the media now because I'm 0:11:12.080 --> 0:11:15.000 no longer a player. But we should we be making 0:11:15.000 --> 0:11:15.839 a bigger deal of it? 0:11:16.720 --> 0:11:16.800 No. 0:11:16.920 --> 0:11:18.800 I mean I made this exact point too well at 0:11:18.800 --> 0:11:20.400 the All Star Game because I wrote about how his 0:11:20.520 --> 0:11:22.640 season's gone overlooked, and I said, you know, I think 0:11:22.679 --> 0:11:25.920 even from us, we've kind of, you know, missed exactly 0:11:25.960 --> 0:11:28.960 how good you've been this year. Because he has. You know, 0:11:29.000 --> 0:11:32.040 this is a guy who, especially the last couple of years, 0:11:32.720 --> 0:11:35.200 was dealing with injuries, did not have very good second 0:11:35.240 --> 0:11:38.679 halfs to the season, and there were some questions about, 0:11:38.720 --> 0:11:40.440 you know, was he going to get back to being 0:11:41.160 --> 0:11:44.760 this top of the line offensive catcher that it looked 0:11:44.760 --> 0:11:46.480 like he was going to be early in his career. 0:11:46.880 --> 0:11:49.160 And this year, you know, it's been pretty simple for him, 0:11:49.200 --> 0:11:52.000 he said, a he's healthy, he's been able to stay 0:11:52.040 --> 0:11:55.120 fresh that you know, he's he's kind of teetering right 0:11:55.160 --> 0:11:58.080 on that line of having enough qualified or enough plate 0:11:58.120 --> 0:12:00.360 appearances to be a qualified hitter, because they have been 0:12:00.360 --> 0:12:03.280 managing his workload a little bit more and he's just 0:12:03.360 --> 0:12:05.319 found something with a swing that he said has has 0:12:05.360 --> 0:12:08.920 been repeatable, you know, for for basically the entire season. 0:12:09.720 --> 0:12:11.679 You know, this is a guy who's always had kind 0:12:11.679 --> 0:12:15.640 of a simple, compact, repeatable motion. He struggled getting to 0:12:15.720 --> 0:12:17.880 fastballs the last couple of years while he was dealing 0:12:17.880 --> 0:12:20.160 with some injury stuff. But now that he's healthy again, 0:12:20.240 --> 0:12:21.920 you know, he can he can cover all parts of 0:12:21.960 --> 0:12:24.199 the plate so well. He has such a good eye, 0:12:25.120 --> 0:12:27.360 and you know he might he might not hit thirty 0:12:27.360 --> 0:12:29.240 home runs. He's not gonna have a cow Rawley kind 0:12:29.240 --> 0:12:31.000 of season. He's not gonna have a show Heyo Tani 0:12:31.080 --> 0:12:32.839 kind of season in terms of, you know, some of 0:12:32.880 --> 0:12:35.120 the top line numbers, but in terms of someone who's 0:12:35.160 --> 0:12:40.280 been a consistent, productive, top of the line hitter, especially 0:12:40.280 --> 0:12:42.760 for a lineup that lately has needed that kind of 0:12:42.800 --> 0:12:45.560 consistent production. There's a few guys I think that have 0:12:45.600 --> 0:12:48.120 been more valuable to their teams than will Smith, especially 0:12:48.120 --> 0:12:50.439 when you later on when he's done behind the plate 0:12:50.480 --> 0:12:53.679 and managing a pitching staff that's used to forty different 0:12:53.679 --> 0:12:56.640 pitchers this year. So yeah, I think even even within 0:12:56.679 --> 0:12:58.520 the Dodgers this year, you know, he's gone a little 0:12:58.520 --> 0:13:00.360 bit overlooked, but he's gonna be someone at the end 0:13:00.360 --> 0:13:02.240 of the year that yeh'd probably be a surprise if 0:13:02.280 --> 0:13:04.040 he doesn't win the batting title right now, and it 0:13:04.080 --> 0:13:08.000 is probably going to be getting some MVP votes too. 0:13:08.440 --> 0:13:12.000 You talk about getting some guys back pitching right the 0:13:12.080 --> 0:13:13.839 starting rotation, and I don't know if he's going to 0:13:13.880 --> 0:13:17.120 be a starting role or a bullpen roll. But where's 0:13:17.240 --> 0:13:20.480 Roki Sazaki right now? His his you know, journey back 0:13:20.520 --> 0:13:23.080 to helping the Dodgers, Like you said, trying to win 0:13:23.120 --> 0:13:24.280 another World Series title. 0:13:25.320 --> 0:13:28.080 He's in a throwing program. He's supposed to do a 0:13:28.120 --> 0:13:30.280 three inning live VP at the end of this week, 0:13:30.360 --> 0:13:32.679 after which he could go out on a rehab assignment, 0:13:33.520 --> 0:13:36.440 and the hope is that he'll be back as a starter, 0:13:36.600 --> 0:13:39.360 maybe near the end of this month early in September. 0:13:39.760 --> 0:13:42.400 In terms of a longer term role, it's going to 0:13:42.440 --> 0:13:46.040 be open ended. Dave Roberts put it this way, just saying, 0:13:46.080 --> 0:13:48.360 you know, when we go into October, we're going to 0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:51.360 take the thirteen best arms we have. If Roki Sasaki 0:13:51.440 --> 0:13:53.600 is one of them, whether it's to help fill out 0:13:53.640 --> 0:13:56.120 the rotation or maybe serving a bullpen roll, you know, 0:13:56.160 --> 0:13:58.120 he'll be part of that group. And if he's not, 0:13:58.200 --> 0:13:59.920 he won't be And that's gonna be the big question 0:14:00.080 --> 0:14:03.240 for Roki. You know, assuming he can come back healthy, 0:14:03.320 --> 0:14:06.200 he can get through a rehab assignment without any more setbacks, 0:14:06.520 --> 0:14:08.480 it's how does he look. You know, his fastball was 0:14:08.520 --> 0:14:11.720 only sitting around ninety six at the start of the year. 0:14:12.040 --> 0:14:13.680 That's a pitch that's supposed to be closer to one 0:14:13.720 --> 0:14:15.520 hundred and kind of needs to be closer to one 0:14:15.600 --> 0:14:18.280 hundred because it's just a little bit flatter and easier 0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:21.280 to hit, and opponents were able to square it up 0:14:21.280 --> 0:14:23.280 a lot early in the season. You know, can he 0:14:23.600 --> 0:14:26.480 locate his splitter a little bit better. It's a really 0:14:26.520 --> 0:14:29.760 good pitch. It's got you know, you even Dodger teammates 0:14:29.960 --> 0:14:33.200 have lotted you know, just how tough it is to 0:14:33.200 --> 0:14:34.880 pick up in the box and the kind of movement 0:14:34.920 --> 0:14:36.600 he gets on it. But if he can't throw it 0:14:36.640 --> 0:14:39.480 for strikes, it becomes easier to lay off. And then 0:14:39.480 --> 0:14:41.280 he's tried to add a two seam er two, which 0:14:41.280 --> 0:14:43.600 I think is something that's just an interesting development for 0:14:43.640 --> 0:14:46.400 a guy who clearly at this stage of his career 0:14:46.440 --> 0:14:48.880 is trying to figure out, Okay, how does my stuff 0:14:48.880 --> 0:14:51.160 play in the big leagues? What do I need to 0:14:51.200 --> 0:14:53.680 do to get big league hitters out. He struggled with 0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:56.760 that while being primarily a fastball splitter guy at the 0:14:56.800 --> 0:14:58.880 start of the season, with a few sliders mixed in. 0:14:59.160 --> 0:15:00.600 So I think it's a good sign of growth that 0:15:00.600 --> 0:15:03.040 he's willing to embrace, you know, trying out a two 0:15:03.080 --> 0:15:05.360 seam or trying something new and seeing if it gives 0:15:05.400 --> 0:15:07.600 him a little bit more success. When he does come 0:15:07.600 --> 0:15:09.760 back this year as the Nadyers trying to figure out 0:15:09.800 --> 0:15:12.280 if he's somebody that they can trust in a postseason environment. 0:15:13.360 --> 0:15:16.320 Well, somebody I know they can trust. And I continue 0:15:16.320 --> 0:15:18.480 to say there's no staff for character, but there's also 0:15:18.600 --> 0:15:22.200 no staff from Moxie, right. How important it is it, 0:15:22.480 --> 0:15:24.720 you know, and has it been to get Max Munthsy 0:15:24.840 --> 0:15:26.600 back in that lineup? We saw him hit you know, 0:15:26.680 --> 0:15:29.840 two homers Tuesday night and in the struggling lineup. How 0:15:30.160 --> 0:15:33.360 you know, just important is his energy and him being 0:15:33.360 --> 0:15:35.160 that lineup? You know, how much does it mean to 0:15:35.160 --> 0:15:35.920 his Dodgers team? 0:15:36.640 --> 0:15:38.600 Yeah, I mean there's obviously everything he does with the 0:15:38.640 --> 0:15:41.080 bat and the ability to work good at bats and 0:15:41.120 --> 0:15:44.560 supply some power and get on base and make things happen. 0:15:44.600 --> 0:15:46.640 But you know, Dave Roberts described it as just the 0:15:47.080 --> 0:15:50.280 presence of having him in the lineup, especially with how 0:15:50.320 --> 0:15:52.800 well he was hitting before he got hurt, with what 0:15:52.880 --> 0:15:55.360 he looked like on Tuesday with the two home run game. 0:15:55.720 --> 0:15:58.200 There's something about, especially for a team that's been struggling, 0:15:58.680 --> 0:16:01.480 just knowing that they have that that one extra guy 0:16:01.520 --> 0:16:03.440 in the lineup who can help make something happen, that 0:16:03.480 --> 0:16:05.720 one extra guy that lengthens things out A little bit 0:16:05.760 --> 0:16:07.840 who can deliver a big swing, and then when he does, 0:16:08.280 --> 0:16:10.240 you know, just kind of raise the confidence and the 0:16:10.360 --> 0:16:11.920 energy around the team. And I think that's what you've 0:16:11.960 --> 0:16:14.640 seen from Max Munsey maybe more than any other player 0:16:14.720 --> 0:16:17.920 outside of Shoheo Tani this year, which is when Munsy's 0:16:17.920 --> 0:16:20.480 hot and he's hitting big home runs and he's getting 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:22.760 on base and he's making things happen, the Dodgers have 0:16:22.800 --> 0:16:25.120 been really good. They were the highest scoring offense in 0:16:25.200 --> 0:16:27.600 baseball before he got hurt, and then they were the 0:16:27.640 --> 0:16:30.360 lowest scoring offense in baseball during the twenty five games 0:16:30.360 --> 0:16:33.000 he missed. That's not all because of him. There are 0:16:33.040 --> 0:16:35.640 some other factors that went into that, other guys struggling 0:16:36.000 --> 0:16:38.960 while he was out. But a stat like that really 0:16:39.040 --> 0:16:41.960 underlines how important he's been, not just with what he's 0:16:41.960 --> 0:16:44.280 been able to produce, but also just the way his 0:16:44.440 --> 0:16:46.920 presence in the lineup can change a little bit what 0:16:46.960 --> 0:16:48.560 the Dodgers are able to do offensively. 0:16:49.120 --> 0:16:51.520 That sounds like a fun case on his side. When 0:16:51.560 --> 0:16:54.120 they have another contract discussion, I think he usually signs 0:16:54.160 --> 0:16:56.360 like the two year extensions, or you could just be like, 0:16:56.640 --> 0:16:58.640 I'm going to play this clip from Jack harris On 0:16:58.720 --> 0:17:02.640 found territory on August seven. Then you guys make the 0:17:02.680 --> 0:17:04.600 offer the way you want to make it, and you know, 0:17:04.640 --> 0:17:05.760 I want to be here, right. 0:17:07.000 --> 0:17:09.280 He's picking the wrong year to do this ahead of 0:17:09.280 --> 0:17:10.560 a team option next year. 0:17:10.600 --> 0:17:12.359 I'm afraid that's true. 0:17:13.280 --> 0:17:14.680 It's going to be though. 0:17:15.359 --> 0:17:18.520 Hey they haven't they been doing that. They tack on 0:17:18.560 --> 0:17:19.720 an extra year or two. 0:17:19.800 --> 0:17:20.320 Something like that. 0:17:21.080 --> 0:17:25.280 Yep, DoD Dodgs are the one team that I feel 0:17:25.280 --> 0:17:28.520 like I have done some really good faith deals and 0:17:28.600 --> 0:17:29.440 taking care of guys. 0:17:30.480 --> 0:17:33.840 Kershaw. Yeah, Yeah, that's true. 0:17:34.000 --> 0:17:35.880