March 26, 2025 • 35 mins
DV takes your calls and talks to Jose Mota after the Dodgers beat the Angels, 4-1. Mookie Betts gives an update on his status for Thursday. Dustin May talks to the media after a strong start.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
And now your host of Dodger Talk, David VASEI.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Welcome the Dodger Talk David Vase, closing things out here
at Angels Stadium with you until nine thirty on Dodger Talk.
Phone calls are wide open at eight six six nine
eighty seven two five seventy. Jose Moto will join us
in twenty minutes. You will hear from Dustin May and
Mookie Bets in just a moment, and we will give
(00:28):
you our picks as far as division winners and playoff
teams coming up a little bit later, as that is
our tradition in the final game of the Freeway series.
It means absolutely nothing, but it's my opinion and I
want to hear yours. Eight six six nine eight seven
two five seventy. Spoiler alert, I'm not picking the Rockies
(00:50):
to win the NL West in case that's what you
are anticipating. No, no, that's not happening anyway. The Dodgers
won tonight four to one. More important, everybody got out
of this game clean, meaning no new injuries. And more importantly,
the Dodgers got Mookie Bets back after missing the last
couple of weeks, including the first two regular season games
(01:14):
in Tokyo with some sort of stomach virus that caused
Mooki to lose close to twenty pounds. He told us
a couple of nights ago he left spring training one
hundred and seventy five pounds and now he's one hundred
and fifty seven pounds, So that's not normal, no matter
what you got. And today he was in great spirits.
(01:35):
He reassured everybody he was feeling good. He played five
innings today, was zero for three. He's going to play
a simulated game tomorrow at Dodger Stadium and declared himself
ready to go for Thursday. Here's part of what Muki
had to say after he came out of the game tonight.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
I'm actually stronger than I was before. My body's been
perfectly fine, only be my stomach, literally only my stomach.
I'd been working out, doing everything perfectly normal. It was
just hard to hold down food, but I'll fine out.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Remember a couple of nights ago we shared with you
that Muki was going to start some new medication and
he was hopeful that would turn things around for him. Well,
they apparently did, because yesterday Dave Roberts was encouraged after
hearing Muki had a great day working out at Dodger
Stadium and said he would be here tonight in Anaheim,
(02:31):
and he was.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
And Muki, you know, he's.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Down playing and now, but he was pretty down in
the dumps the other day and not very optimistic he
was going to play for the home opener, but that
changed in the last twenty four hours. Here's what Muki
had to say about why he believes he's feeling a
lot better and now able to hold down solid foods.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
I just figured out what it was. I figured out
what I need to stay away from and may turn
plays Hern in the corner.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Maybe dairy free now, maybe Mookie's dairy free. You know,
he goes around with the chef everywhere, so he's got
a personal chef to customize whatever he needs, Taylor to
his diet. And it's good news, all joking aside that
Mookie is feeling better. That kind of stuff is scary
when you can't hold down solid foods, and certainly good
(03:27):
for the Dodgers that MOOKI is going to be ready
on Thursday, because no disrespect to anybody else, a Mookie
bets at one hundred and fifty seven pounds is better
than most players, and the Dodgers now will have their
big three at the top of their order for the
home opener against one of the best pitchers, if not
(03:48):
the best pitcher in Major League Baseball and Tarrek school Bowl.
A great pitching matchup coming up at Dodger Stadium on
Thursday afternoon. Two Cy Young Award winners and Snell and
school Bowl facing off against each other. Two of the
best lefties in the game. And the Dodgers certainly want
to be at full strength and it's not going to
be a cakewalk for school Bol.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
This is not just your.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Run of the mill Minnesota Twins al central lineup. This
is the defending world champion Dodgers that have just only
gotten stronger. So it should be a great matchup of
this Dodger offense going up against school Ball on Thursday afternoon.
Eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy is
the phone number. Also, the other storyline tonight was the
(04:33):
fact that Dustin May was pitching in a Big League
ballpark for the first time in nearly two years. Dustin May,
in case you missed it, was declared the Dodgers' fifth
starter after Tony Gonsolin went down a couple of weeks
ago in the weight room in spring training with some
sort of lower back injury. They were competing for the
(04:53):
final spot coming out of spring training, and with Gonsolin
injuring his back over weight train, Dustin May is the
fifth starter. There was some question whether or not Dustin
May would make this roster out of camp, and even
more questions about whether or not he would make it
out of camp as a starting pitcher. But you saw
(05:14):
tonight five strong innings, six strikeouts, and was able to
bring along that breaking ball, sweeper, whatever you want to
call it, sweeper, slider, slurf. He had that to play
off his fastball, and he's really excited and obviously an
emotional journey the last couple of years for Dustin May,
(05:35):
not only baseball wise, but life wise, life threatening, you know,
choking with the esophagus, had to be rushed to the
emergency room, and here he is back in a big
league ballpark. We had a chance to talk to Dustin
after he came out of the game tonight, not only
about what he was doing with his off speed pitch,
but just this journey that he's had to go through
(05:56):
the last couple of years.
Speaker 5 (05:58):
She's being able to land the breaking ball.
Speaker 6 (06:00):
That's been my biggest thing in basically my career hasn't
been very many innings, but I mean in my career,
just being able to land the breaking ball opens up
everything else. I mean, I move the ball a lot,
and just being able to land the breaking ball on
the zone opens everything else up.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Have you started to get a feel for that in
the last year working on it before obviously the esophagus issue.
Speaker 6 (06:20):
Yeah, I mean that was what I was hammering home
throughout my whole rehab, was just being able to land
the breaking ball.
Speaker 5 (06:26):
Being able to strike the breaking ball.
Speaker 6 (06:28):
That was what I've been hammering home because like, if
I can do that, it opens up a lot of doors.
Speaker 5 (06:32):
Like I said, so it.
Speaker 6 (06:34):
Helps me out if I can do it, So why
not try and be better at it?
Speaker 4 (06:37):
Were you getting depth on it tonight?
Speaker 6 (06:40):
Yeah, I'd like the shape of the ball. The shape
of the breaking ball was where I was wanting it tonight.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
Yet he's a lot of that breaking ball being more consistent.
Speaker 6 (06:47):
Just being able to understand like release point and like
how I want it to break and like where I
wanted to start and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Is the anticipation of pitching next week at your stadium
similar to the anticipation you had coming back from Tommy
John or even coming to make your major league debut.
Can you describe how you feel leading up to next week.
Speaker 6 (07:11):
I feel like there's gonna be a lot more emotions
for me because of all the time that I've had
to think about it. When I first got called up
for my debut, I mean it was like a four
day thing, so it was like kind of right on it.
But for this, I mean I've been I was waiting
for I don't know thirteen months, and then the esophagus
thing happened, and then that changed my perspective on a
(07:33):
lot of things in life. And it's gonna it's I'm excited,
just gonna put it that way.
Speaker 5 (07:39):
I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
With that being said, last time we saw you very
emotional picture on the mound with that perspective that you gotten.
Have you Are you the same emotional, fiery type of
guy or is there a different.
Speaker 6 (07:51):
I definitely have. I definitely have the spark inside of
me for sure. Still like it's definitely in there. It's
starting to wake up a little bit as I'm starting
to get back into the games a little bit more.
It was definitely very calm collected. But as I'm starting
to get back in the games and get kind of
like my feeling and feet back under me, it's definitely
(08:12):
definitely coming back.
Speaker 5 (08:14):
But yeah, it's definitely going to be more.
Speaker 6 (08:16):
On the shadowed side, but it's gonna it'll come out
every now and then.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
All Right, there's Dustin May after a strong performance to
close out the exhibition season with five innings and six strikeouts.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
Only allowing one earn run.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
And when you look at the Dodgers starting rotation, it's Snell, Yamamoto, Sazaki,
Glass Now and Dustin May. And when you look at
what the Dodgers are going to do with their bullpen
in the North American part of their schedule to start
the season, at least, I don't see any changes from
the bullpen we saw out there in Tokyo outside of
(08:56):
the fact that you're going to have Landon Naxt starting
year in the minor leagues, and you were able to
carry an extra reliever because of Blake Snell not being
on the roster out there, but I mean, well he
was because you couldn't leave him off or he would
have been out, but outside of a Landon Nak, I
(09:17):
feel like it's the same eight relievers. It's gonna be
Tanner Scott, It's going to be Alex Vesia, It's going
to be Blake Trining, Kirby Yates, benk Casparius. It to
me is going to be the breakout bullpen star of
the season. Anthony Banda is still part of this bullpen.
Jack Dreyer, who was added to the forty man roster
(09:37):
during the offseason, definitely impressed in spring training and also
held his own in Tokyo and then Luis Garcia because
the Dodgers are going to need some depth behind Suzaki
starts and Louis Garcia can eat some innings at least
two like we saw in Tokyo. So that's the way
it stacks up for the thirteen pitchers the Dodgers are
(10:00):
going to use coming out of Tokyo and into the
meat part of their schedule here in North America, picking
up where they left off after sweeping the Cubs in
that two game Tokyo series. Where does it go from
here with their pitching? Look, Clayton Kershaw, nobody's really talking
about him, but I don't see him not pitching, you know,
(10:23):
for three or four months. I see him coming back
in June. He's on his way back. You're going to
have Clayton Kershaw back before the All Star break. Now
as far as Otani goes, what's the rush. Do the
Dodgers really need Otani to pitch in the first half
of the season.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
I don't believe so.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
They don't need Otani until the second half of the season,
maybe not until August. The part of Otani pitching for me,
with the Dodgers having the depth that they have, is
getting Otani ready for the postseason to be that weapon
for you, either as a starter or well, he's not
(11:04):
going to be a reliever as a starter to start
a game, whether it's three innings, for innings, whatever you
want to do. He's a weapon in the postseason. And
that's the focus. It's not about June or May. It's
about the second half of the season. Otani's going to
throw a bullpen on Saturday at Dodgers Stadium. But there's
no rush, and I think you're seeing that from the Dodgers.
(11:28):
They are not trying to rush Otani to be ready
by May. They're not trying to rush him to be
ready by June. I believe you're not going to see
Otani pitch until July if that, because there is no rush.
Eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy is
the phone number. The Dodgers are getting set for the
home opener on Thursday, Blakesnell against Trek Skouble. That's the
(11:52):
first series at home against the Tigers, and then they
will welcome in the Atlanta Braves. And the Braves have
a tough road trip to start the year. The Braves
start out in San Diego and are coming to Dodger
Stadium after that series, so they're gonna see glass now,
they're going to see dustin May. It's not going to
(12:14):
be an easy first week of the season for the
Atlanta Braves, who I do believe are going to make
the playoffs. But here is my declarations of who is
winning each division and who are the wildcards this season
in Major League Baseball. I got the Phillies winning the
NL East. I got the Reds winning the NL Central.
(12:36):
I got the Dodgers of course in the NL West.
And my three National League wildcard teams are the Braves,
the Diamondbacks, and the Padres.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
The New York Mets are not making the playoffs with
Juan Soto and they're broken down starting pitching. I'm sorry,
they're just not I know the Padres have had some
disagreements in their ownership level, but the facts are they
have not sold off their roster. They still have Tattoos,
they still have Machado, they still have Luisa Rise, they
(13:06):
still got Bogarts, they still have Dylan Cees and You
Darvish and Michael King, and they still have a solid
bullpen until that changes. I got the Padres getting into
the postseason. In the American League, I have the Red
Sox winning the AL East.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
They're over under for wins this year is eighty six.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
I got the over They're a very good team, and
they got a lot of depth, and they got good
young players that can help them this year. In the
Central I got the Guardians simply because they got great pitching.
They have the best pitching in that division. Are you
telling me the Twins and Royals are better than the Guardians?
Speaker 4 (13:45):
I don't think so. Nothing's really changing there.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
In the AL West, I have the World champions from
twenty to twenty three, the Texas Rangers winning the AL West,
Corey Seeger, the Grom coming back, not to mention two
young pitchers that are ready to contribute this year, and
Jack Lider and Kumar Rocker. I feel like those guys
(14:10):
are really going to help them out. I like the
Rangers in a week Al West, the Wildcards. I got
the Orioles, who don't have great pitching, but they can
add during the year. I got the Yankees even without
Jan Soto. I got the Yankees even without Garrett Cole.
I got the Yankees. I got the Tigers being the
final American League wildcard team.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
No more Houston Astros. They are in disarray. They're not
the same team, that's for sure. So those are my
twelve predicted twelve playoff teams in Major League Baseball this season.
Take what you want from that. Let's go out to
La Cindy. You're on Dodger Talk. How you doing, Cindy?
Speaker 7 (14:55):
I'm good?
Speaker 8 (14:55):
Are you.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Tremendous? I had no fans come and slam dunk call
my face today?
Speaker 9 (15:02):
Awesome?
Speaker 4 (15:04):
What's going on, Cindy? You called me?
Speaker 10 (15:07):
Yeah?
Speaker 9 (15:08):
So I just have a question on your opinion. How
do you think Mookie Bets will be for the rest
of the season with the whole him being out for
the Tokyo series and how he played today, you know,
the five innings during the Angels game today. How do
you think he's going to be going throughout the whole season.
Think he's gonna get healthier? Do you think we're gonna
have another issue with Mookie Beds coming out.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
I don't know, Cindy, but look, it's not ideal for
him to have missed as much time as he did
and to lose as much weight as he did. Even
though he said he's stronger than ever, that's a little
bit of a contradiction from what we heard two nights
ago where he said he weighed one hundred and seventy
five pounds and now only weighs one hundred and fifty
seven pounds. That's that's a huge contradiction that he feels
(15:53):
stronger than ever. I feel like he's trying to convince
himself more than he's trying to convince us. And he's
playing the most demanding position on the infield and maybe
outside of catcher on a baseball diamond. So Mookie's an
extraordinary athlete. If anybody can, you know, overcome it early on,
(16:14):
it's Mookie Betts. But the good news is he doesn't
have to be superman. He doesn't have to carry the team.
He just has to make the plays at shortstop.
Speaker 9 (16:24):
Yeah, definitely, definitely.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 9 (16:25):
I was at the game today. Yeah, you look pretty
good at shortstop. So let's hope for the good Wookie
Bets moving on.
Speaker 11 (16:31):
Forward, all right?
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Indeed, drive safe wherever you're going. Eight six six nine
eight seven two five seventy is the phone number. Look
at Mookie's own words two nights ago, he said he's
starting the season feels like going uphill, And I would
agree with him, you know, Like I said, I feel
like he was trying to convince himself today more than
he's trying to convince anybody else. But the facts are
(16:55):
the Dodgers are loaded. They just can't beat themselves. With
giving the opent extra outs and making their starting pitchers
throw more pitches. All Mookie has to do is make
the plays at shortstop. Nothing spectacular. He doesn't need to
be Omarvis Skill or Ozzie Smith. He just needs to
make the plays. Make the plays like Corey Seeger used
(17:17):
to make the plays. Seeger used to make the routine plays,
and there was no issues. That's all the Dodgers need
from Mookie Betts. Eight six six nine eight seven two
five seventy is the phone number you know. One of
my favorite baseball podcasts is Buster Only's Baseball Tonight's Show,
And in case you missed it, Apple TV has the
(17:38):
World Series Championship video on demand. You could stream it
on Apple TV. And the executive producer was Richie Cunningham
aka Ron Howard. And Ron Howard joined Buster Only on
his recent podcast and sang the praises of our favorite
Vin Scully, the voice of Dodger Baseball so long and
(18:01):
just like all of us. Vin Scully had a huge
influence on Ron Howard becoming a Dodger fan and a
baseball fan.
Speaker 7 (18:09):
I give a lot of credit to Vin Scully, the
announcer of the of the Dodgers. I was first teased
by a moment in nineteen sixty two. I had been
given a transistor radio for my eighth birthday, and so
I was playing around with this transistor radio out in
the backyard, just doing the dial, and all of a sudden,
(18:31):
I hear this crowd noise, and I'm hearing this go go, go,
go go, just weird and Vin Scully is doing this
thing where he lets the radio audience hear the crowd
and they were all chanting for Mary Wills to steal
a base. And then Vin Scully starts to explain, you know,
(18:54):
this wasn't the steal that broke the record, but he says,
as he's chasing the record that they, you know, the
crowd is determined for Mary to go. Everybody in the
park knows he's gonna go.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
But will he go go go?
Speaker 7 (19:06):
Yeah, And here's the pitch and he goes, you know,
faith and will that you know, and the crowd is
going nuts. And so I was so hooked into the
drama of will this guy who I never heard of
do a thing I don't even fully understand at this
point in my life, which is, I guess, steal a base.
Speaker 10 (19:23):
But it was all so clear.
Speaker 7 (19:25):
The next year, sixty three, I didn't pay much attention
to it during the season, but my dad was directing
a very low budget version of a play that he'd
written in local little theater in Burbank, California, which is
(19:47):
where we lived, and they were building the sets that
day and I was just hanging around kind of out
in the alleyway messing around with two before's and this,
you know, the scrap wood that was laying around. But
again I had my transit you're going, and again it
was Vin and it was the sixty three World Series,
and I got caught up an inning two and listened
(20:08):
to the entire game, Kofax striking out fifteen. And by
the time spring training rolled around in sixty four, you know,
I had the magazines, I knew the players, I was
collecting cards, went to my first major league game in
sixty four and the rest is history with me.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
And that's Ron Howard on the Baseball Tonight latest episode
with Buster Only sharing his love for baseball because of
the great Vin Scully. And I think we all can't
relate to that, right. Vin Scully taught me the game
of baseball growing up. He made me fall in love
with the game of baseball. He would be on in
our house. Even my mom, who didn't care about baseball,
(20:53):
didn't mind having Dodger Baseball on the TV or on
the transistor radio in our home because of Vin Scully.
And it's so cool to hear a high profile guy
like Ron Howard share the same stories. And I'm sure
you all have as far as listening to Vin and
falling in love with the game and just awesome. And
(21:15):
Ron Howard, like I mentioned, is the executive producer of
the World Series Championship video that's streaming on Apple TV.
Speaker 4 (21:23):
So a very cool thing. And yeah, Ron Howard.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Richie Cunningham from Happy Days, Opie, from the Andy Griffiths Show.
That's how we knew him. I didn't know him with
the Andy Griffiths Show. I'm not a boomer, but I
knew him on Happy Days. He was my guy, Richie
Cunningham right there. All right, we're gonna take a time
out here on Dodger Talk. When we come back, more
of your phone calls at eight six, six, nine eighty seven,
two five seventy, and we'll check in with Jose Mota
(21:50):
and you'll also hear from Angels manager and former third
base coach with the Atlanta Braves when Freddie Freeman played there.
Ron Washington is going to share where he was when
Freddie hit his walkoff grand slamming Game one of last
year's World Series.
Speaker 4 (22:07):
You want to hear that.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
Don't go anywhere more Dodger Talk from Angel Stadium after
the Dodgers close out the exhibition season with a four
to one win on the world champion Los Angeles Dodgers
Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
On air at AM five seventy, online at AM five seventy,
LA sports dot com, and available by podcast on the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
This is Dodger Tom when David Bass saying.
Speaker 10 (22:37):
Oh, one pitch and Will hits one eye on the
air deep bright center heading back toward the wall, Isswall
is going to be up and off the wall for
a home run.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
Will Smith a two.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
Run homer and the Dodgers jumping front two notho. Will
Smith four for twenty in spring training this year. That
was his second home run of the exhibition. See He's
in two home runs three RBIs this exhibition season for
Will Smith, who was dealing with a right ankle issue
since last year or excuse me, a left ankle issue
(23:10):
since last year, and starting to round into shape out
there in Tokyo. He had a great, great two games.
His OPS was fifteen hundred. He was on base seven
times in those first two games in Tokyo. So forget
about the exhibition. Will Smith is feeling good when the
games count. Daniels Jewelers presents the home run forecast. Go
(23:32):
to AM five to seventy LA sports dot Com and
use the keyword home run for your chance to win
a fifty dollars Daniels Jeweler's gift card predicting the number
of home runs in the next game. Daniels Jewelers owned
the Dream. The Dodgers beat the Angels tonight four to one.
They are getting set for the home opener on Thursday
against Trek Scooble and the Detroit Tigers. Let's go out
(23:55):
to Loope in Wittier. You're on Dodger Talk from the
Big A.
Speaker 11 (23:59):
Hi, Loope, what's up, brother? How you doing?
Speaker 4 (24:03):
I'm excited for Thursday and Friday?
Speaker 10 (24:06):
Good good, good?
Speaker 11 (24:07):
So all am? I So, what are we thinking about
Blake Snell? I'm excited that he's starting off the season
for us. Is he going to be the workhorse that
he's been in the recent future? I mean, in the recent.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
Past, I would expect him to be. Loope. I mean
people aren't.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
I know, when a guy doesn't pitch for the Dodgers,
people act like it's his first year in Major League baseball.
Blake Snell is a very accomplished major league pitcher. That's
the reason he got the contract from the Dodgers.
Speaker 4 (24:37):
He got.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
He's a two time Sight Young Winner. He started Opening
Day twice for two different teams.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
He's a dude.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
Don't act like he's not so. I know he's new
to Dodger fans, but I would expect a lot out
of him this year.
Speaker 4 (24:52):
Loope. And if he doesn't deliver, you can blame me.
Speaker 11 (24:57):
No, I will never David, but I'm put I will
never mister Vassa, but I'm expecting to bet from him.
He's been great. He's a workhorse, he's a strong arm.
I'm expecting a big season for him, and I hope
the Dodgers, the Dodger fans rally behind him. I hope
(25:19):
they don't have any they.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Will will everybody will fall in love with snell Zilla
and you know his The rap on him, right or wrong,
is that he's a slow starter. But I'll tell you this,
I rather have a picture that is better in the
second half than a guy that's great in.
Speaker 4 (25:35):
The first half. That that's the way I feel. If
you had to choose.
Speaker 11 (25:38):
One one, Hey, I want mister October, not mister May.
Let's get him strong, all.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Right, thank you for the phone call. And here's another thing.
To the whole Blake Snell career resume. I hate to
break it to you, but he never has had run
support in his career, whether it was with the Rays,
the Padres, or the Giants. For the first time in
his career, he's going to have a real offense putting
up runs for him. Eight six six, nine eighty seven,
(26:10):
two five seventy is the phone number. We're gonna have
a great day on Thursday, school bol versus Blake Snell,
and Jose Mota will be there too.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
It's time to go around the horn with jose Mota.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
All right, Jose Mota, I know you're excited about Thursday
school ball against Blake Snell home opener at Dodger Stadium.
You've been beside your father in the early eighties, late
seventies for these type of days.
Speaker 4 (26:39):
It's gonna be spectacular.
Speaker 10 (26:41):
It's going to be great. And as you mentioned and
keep emphasizing, I mean it's a premier matchup. I mean
it's like a playoff game opening here in America. And overall,
you made some great points about lakes now that people
need to be aware of, and one of the bass
days is to run support. He looked all look at
wins and losses. Those are the things that obviously we
(27:03):
know more and more than guys can not control, especially
now when guys are not pitching deeper into games. But
when I see a guy like Blake Snell who's had
to fight for every w which matters to the players.
No matter what the modern analytics people say, wins matter
to guys on the mouth, they go and take them
out to get wins. Well, he's one of a lot
(27:24):
of close ballgames because of that reason, And what better
to have a guy that's gonna go out through accumulated
innings and at times even reinvente over the middle of
the game. There's conversations I've had with Blake still in
the past and back when he was a Tampa Bay
as a youngster, saying, well, was I couldn't find that
pitch in the in the first of innings and I
went to something else which I didn't have the bullpen.
So he's a guy that's not afraid to reinvent himself
(27:47):
to explore other options during the game to reach swings.
And I just don't see anybody else pitching more inning
or want to pitch more innings in the staff than
the guy like Blake Snell, no.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
Doubt about it.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
He's a guy that has really come into his own
the last couple of years, and it should be fun
to see what the Dodger offense can do against Trek Skuble,
who many consider the best pitcher in all of Major
League Baseball. It's certainly going to help to have Mookie
Bets and Freddie Freeman behind show Aotani, what did you
see from Mookie tonight at shortstop?
Speaker 10 (28:21):
Well, one thing I saw it was a lot of energy.
He was not lacking down. He had a ground ball,
hustling in the first base like Mookie always does. I
don't see anything concerning the bad speed or any of
the gems that he took a short step where he
was not very active, but always going to be able
to stammin how he responds tomorrow that type of body
in the top of demands are going to be one
and playing short that we're going to be large, and
(28:44):
hopefully he can go out there, as he mentioned, just
minimize things, make the routine play and that's it. You know,
if it takes a little bit more for him to
throw on the run, just cut it down and get
your feet set and make that throw, but very encouraging
coming from me yesterday, from his workout into today and
now tomorrow with a similar game. Good to see Mookie
back on his feet and I know he's not afraid
of charge ball.
Speaker 4 (29:05):
No doubt.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
And one thing Jose that he said two nights ago
is that he feels like he's going to have to
play uphill to start the year. How steep is that
hill going to be for him?
Speaker 10 (29:16):
It's going to be steep, but because of who he is,
the pride that he takes being you know, the premier player,
and Mooki considered before I want to be great and
that's the standard that he said for himself and.
Speaker 5 (29:26):
That bar that said real high in.
Speaker 10 (29:28):
That respect is the less he tries to do, the better,
because say, his strength is not going to be there
all the way, you know, first game, but it doesn't
mean he can't hit a home r. Mooki is a
guy that has such great leverage and what he does
in the batter thos that he is not needed to read,
bounce hit home runs in his career, Muki knows how
to hit. Mouki knows that is not just on him
(29:49):
and everything that he's surrounded with David and and everything
from from Max Months of the world down to Will
Smith down to kick it all of that and task
and show, hey, it's gonna make him even better because oh,
I am not going to be a hamps of the team,
especially Windows of you one hundred percent, and it's only
going to make him better knowing that he's gonna have
a pace on himself, not compared to anybody else. But man,
(30:14):
when somebody wants to be out there, you know, applaud it.
Especially nowadays, Well, guys are very careful what step they take,
and they're listening to people outside the organization that when
a guy wants to play, just Brandon will evaluate him.
Now you have every single too to do that with biometrics,
but let him play because there's nothing you can beat
(30:34):
or see better than a guy that really wants to
have that spirit to go out there and play baseball.
Speaker 4 (30:39):
All right, Jose, we'll see out there at Dodger Stadium.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
It should be a fun day out there and a
great pitching matchup like we talked about between two of
the best lefties and all of baseball.
Speaker 4 (30:49):
Look forward to it, Jose.
Speaker 10 (30:50):
Same to look forward to talking to you very soon.
I mean adios.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
All right, there he goes Jose Mota, part of the
Dodgers Spanish radio broadcast. Should be a fun day on Thursday.
And I'm sure Freddy Freeman is going to get a
hero's welcome at Dodger Stadium. He will live forever in
Major League history with that record setting World Series that
he had to help the Dodger offense get over the hump,
(31:17):
get over those Yankees. But more importantly, the similarities, the
parallels that he had with Kirk.
Speaker 4 (31:24):
Gibson, who hit his home run in Game one of.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
The World Series, a walk off shot on basically one
leg against Dennis Eckersley and Freddie Freeman obviously dealing with
his right ankle and also the left rib cage area
bothering him. We didn't know the extent of it when
he had that one swing of the bat Game one
of the World Series, a walk off grand Slam, first
(31:50):
time that has ever happened in World Series history. He
is going to get a heroes welcome, And like I
told you during the offseason, I will never get tired
of hearing where you were when Freddie Freeman hit his
walkoff grand Slam in Game one of the World series,
and you are going to love this story from Angels
(32:10):
manager ron Washington, who was watching Game one of the
World Series last year in his home and who is
very close to Freddie Freeman.
Speaker 8 (32:19):
If you got a minute, I want to show you
what I said about that.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
You are a badass, Frederick. Continue to have fun. Love
watching you compete.
Speaker 4 (32:28):
Ronald?
Speaker 2 (32:30):
How long ago after did you send that? As soon
as you saw it after they won the game?
Speaker 4 (32:34):
When he hit it?
Speaker 8 (32:36):
When he hit it on the twenty fifth, at eight
forty six pm at night, he wasn't even in the
clubouts yet he was still running around a basis. That's
what I think of Frederick. I call him Frederick, but
that's what I think of Freeman. Great teammate, well prepared,
(32:56):
show up every day to be the very best that
he can be, brings his teammates along, and that's why
he was a part of that championship team over there
with the Dodgers.
Speaker 4 (33:07):
You know how much he loves the game.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
Do you feel like that was one of those greatest
examples of the game rewarding him.
Speaker 8 (33:13):
Well, he put hisself in position to be rewarded, and
because the game of baseball knows Freddie Freeman. He was
blessed by the baseball guys, and that's how that happens.
And he deserved to be MVP because he played MVP
caliber baseball on our bad ankle, on our bad ankle,
(33:38):
and he didn't complain about nothing.
Speaker 4 (33:41):
Never do.
Speaker 5 (33:41):
That's Freddy Freeman.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
How about that Angels manager Ron Washington, who is the
third base coach with Freddie when the Braves won the
World Series a few years back, showing me his phone
his text records to Freddie Freeman or as he called him, Frederick.
As soon as Freddie hit that wall off Grand Slam,
before he even touched home plate, Ron Washington was sending
(34:04):
a text to congratulate his former player and still to
this day very close to the World Series hero, Freddie Freeman.
So it should be a great day on Thursday, and
an even better day on Friday when the Dodgers received
their championship rings. We will see you out there at
Dodger Stadium on Thursday. If you can't be with us,
(34:26):
stick to AM five seventy LA Sports. We have all
day coverage from Dodgers Stadium. Rogan and Rodney from nine
to noon, then Petro some Money from noon to three
leading up to Dodgers on deck at three o'clock with
first pitch at four to ten between Blake Snell and
Trek Scooble.
Speaker 4 (34:44):
It will be epic. You don't want to miss it.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
Thanks to Dwayne McDonald out here at Angel Stadium, thanks
to coling Ee back at our Burbank studios, and thanks
to you for listening. In case you missed any of
the show, you can find it on the iHeartRadio app
once again the FI I'll score tonight from the Big A.
The Dodgers close out the exhibition schedule.
Speaker 4 (35:04):
With a four to one win over the Angels.
Speaker 2 (35:07):
We'll see you on Thursday, Snell Zilla Day at Dodgers Stadium.
Speaker 4 (35:11):
See them time sending away
And now your host of Dodger Talk, David VASEI.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Welcome the Dodger Talk David Vase, closing things out here
at Angels Stadium with you until nine thirty on Dodger Talk.
Phone calls are wide open at eight six six nine
eighty seven two five seventy. Jose Moto will join us
in twenty minutes. You will hear from Dustin May and
Mookie Bets in just a moment, and we will give
(00:28):
you our picks as far as division winners and playoff
teams coming up a little bit later, as that is
our tradition in the final game of the Freeway series.
It means absolutely nothing, but it's my opinion and I
want to hear yours. Eight six six nine eight seven
two five seventy. Spoiler alert, I'm not picking the Rockies
(00:50):
to win the NL West in case that's what you
are anticipating. No, no, that's not happening anyway. The Dodgers
won tonight four to one. More important, everybody got out
of this game clean, meaning no new injuries. And more importantly,
the Dodgers got Mookie Bets back after missing the last
couple of weeks, including the first two regular season games
(01:14):
in Tokyo with some sort of stomach virus that caused
Mooki to lose close to twenty pounds. He told us
a couple of nights ago he left spring training one
hundred and seventy five pounds and now he's one hundred
and fifty seven pounds, So that's not normal, no matter
what you got. And today he was in great spirits.
(01:35):
He reassured everybody he was feeling good. He played five
innings today, was zero for three. He's going to play
a simulated game tomorrow at Dodger Stadium and declared himself
ready to go for Thursday. Here's part of what Muki
had to say after he came out of the game tonight.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
I'm actually stronger than I was before. My body's been
perfectly fine, only be my stomach, literally only my stomach.
I'd been working out, doing everything perfectly normal. It was
just hard to hold down food, but I'll fine out.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Remember a couple of nights ago we shared with you
that Muki was going to start some new medication and
he was hopeful that would turn things around for him. Well,
they apparently did, because yesterday Dave Roberts was encouraged after
hearing Muki had a great day working out at Dodger
Stadium and said he would be here tonight in Anaheim,
(02:31):
and he was.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
And Muki, you know, he's.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Down playing and now, but he was pretty down in
the dumps the other day and not very optimistic he
was going to play for the home opener, but that
changed in the last twenty four hours. Here's what Muki
had to say about why he believes he's feeling a
lot better and now able to hold down solid foods.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
I just figured out what it was. I figured out
what I need to stay away from and may turn
plays Hern in the corner.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Maybe dairy free now, maybe Mookie's dairy free. You know,
he goes around with the chef everywhere, so he's got
a personal chef to customize whatever he needs, Taylor to
his diet. And it's good news, all joking aside that
Mookie is feeling better. That kind of stuff is scary
when you can't hold down solid foods, and certainly good
(03:27):
for the Dodgers that MOOKI is going to be ready
on Thursday, because no disrespect to anybody else, a Mookie
bets at one hundred and fifty seven pounds is better
than most players, and the Dodgers now will have their
big three at the top of their order for the
home opener against one of the best pitchers, if not
(03:48):
the best pitcher in Major League Baseball and Tarrek school Bowl.
A great pitching matchup coming up at Dodger Stadium on
Thursday afternoon. Two Cy Young Award winners and Snell and
school Bowl facing off against each other. Two of the
best lefties in the game. And the Dodgers certainly want
to be at full strength and it's not going to
be a cakewalk for school Bol.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
This is not just your.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Run of the mill Minnesota Twins al central lineup. This
is the defending world champion Dodgers that have just only
gotten stronger. So it should be a great matchup of
this Dodger offense going up against school Ball on Thursday afternoon.
Eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy is
the phone number. Also, the other storyline tonight was the
(04:33):
fact that Dustin May was pitching in a Big League
ballpark for the first time in nearly two years. Dustin May,
in case you missed it, was declared the Dodgers' fifth
starter after Tony Gonsolin went down a couple of weeks
ago in the weight room in spring training with some
sort of lower back injury. They were competing for the
(04:53):
final spot coming out of spring training, and with Gonsolin
injuring his back over weight train, Dustin May is the
fifth starter. There was some question whether or not Dustin
May would make this roster out of camp, and even
more questions about whether or not he would make it
out of camp as a starting pitcher. But you saw
(05:14):
tonight five strong innings, six strikeouts, and was able to
bring along that breaking ball, sweeper, whatever you want to
call it, sweeper, slider, slurf. He had that to play
off his fastball, and he's really excited and obviously an
emotional journey the last couple of years for Dustin May,
(05:35):
not only baseball wise, but life wise, life threatening, you know,
choking with the esophagus, had to be rushed to the
emergency room, and here he is back in a big
league ballpark. We had a chance to talk to Dustin
after he came out of the game tonight, not only
about what he was doing with his off speed pitch,
but just this journey that he's had to go through
(05:56):
the last couple of years.
Speaker 5 (05:58):
She's being able to land the breaking ball.
Speaker 6 (06:00):
That's been my biggest thing in basically my career hasn't
been very many innings, but I mean in my career,
just being able to land the breaking ball opens up
everything else. I mean, I move the ball a lot,
and just being able to land the breaking ball on
the zone opens everything else up.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Have you started to get a feel for that in
the last year working on it before obviously the esophagus issue.
Speaker 6 (06:20):
Yeah, I mean that was what I was hammering home
throughout my whole rehab, was just being able to land
the breaking ball.
Speaker 5 (06:26):
Being able to strike the breaking ball.
Speaker 6 (06:28):
That was what I've been hammering home because like, if
I can do that, it opens up a lot of doors.
Speaker 5 (06:32):
Like I said, so it.
Speaker 6 (06:34):
Helps me out if I can do it, So why
not try and be better at it?
Speaker 4 (06:37):
Were you getting depth on it tonight?
Speaker 6 (06:40):
Yeah, I'd like the shape of the ball. The shape
of the breaking ball was where I was wanting it tonight.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
Yet he's a lot of that breaking ball being more consistent.
Speaker 6 (06:47):
Just being able to understand like release point and like
how I want it to break and like where I
wanted to start and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Is the anticipation of pitching next week at your stadium
similar to the anticipation you had coming back from Tommy
John or even coming to make your major league debut.
Can you describe how you feel leading up to next week.
Speaker 6 (07:11):
I feel like there's gonna be a lot more emotions
for me because of all the time that I've had
to think about it. When I first got called up
for my debut, I mean it was like a four
day thing, so it was like kind of right on it.
But for this, I mean I've been I was waiting
for I don't know thirteen months, and then the esophagus
thing happened, and then that changed my perspective on a
(07:33):
lot of things in life. And it's gonna it's I'm excited,
just gonna put it that way.
Speaker 5 (07:39):
I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
With that being said, last time we saw you very
emotional picture on the mound with that perspective that you gotten.
Have you Are you the same emotional, fiery type of
guy or is there a different.
Speaker 6 (07:51):
I definitely have. I definitely have the spark inside of
me for sure. Still like it's definitely in there. It's
starting to wake up a little bit as I'm starting
to get back into the games a little bit more.
It was definitely very calm collected. But as I'm starting
to get back in the games and get kind of
like my feeling and feet back under me, it's definitely
(08:12):
definitely coming back.
Speaker 5 (08:14):
But yeah, it's definitely going to be more.
Speaker 6 (08:16):
On the shadowed side, but it's gonna it'll come out
every now and then.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
All Right, there's Dustin May after a strong performance to
close out the exhibition season with five innings and six strikeouts.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
Only allowing one earn run.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
And when you look at the Dodgers starting rotation, it's Snell, Yamamoto, Sazaki,
Glass Now and Dustin May. And when you look at
what the Dodgers are going to do with their bullpen
in the North American part of their schedule to start
the season, at least, I don't see any changes from
the bullpen we saw out there in Tokyo outside of
(08:56):
the fact that you're going to have Landon Naxt starting
year in the minor leagues, and you were able to
carry an extra reliever because of Blake Snell not being
on the roster out there, but I mean, well he
was because you couldn't leave him off or he would
have been out, but outside of a Landon Nak, I
(09:17):
feel like it's the same eight relievers. It's gonna be
Tanner Scott, It's going to be Alex Vesia, It's going
to be Blake Trining, Kirby Yates, benk Casparius. It to
me is going to be the breakout bullpen star of
the season. Anthony Banda is still part of this bullpen.
Jack Dreyer, who was added to the forty man roster
(09:37):
during the offseason, definitely impressed in spring training and also
held his own in Tokyo and then Luis Garcia because
the Dodgers are going to need some depth behind Suzaki
starts and Louis Garcia can eat some innings at least
two like we saw in Tokyo. So that's the way
it stacks up for the thirteen pitchers the Dodgers are
(10:00):
going to use coming out of Tokyo and into the
meat part of their schedule here in North America, picking
up where they left off after sweeping the Cubs in
that two game Tokyo series. Where does it go from
here with their pitching? Look, Clayton Kershaw, nobody's really talking
about him, but I don't see him not pitching, you know,
(10:23):
for three or four months. I see him coming back
in June. He's on his way back. You're going to
have Clayton Kershaw back before the All Star break. Now
as far as Otani goes, what's the rush. Do the
Dodgers really need Otani to pitch in the first half
of the season.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
I don't believe so.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
They don't need Otani until the second half of the season,
maybe not until August. The part of Otani pitching for me,
with the Dodgers having the depth that they have, is
getting Otani ready for the postseason to be that weapon
for you, either as a starter or well, he's not
(11:04):
going to be a reliever as a starter to start
a game, whether it's three innings, for innings, whatever you
want to do. He's a weapon in the postseason. And
that's the focus. It's not about June or May. It's
about the second half of the season. Otani's going to
throw a bullpen on Saturday at Dodgers Stadium. But there's
no rush, and I think you're seeing that from the Dodgers.
(11:28):
They are not trying to rush Otani to be ready
by May. They're not trying to rush him to be
ready by June. I believe you're not going to see
Otani pitch until July if that, because there is no rush.
Eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy is
the phone number. The Dodgers are getting set for the
home opener on Thursday, Blakesnell against Trek Skouble. That's the
(11:52):
first series at home against the Tigers, and then they
will welcome in the Atlanta Braves. And the Braves have
a tough road trip to start the year. The Braves
start out in San Diego and are coming to Dodger
Stadium after that series, so they're gonna see glass now,
they're going to see dustin May. It's not going to
(12:14):
be an easy first week of the season for the
Atlanta Braves, who I do believe are going to make
the playoffs. But here is my declarations of who is
winning each division and who are the wildcards this season
in Major League Baseball. I got the Phillies winning the
NL East. I got the Reds winning the NL Central.
(12:36):
I got the Dodgers of course in the NL West.
And my three National League wildcard teams are the Braves,
the Diamondbacks, and the Padres.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
The New York Mets are not making the playoffs with
Juan Soto and they're broken down starting pitching. I'm sorry,
they're just not I know the Padres have had some
disagreements in their ownership level, but the facts are they
have not sold off their roster. They still have Tattoos,
they still have Machado, they still have Luisa Rise, they
(13:06):
still got Bogarts, they still have Dylan Cees and You
Darvish and Michael King, and they still have a solid
bullpen until that changes. I got the Padres getting into
the postseason. In the American League, I have the Red
Sox winning the AL East.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
They're over under for wins this year is eighty six.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
I got the over They're a very good team, and
they got a lot of depth, and they got good
young players that can help them this year. In the
Central I got the Guardians simply because they got great pitching.
They have the best pitching in that division. Are you
telling me the Twins and Royals are better than the Guardians?
Speaker 4 (13:45):
I don't think so. Nothing's really changing there.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
In the AL West, I have the World champions from
twenty to twenty three, the Texas Rangers winning the AL West,
Corey Seeger, the Grom coming back, not to mention two
young pitchers that are ready to contribute this year, and
Jack Lider and Kumar Rocker. I feel like those guys
(14:10):
are really going to help them out. I like the
Rangers in a week Al West, the Wildcards. I got
the Orioles, who don't have great pitching, but they can
add during the year. I got the Yankees even without
Jan Soto. I got the Yankees even without Garrett Cole.
I got the Yankees. I got the Tigers being the
final American League wildcard team.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
No more Houston Astros. They are in disarray. They're not
the same team, that's for sure. So those are my
twelve predicted twelve playoff teams in Major League Baseball this season.
Take what you want from that. Let's go out to
La Cindy. You're on Dodger Talk. How you doing, Cindy?
Speaker 7 (14:55):
I'm good?
Speaker 8 (14:55):
Are you.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Tremendous? I had no fans come and slam dunk call
my face today?
Speaker 9 (15:02):
Awesome?
Speaker 4 (15:04):
What's going on, Cindy? You called me?
Speaker 10 (15:07):
Yeah?
Speaker 9 (15:08):
So I just have a question on your opinion. How
do you think Mookie Bets will be for the rest
of the season with the whole him being out for
the Tokyo series and how he played today, you know,
the five innings during the Angels game today. How do
you think he's going to be going throughout the whole season.
Think he's gonna get healthier? Do you think we're gonna
have another issue with Mookie Beds coming out.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
I don't know, Cindy, but look, it's not ideal for
him to have missed as much time as he did
and to lose as much weight as he did. Even
though he said he's stronger than ever, that's a little
bit of a contradiction from what we heard two nights
ago where he said he weighed one hundred and seventy
five pounds and now only weighs one hundred and fifty
seven pounds. That's that's a huge contradiction that he feels
(15:53):
stronger than ever. I feel like he's trying to convince
himself more than he's trying to convince us. And he's
playing the most demanding position on the infield and maybe
outside of catcher on a baseball diamond. So Mookie's an
extraordinary athlete. If anybody can, you know, overcome it early on,
(16:14):
it's Mookie Betts. But the good news is he doesn't
have to be superman. He doesn't have to carry the team.
He just has to make the plays at shortstop.
Speaker 9 (16:24):
Yeah, definitely, definitely.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 9 (16:25):
I was at the game today. Yeah, you look pretty
good at shortstop. So let's hope for the good Wookie
Bets moving on.
Speaker 11 (16:31):
Forward, all right?
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Indeed, drive safe wherever you're going. Eight six six nine
eight seven two five seventy is the phone number. Look
at Mookie's own words two nights ago, he said he's
starting the season feels like going uphill, And I would
agree with him, you know, Like I said, I feel
like he was trying to convince himself today more than
he's trying to convince anybody else. But the facts are
(16:55):
the Dodgers are loaded. They just can't beat themselves. With
giving the opent extra outs and making their starting pitchers
throw more pitches. All Mookie has to do is make
the plays at shortstop. Nothing spectacular. He doesn't need to
be Omarvis Skill or Ozzie Smith. He just needs to
make the plays. Make the plays like Corey Seeger used
(17:17):
to make the plays. Seeger used to make the routine plays,
and there was no issues. That's all the Dodgers need
from Mookie Betts. Eight six six nine eight seven two
five seventy is the phone number you know. One of
my favorite baseball podcasts is Buster Only's Baseball Tonight's Show,
And in case you missed it, Apple TV has the
(17:38):
World Series Championship video on demand. You could stream it
on Apple TV. And the executive producer was Richie Cunningham
aka Ron Howard. And Ron Howard joined Buster Only on
his recent podcast and sang the praises of our favorite
Vin Scully, the voice of Dodger Baseball so long and
(18:01):
just like all of us. Vin Scully had a huge
influence on Ron Howard becoming a Dodger fan and a
baseball fan.
Speaker 7 (18:09):
I give a lot of credit to Vin Scully, the
announcer of the of the Dodgers. I was first teased
by a moment in nineteen sixty two. I had been
given a transistor radio for my eighth birthday, and so
I was playing around with this transistor radio out in
the backyard, just doing the dial, and all of a sudden,
(18:31):
I hear this crowd noise, and I'm hearing this go go, go,
go go, just weird and Vin Scully is doing this
thing where he lets the radio audience hear the crowd
and they were all chanting for Mary Wills to steal
a base. And then Vin Scully starts to explain, you know,
(18:54):
this wasn't the steal that broke the record, but he says,
as he's chasing the record that they, you know, the
crowd is determined for Mary to go. Everybody in the
park knows he's gonna go.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
But will he go go go?
Speaker 7 (19:06):
Yeah, And here's the pitch and he goes, you know,
faith and will that you know, and the crowd is
going nuts. And so I was so hooked into the
drama of will this guy who I never heard of
do a thing I don't even fully understand at this
point in my life, which is, I guess, steal a base.
Speaker 10 (19:23):
But it was all so clear.
Speaker 7 (19:25):
The next year, sixty three, I didn't pay much attention
to it during the season, but my dad was directing
a very low budget version of a play that he'd
written in local little theater in Burbank, California, which is
(19:47):
where we lived, and they were building the sets that
day and I was just hanging around kind of out
in the alleyway messing around with two before's and this,
you know, the scrap wood that was laying around. But
again I had my transit you're going, and again it
was Vin and it was the sixty three World Series,
and I got caught up an inning two and listened
(20:08):
to the entire game, Kofax striking out fifteen. And by
the time spring training rolled around in sixty four, you know,
I had the magazines, I knew the players, I was
collecting cards, went to my first major league game in
sixty four and the rest is history with me.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
And that's Ron Howard on the Baseball Tonight latest episode
with Buster Only sharing his love for baseball because of
the great Vin Scully. And I think we all can't
relate to that, right. Vin Scully taught me the game
of baseball growing up. He made me fall in love
with the game of baseball. He would be on in
our house. Even my mom, who didn't care about baseball,
(20:53):
didn't mind having Dodger Baseball on the TV or on
the transistor radio in our home because of Vin Scully.
And it's so cool to hear a high profile guy
like Ron Howard share the same stories. And I'm sure
you all have as far as listening to Vin and
falling in love with the game and just awesome. And
(21:15):
Ron Howard, like I mentioned, is the executive producer of
the World Series Championship video that's streaming on Apple TV.
Speaker 4 (21:23):
So a very cool thing. And yeah, Ron Howard.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Richie Cunningham from Happy Days, Opie, from the Andy Griffiths Show.
That's how we knew him. I didn't know him with
the Andy Griffiths Show. I'm not a boomer, but I
knew him on Happy Days. He was my guy, Richie
Cunningham right there. All right, we're gonna take a time
out here on Dodger Talk. When we come back, more
of your phone calls at eight six, six, nine eighty seven,
two five seventy, and we'll check in with Jose Mota
(21:50):
and you'll also hear from Angels manager and former third
base coach with the Atlanta Braves when Freddie Freeman played there.
Ron Washington is going to share where he was when
Freddie hit his walkoff grand slamming Game one of last
year's World Series.
Speaker 4 (22:07):
You want to hear that.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
Don't go anywhere more Dodger Talk from Angel Stadium after
the Dodgers close out the exhibition season with a four
to one win on the world champion Los Angeles Dodgers
Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
On air at AM five seventy, online at AM five seventy,
LA sports dot com, and available by podcast on the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
This is Dodger Tom when David Bass saying.
Speaker 10 (22:37):
Oh, one pitch and Will hits one eye on the
air deep bright center heading back toward the wall, Isswall
is going to be up and off the wall for
a home run.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
Will Smith a two.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
Run homer and the Dodgers jumping front two notho. Will
Smith four for twenty in spring training this year. That
was his second home run of the exhibition. See He's
in two home runs three RBIs this exhibition season for
Will Smith, who was dealing with a right ankle issue
since last year or excuse me, a left ankle issue
(23:10):
since last year, and starting to round into shape out
there in Tokyo. He had a great, great two games.
His OPS was fifteen hundred. He was on base seven
times in those first two games in Tokyo. So forget
about the exhibition. Will Smith is feeling good when the
games count. Daniels Jewelers presents the home run forecast. Go
(23:32):
to AM five to seventy LA sports dot Com and
use the keyword home run for your chance to win
a fifty dollars Daniels Jeweler's gift card predicting the number
of home runs in the next game. Daniels Jewelers owned
the Dream. The Dodgers beat the Angels tonight four to one.
They are getting set for the home opener on Thursday
against Trek Scooble and the Detroit Tigers. Let's go out
(23:55):
to Loope in Wittier. You're on Dodger Talk from the
Big A.
Speaker 11 (23:59):
Hi, Loope, what's up, brother? How you doing?
Speaker 4 (24:03):
I'm excited for Thursday and Friday?
Speaker 10 (24:06):
Good good, good?
Speaker 11 (24:07):
So all am? I So, what are we thinking about
Blake Snell? I'm excited that he's starting off the season
for us. Is he going to be the workhorse that
he's been in the recent future? I mean, in the recent.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
Past, I would expect him to be. Loope. I mean
people aren't.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
I know, when a guy doesn't pitch for the Dodgers,
people act like it's his first year in Major League baseball.
Blake Snell is a very accomplished major league pitcher. That's
the reason he got the contract from the Dodgers.
Speaker 4 (24:37):
He got.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
He's a two time Sight Young Winner. He started Opening
Day twice for two different teams.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
He's a dude.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
Don't act like he's not so. I know he's new
to Dodger fans, but I would expect a lot out
of him this year.
Speaker 4 (24:52):
Loope. And if he doesn't deliver, you can blame me.
Speaker 11 (24:57):
No, I will never David, but I'm put I will
never mister Vassa, but I'm expecting to bet from him.
He's been great. He's a workhorse, he's a strong arm.
I'm expecting a big season for him, and I hope
the Dodgers, the Dodger fans rally behind him. I hope
(25:19):
they don't have any they.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Will will everybody will fall in love with snell Zilla
and you know his The rap on him, right or wrong,
is that he's a slow starter. But I'll tell you this,
I rather have a picture that is better in the
second half than a guy that's great in.
Speaker 4 (25:35):
The first half. That that's the way I feel. If
you had to choose.
Speaker 11 (25:38):
One one, Hey, I want mister October, not mister May.
Let's get him strong, all.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Right, thank you for the phone call. And here's another thing.
To the whole Blake Snell career resume. I hate to
break it to you, but he never has had run
support in his career, whether it was with the Rays,
the Padres, or the Giants. For the first time in
his career, he's going to have a real offense putting
up runs for him. Eight six six, nine eighty seven,
(26:10):
two five seventy is the phone number. We're gonna have
a great day on Thursday, school bol versus Blake Snell,
and Jose Mota will be there too.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
It's time to go around the horn with jose Mota.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
All right, Jose Mota, I know you're excited about Thursday
school ball against Blake Snell home opener at Dodger Stadium.
You've been beside your father in the early eighties, late
seventies for these type of days.
Speaker 4 (26:39):
It's gonna be spectacular.
Speaker 10 (26:41):
It's going to be great. And as you mentioned and
keep emphasizing, I mean it's a premier matchup. I mean
it's like a playoff game opening here in America. And overall,
you made some great points about lakes now that people
need to be aware of, and one of the bass
days is to run support. He looked all look at
wins and losses. Those are the things that obviously we
(27:03):
know more and more than guys can not control, especially
now when guys are not pitching deeper into games. But
when I see a guy like Blake Snell who's had
to fight for every w which matters to the players.
No matter what the modern analytics people say, wins matter
to guys on the mouth, they go and take them
out to get wins. Well, he's one of a lot
(27:24):
of close ballgames because of that reason, And what better
to have a guy that's gonna go out through accumulated
innings and at times even reinvente over the middle of
the game. There's conversations I've had with Blake still in
the past and back when he was a Tampa Bay
as a youngster, saying, well, was I couldn't find that
pitch in the in the first of innings and I
went to something else which I didn't have the bullpen.
So he's a guy that's not afraid to reinvent himself
(27:47):
to explore other options during the game to reach swings.
And I just don't see anybody else pitching more inning
or want to pitch more innings in the staff than
the guy like Blake Snell, no.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
Doubt about it.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
He's a guy that has really come into his own
the last couple of years, and it should be fun
to see what the Dodger offense can do against Trek Skuble,
who many consider the best pitcher in all of Major
League Baseball. It's certainly going to help to have Mookie
Bets and Freddie Freeman behind show Aotani, what did you
see from Mookie tonight at shortstop?
Speaker 10 (28:21):
Well, one thing I saw it was a lot of energy.
He was not lacking down. He had a ground ball,
hustling in the first base like Mookie always does. I
don't see anything concerning the bad speed or any of
the gems that he took a short step where he
was not very active, but always going to be able
to stammin how he responds tomorrow that type of body
in the top of demands are going to be one
and playing short that we're going to be large, and
(28:44):
hopefully he can go out there, as he mentioned, just
minimize things, make the routine play and that's it. You know,
if it takes a little bit more for him to
throw on the run, just cut it down and get
your feet set and make that throw, but very encouraging
coming from me yesterday, from his workout into today and
now tomorrow with a similar game. Good to see Mookie
back on his feet and I know he's not afraid
of charge ball.
Speaker 4 (29:05):
No doubt.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
And one thing Jose that he said two nights ago
is that he feels like he's going to have to
play uphill to start the year. How steep is that
hill going to be for him?
Speaker 10 (29:16):
It's going to be steep, but because of who he is,
the pride that he takes being you know, the premier player,
and Mooki considered before I want to be great and
that's the standard that he said for himself and.
Speaker 5 (29:26):
That bar that said real high in.
Speaker 10 (29:28):
That respect is the less he tries to do, the better,
because say, his strength is not going to be there
all the way, you know, first game, but it doesn't
mean he can't hit a home r. Mooki is a
guy that has such great leverage and what he does
in the batter thos that he is not needed to read,
bounce hit home runs in his career, Muki knows how
to hit. Mouki knows that is not just on him
(29:49):
and everything that he's surrounded with David and and everything
from from Max Months of the world down to Will
Smith down to kick it all of that and task
and show, hey, it's gonna make him even better because oh,
I am not going to be a hamps of the team,
especially Windows of you one hundred percent, and it's only
going to make him better knowing that he's gonna have
a pace on himself, not compared to anybody else. But man,
(30:14):
when somebody wants to be out there, you know, applaud it.
Especially nowadays, Well, guys are very careful what step they take,
and they're listening to people outside the organization that when
a guy wants to play, just Brandon will evaluate him.
Now you have every single too to do that with biometrics,
but let him play because there's nothing you can beat
(30:34):
or see better than a guy that really wants to
have that spirit to go out there and play baseball.
Speaker 4 (30:39):
All right, Jose, we'll see out there at Dodger Stadium.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
It should be a fun day out there and a
great pitching matchup like we talked about between two of
the best lefties and all of baseball.
Speaker 4 (30:49):
Look forward to it, Jose.
Speaker 10 (30:50):
Same to look forward to talking to you very soon.
I mean adios.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
All right, there he goes Jose Mota, part of the
Dodgers Spanish radio broadcast. Should be a fun day on Thursday.
And I'm sure Freddy Freeman is going to get a
hero's welcome at Dodger Stadium. He will live forever in
Major League history with that record setting World Series that
he had to help the Dodger offense get over the hump,
(31:17):
get over those Yankees. But more importantly, the similarities, the
parallels that he had with Kirk.
Speaker 4 (31:24):
Gibson, who hit his home run in Game one of.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
The World Series, a walk off shot on basically one
leg against Dennis Eckersley and Freddie Freeman obviously dealing with
his right ankle and also the left rib cage area
bothering him. We didn't know the extent of it when
he had that one swing of the bat Game one
of the World Series, a walk off grand Slam, first
(31:50):
time that has ever happened in World Series history. He
is going to get a heroes welcome, And like I
told you during the offseason, I will never get tired
of hearing where you were when Freddie Freeman hit his
walkoff grand Slam in Game one of the World series,
and you are going to love this story from Angels
(32:10):
manager ron Washington, who was watching Game one of the
World Series last year in his home and who is
very close to Freddie Freeman.
Speaker 8 (32:19):
If you got a minute, I want to show you
what I said about that.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
You are a badass, Frederick. Continue to have fun. Love
watching you compete.
Speaker 4 (32:28):
Ronald?
Speaker 2 (32:30):
How long ago after did you send that? As soon
as you saw it after they won the game?
Speaker 4 (32:34):
When he hit it?
Speaker 8 (32:36):
When he hit it on the twenty fifth, at eight
forty six pm at night, he wasn't even in the
clubouts yet he was still running around a basis. That's
what I think of Frederick. I call him Frederick, but
that's what I think of Freeman. Great teammate, well prepared,
(32:56):
show up every day to be the very best that
he can be, brings his teammates along, and that's why
he was a part of that championship team over there
with the Dodgers.
Speaker 4 (33:07):
You know how much he loves the game.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
Do you feel like that was one of those greatest
examples of the game rewarding him.
Speaker 8 (33:13):
Well, he put hisself in position to be rewarded, and
because the game of baseball knows Freddie Freeman. He was
blessed by the baseball guys, and that's how that happens.
And he deserved to be MVP because he played MVP
caliber baseball on our bad ankle, on our bad ankle,
(33:38):
and he didn't complain about nothing.
Speaker 4 (33:41):
Never do.
Speaker 5 (33:41):
That's Freddy Freeman.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
How about that Angels manager Ron Washington, who is the
third base coach with Freddie when the Braves won the
World Series a few years back, showing me his phone
his text records to Freddie Freeman or as he called him, Frederick.
As soon as Freddie hit that wall off Grand Slam,
before he even touched home plate, Ron Washington was sending
(34:04):
a text to congratulate his former player and still to
this day very close to the World Series hero, Freddie Freeman.
So it should be a great day on Thursday, and
an even better day on Friday when the Dodgers received
their championship rings. We will see you out there at
Dodger Stadium on Thursday. If you can't be with us,
(34:26):
stick to AM five seventy LA Sports. We have all
day coverage from Dodgers Stadium. Rogan and Rodney from nine
to noon, then Petro some Money from noon to three
leading up to Dodgers on deck at three o'clock with
first pitch at four to ten between Blake Snell and
Trek Scooble.
Speaker 4 (34:44):
It will be epic. You don't want to miss it.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
Thanks to Dwayne McDonald out here at Angel Stadium, thanks
to coling Ee back at our Burbank studios, and thanks
to you for listening. In case you missed any of
the show, you can find it on the iHeartRadio app
once again the FI I'll score tonight from the Big A.
The Dodgers close out the exhibition schedule.
Speaker 4 (35:04):
With a four to one win over the Angels.
Speaker 2 (35:07):
We'll see you on Thursday, Snell Zilla Day at Dodgers Stadium.
Speaker 4 (35:11):
See them time sending away
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