May 3, 2025 • 8 mins
Evan talks about his njury rehab and playing with his best friend, Tanner Scott.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well weather seems to be part of this leg of
the Dodger road trip. Last night an hour plus delay
and then Evin Phillips came in and closed out the
first safe since last season. And Evin joins us right now,
the hometown kid in a lot of ways, thanks a lot.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
For the time. Yeah, no problem at all.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
What's it like coming back to Atlanta for you.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
It's a lot of fun. You know, for a long
time here.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
It was just great to come back and see you know,
old friends and very familiar with the area close to
you know, where I grew up in North Carolina, so
a family would always come down and you know, my
wife and I decided to move back to this area too,
so you know, now coming home and you're getting a
taste of that throughout the years.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
It's really special for us, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
And in a lot of ways, this is kind of
your coming out party here in this ballpark because I
remember during the twenty one postseason, this is where you
really made an impression for the Dodgers.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yeah, you know, that was a nice way to get
eased into My first playoff experience was you know, playing
against some former teammates and having that familiarity in the.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Postseason made things a little bit easier for me.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
And you know, yeah, like I said, it's it's great
to match up against these guys. And then they've obviously
had a lot of turnover over there, but still some
familiar faces and a lot of talented players, so it's
always a good game.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Last night, we asked you this after the game, how
did you get ready after an hour rain delay? But
Evan phillips demeanor stayed the same.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
It seemed like, yeah, you know, I had a decent
feeling that I was going to be the guy going in.
They hadn't said anything quite yet, and when the delay hit,
you know, I just tried to stay mentally in it,
not get too high and not get too low, stay prepared.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
And you know the tricky part.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
There is, you know, during an hour delay, you know
that's another hour since I've done any prep and thrown, you.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Know, been stretched out, stuff like that.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
So that kind of challenges the harder side of it,
but not making too much of it, and then when
that time comes to get ready.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
To just do what I always do.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Considering not pitching in a major league game since last
year's NLCS, how has your body bounced back for.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
The most part good.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
I think you can't, you can't really replicate the major
league workload.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
That think that's why we do, you.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Know, a pretty extensive rehab process is to try to
you know, get the most out of that as you can.
That way, when we're the demands of coming back to
the big leagues or when you're when you're ready for that,
when that time comes, you're ready to go. And I
think that showed, you know, I went back to back
right right off of a rehab assignment, and I think
that's that's why we do those things. And being thrust
into this you know, leverage role again and and you know,
(02:25):
I'm happy to be able to you know, jump right
back in and you know, pretty much pick up where
I left off.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
But yeah, that's definitely a challenge of coming off rehab.
For sure.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
You never seem to doubt that you would be able
to come back. Why were you so confident that you
would be able not only to come back, but to
be your old self?
Speaker 3 (02:43):
You know, I think we've just worked really hard at
getting back to who I who I can be as
a pitcher and really locking in on, you know, what
makes me successful, right so doing the certain things in
the minor league games to get ready, building that confidence
in myself, and then you know, when it comes up
to matchups here in the big leagues, if I go
out there and feel like I'm physically prepared and mentally
(03:05):
convicted in what I'm doing, I can have success just
just against just about anybody. So that's kind of been
the recipe, you know, coming off of rehab and building
that confidence and just trying to take all that out there.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
I know you're always taking inventory. What did you learn
about yourself during this whole process of taking a step
back because of the jury. Did you come back maybe
a better version of yourself?
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Maybe?
Speaker 3 (03:30):
In some ways? I think you're always learning in this game.
You know, no one's ever got it all figured out,
so to understand kind of the ebbs and flows of
a major league season, and you know, learning that that
part of it on a rehab assignment too, where you
know some of those decisions are out of my hands.
You know, I'm on a rehab stand that's gonna take,
you know, however long, and whether.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
I feel like I'm ready or.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
The team feels like I'm not ready, I had to
kind of just stick to that process and make the
most of it. So I think I definitely learned a
lot about how to, you know, handle certain things while
I was down there. Rehaving but certainly just blessed them
and you're really excited to be back here.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Yeah, the Dodgers are very fortunate to have Evan Phillips
back in their bullpen. And every year is unique, Evan,
and the dynamics of a team are different every year.
Can you describe what the dynamics are in that Dodger
bullpen this year compared to last year.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Yeah, We've got a couple of new faces, but for
the most part, it's a very similar group, and I
think our new guys definitely add to what we have
down there. So Tanner, Scott Kirby, Luis Garcia, those guys
are very unselfish pitchers. They they'll do whatever it takes
for us to win, you know, seeing them pitch and
(04:42):
you know, different spots here and there to maximize our
chances to win the game. You know, that's that's really
Dodger baseball to a team. So it's been great to
watch them get, you know, adjusted to how we run things,
and you know, their personalities messed perfectly with how we
operate down there. So it's been a great dynamic so far,
and I just hope we continue to build on that.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
It's a long time coming for you and Tanner Scott
to be teammates again, now that you're healthy, and now
that you both are in the same bullpen again with
the Dodgers. What's the dynamic between you two now?
Speaker 3 (05:10):
You know, it's great, and it's it's very similar to
how we operated in Baltimore.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
It's just, uh, it looks a little bit different.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
You know, we're on championship caliber team instead of a
rebuilding team, so the work is a little bit different.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
You know, we're not just trying to develop anymore.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
We're trying to have you know, we're trying to win
and trying to be successful. So for the most part,
you know, stuff in between innings and the goofing off
it's all the same. But it's it's been really fun
to watch us both, you know, be successful in the
box score and come in and be able to you know,
give each other knuckles or high fives and congratulate each
other on good outings. And you hopefully can continue to
(05:46):
build on that and be part of a championship season together.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
It seems like Tanner Scott's throwing more strikes than ever.
Do you know why?
Speaker 2 (05:53):
You know, I think.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
From what I can speak just with Tanner and from experience,
I just see him in He's mentally just much more
free than I ever experienced in Baltimore.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
When I was with him. You know, I got out
of there and he had.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
A couple more seasons where he had started to put
it together a little bit. But you know, when you're
trying to develop it, there's so much more going through
your head. But I think when you start to win
games and competition just takes over. Tanner's a guy that
needs that competitive edge, and once you give it to him,
he can really, you know, unleash it and just be
the best version of himself. And there's no better place
(06:26):
to compete than the Dodgers. So it's it's been a
lot of fun to watch, and there's definitely more in
the tank there too.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
A lot of guys can't handle pitching for the Dodgers.
You obviously know that you've excelled, but some guys the
lights get a little bit too bright and big markets.
How has Tanner been able to acclimate from pitching for
the Marlins, and obviously the Padres to a lesser degree.
But what's it been like.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
I think he's a guy that feeds off of that
higher intensity, you know. And I think in sports in general,
some guys really need to dial it up, and some
guys try to either tow the line like I do,
or really dial it back and treat it like more nonchalant.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Right.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Tanner's a guy that I think when it gets intense,
he wants that moment.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
You know.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
And I think we're gonna have a lot of those
this year for the Dodgers, and there's really not many
other guys that'd rather have than Tanner Scott.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
And a lot of those innings.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
How's baby bo doing, Baby bo Phillips?
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Maybe yeah, Bo Phillips. That's another part of our friendship.
We share, our sons share the same name. Our bow
is felt a little bit different, but it's still a
lot of funn He just turned two years old. He's
running all over the place, repeating everything, only the good things,
and it's just been a lot of fun to watch
him grow and it's happening really fast.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Hey, truly a blessing, right, absolutely no thought of doubt.
Thanks a lot for the time. I always love talking,
tapping into your knowledge and sharing you with Dodger fans
because relievers get lost in the shuffle. When you're pitching good,
nobody talks to you.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
We're special teams, you know, and we make the field goals.
Everything's good. If we miss a field goal, it's you know,
all hell's breaking loose.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Well, I'm glad to talk to you under these circumstances.
Keep it going and stay healthy. The rest of the
world wait, Thank you very much, Dave
Well weather seems to be part of this leg of
the Dodger road trip. Last night an hour plus delay
and then Evin Phillips came in and closed out the
first safe since last season. And Evin joins us right now,
the hometown kid in a lot of ways, thanks a lot.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
For the time. Yeah, no problem at all.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
What's it like coming back to Atlanta for you.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
It's a lot of fun. You know, for a long
time here.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
It was just great to come back and see you know,
old friends and very familiar with the area close to
you know, where I grew up in North Carolina, so
a family would always come down and you know, my
wife and I decided to move back to this area too,
so you know, now coming home and you're getting a
taste of that throughout the years.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
It's really special for us, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
And in a lot of ways, this is kind of
your coming out party here in this ballpark because I
remember during the twenty one postseason, this is where you
really made an impression for the Dodgers.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yeah, you know, that was a nice way to get
eased into My first playoff experience was you know, playing
against some former teammates and having that familiarity in the.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Postseason made things a little bit easier for me.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
And you know, yeah, like I said, it's it's great
to match up against these guys. And then they've obviously
had a lot of turnover over there, but still some
familiar faces and a lot of talented players, so it's
always a good game.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Last night, we asked you this after the game, how
did you get ready after an hour rain delay? But
Evan phillips demeanor stayed the same.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
It seemed like, yeah, you know, I had a decent
feeling that I was going to be the guy going in.
They hadn't said anything quite yet, and when the delay hit,
you know, I just tried to stay mentally in it,
not get too high and not get too low, stay prepared.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
And you know the tricky part.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
There is, you know, during an hour delay, you know
that's another hour since I've done any prep and thrown, you.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Know, been stretched out, stuff like that.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
So that kind of challenges the harder side of it,
but not making too much of it, and then when
that time comes to get ready.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
To just do what I always do.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Considering not pitching in a major league game since last
year's NLCS, how has your body bounced back for.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
The most part good.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
I think you can't, you can't really replicate the major
league workload.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
That think that's why we do, you.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Know, a pretty extensive rehab process is to try to
you know, get the most out of that as you can.
That way, when we're the demands of coming back to
the big leagues or when you're when you're ready for that,
when that time comes, you're ready to go. And I
think that showed, you know, I went back to back
right right off of a rehab assignment, and I think
that's that's why we do those things. And being thrust
into this you know, leverage role again and and you know,
(02:25):
I'm happy to be able to you know, jump right
back in and you know, pretty much pick up where
I left off.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
But yeah, that's definitely a challenge of coming off rehab.
For sure.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
You never seem to doubt that you would be able
to come back. Why were you so confident that you
would be able not only to come back, but to
be your old self?
Speaker 3 (02:43):
You know, I think we've just worked really hard at
getting back to who I who I can be as
a pitcher and really locking in on, you know, what
makes me successful, right so doing the certain things in
the minor league games to get ready, building that confidence
in myself, and then you know, when it comes up
to matchups here in the big leagues, if I go
out there and feel like I'm physically prepared and mentally
(03:05):
convicted in what I'm doing, I can have success just
just against just about anybody. So that's kind of been
the recipe, you know, coming off of rehab and building
that confidence and just trying to take all that out there.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
I know you're always taking inventory. What did you learn
about yourself during this whole process of taking a step
back because of the jury. Did you come back maybe
a better version of yourself?
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Maybe?
Speaker 3 (03:30):
In some ways? I think you're always learning in this game.
You know, no one's ever got it all figured out,
so to understand kind of the ebbs and flows of
a major league season, and you know, learning that that
part of it on a rehab assignment too, where you
know some of those decisions are out of my hands.
You know, I'm on a rehab stand that's gonna take,
you know, however long, and whether.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
I feel like I'm ready or.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
The team feels like I'm not ready, I had to
kind of just stick to that process and make the
most of it. So I think I definitely learned a
lot about how to, you know, handle certain things while
I was down there. Rehaving but certainly just blessed them
and you're really excited to be back here.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Yeah, the Dodgers are very fortunate to have Evan Phillips
back in their bullpen. And every year is unique, Evan,
and the dynamics of a team are different every year.
Can you describe what the dynamics are in that Dodger
bullpen this year compared to last year.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Yeah, We've got a couple of new faces, but for
the most part, it's a very similar group, and I
think our new guys definitely add to what we have
down there. So Tanner, Scott Kirby, Luis Garcia, those guys
are very unselfish pitchers. They they'll do whatever it takes
for us to win, you know, seeing them pitch and
(04:42):
you know, different spots here and there to maximize our
chances to win the game. You know, that's that's really
Dodger baseball to a team. So it's been great to
watch them get, you know, adjusted to how we run things,
and you know, their personalities messed perfectly with how we
operate down there. So it's been a great dynamic so far,
and I just hope we continue to build on that.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
It's a long time coming for you and Tanner Scott
to be teammates again, now that you're healthy, and now
that you both are in the same bullpen again with
the Dodgers. What's the dynamic between you two now?
Speaker 3 (05:10):
You know, it's great, and it's it's very similar to
how we operated in Baltimore.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
It's just, uh, it looks a little bit different.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
You know, we're on championship caliber team instead of a
rebuilding team, so the work is a little bit different.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
You know, we're not just trying to develop anymore.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
We're trying to have you know, we're trying to win
and trying to be successful. So for the most part,
you know, stuff in between innings and the goofing off
it's all the same. But it's it's been really fun
to watch us both, you know, be successful in the
box score and come in and be able to you know,
give each other knuckles or high fives and congratulate each
other on good outings. And you hopefully can continue to
(05:46):
build on that and be part of a championship season together.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
It seems like Tanner Scott's throwing more strikes than ever.
Do you know why?
Speaker 2 (05:53):
You know, I think.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
From what I can speak just with Tanner and from experience,
I just see him in He's mentally just much more
free than I ever experienced in Baltimore.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
When I was with him. You know, I got out
of there and he had.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
A couple more seasons where he had started to put
it together a little bit. But you know, when you're
trying to develop it, there's so much more going through
your head. But I think when you start to win
games and competition just takes over. Tanner's a guy that
needs that competitive edge, and once you give it to him,
he can really, you know, unleash it and just be
the best version of himself. And there's no better place
(06:26):
to compete than the Dodgers. So it's it's been a
lot of fun to watch, and there's definitely more in
the tank there too.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
A lot of guys can't handle pitching for the Dodgers.
You obviously know that you've excelled, but some guys the
lights get a little bit too bright and big markets.
How has Tanner been able to acclimate from pitching for
the Marlins, and obviously the Padres to a lesser degree.
But what's it been like.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
I think he's a guy that feeds off of that
higher intensity, you know. And I think in sports in general,
some guys really need to dial it up, and some
guys try to either tow the line like I do,
or really dial it back and treat it like more nonchalant.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Right.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Tanner's a guy that I think when it gets intense,
he wants that moment.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
You know.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
And I think we're gonna have a lot of those
this year for the Dodgers, and there's really not many
other guys that'd rather have than Tanner Scott.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
And a lot of those innings.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
How's baby bo doing, Baby bo Phillips?
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Maybe yeah, Bo Phillips. That's another part of our friendship.
We share, our sons share the same name. Our bow
is felt a little bit different, but it's still a
lot of funn He just turned two years old. He's
running all over the place, repeating everything, only the good things,
and it's just been a lot of fun to watch
him grow and it's happening really fast.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Hey, truly a blessing, right, absolutely no thought of doubt.
Thanks a lot for the time. I always love talking,
tapping into your knowledge and sharing you with Dodger fans
because relievers get lost in the shuffle. When you're pitching good,
nobody talks to you.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
We're special teams, you know, and we make the field goals.
Everything's good. If we miss a field goal, it's you know,
all hell's breaking loose.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Well, I'm glad to talk to you under these circumstances.
Keep it going and stay healthy. The rest of the
world wait, Thank you very much, Dave
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