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October 18, 2024 • 38 mins
Steve Sax and Tim Cates talk to Dodgers Insider David Vassegh in NYC. Stephen Nelson joins the guys to discuss the Game 4 and need to finish off the Mets in Game 5. Steve's Keys.
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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
One more to go.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
That's it.

Speaker 3 (00:02):
One more win to go, and it's back to the
World Series. For the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's Sax and
Kates in the AM on your home of show hey
Otani and the Los Angeles Dodgers AM FI seventy LA Sports.
As you heard Dan mentioned, you can listen to Dan
the Dan Nets on the iHeartRadio app. We're with you

(00:23):
here for another hour on this Friday morning, October eighteenth,
As the Dodgers win Game four of the NLCS. Last night,
they tended to win over the New York Mets. Yoshanobi
you have a modo pitch into the fifth inning. Sho
hey Otani was absolutely fantastic last night, as was Mookie Betts,
who went four for six, double a home run, drove

(00:44):
in four runs. Tommy Edmund, the new cleanup hitter for
the Dodgers, had two hits and three runs driven in.
As the Dodgers are now of three games to one
and this best of seven NLCS and Game five later
on this afternoon, Marogo Casino Dodgers on Deck starts at
one pm. First pitch from the Galpamotors broadcast booth is

(01:04):
at two oh eight, and if you're Jack Flerity Saxy,
you gotta be ready. You've got to be pumped up
for a chance to close out the New York Mets
and get to a World Series as a local kid
who got to pitch already in this postseason. You saw
the emotion from him and his mom after the game
the other night against the Mets.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
I mean he I.

Speaker 3 (01:22):
Imagine he is probably looking at the clock state, sitting
on top of his bend the hotel room, wishing it
to be five oh eight Eastern so he can go
out there already in pitch.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
Hey, he's got he's got a great history with it,
a very recent history. Game one, seven to eighty shutdown.
He did a great job with him. He can't wait
to get at these guys. And you know the Mets
know they're going to have their hands full with him too.
The question more to me is how soon can the
can the Dodgers get to David Peterson. I think that's
gonna be the real key. I'm not really worried about Flarity.

(01:53):
I think he's gonna pitches his normal self. He's going
to be you know what. He was the workhorse for
the Dodgers during the season, and I think he's gonna
do that tonight.

Speaker 3 (02:01):
David Peterson a guy who's been in and out of
the rotation ten to three this year, two ninety e
r Ray. The Dodgers saw him on Sunday two in
the third innings, gave up three runs on four hits.
It's some familiarity there. They've seen him over the years.
It's not like he's had a ton of success against

(02:22):
the Dodgers in his career. And again, they've seen him
a lot over the last couple of seasons. So it's
a familiar left hander out there on the mound that
he's been with the Mets for the last four plus seasons,
coming out of the bullpen, making starts as well. So
a familiar guy that will be out there. The Dodgers
are facing Jack Felerry a chance to close it out
for the Dodgers Game five again, first pitch at two

(02:42):
to eight our time, five o eight Eastern and joining
us from New York City after a late night at
City Field last night. We appreciate Hi getting up this morning. That,
of course, is the one and only David Vaz a
DV Good morning.

Speaker 4 (02:54):
Buddy, Hey, good morning, guys.

Speaker 3 (02:58):
Morning this team last night, put it all together, Yoshanoba,
Yamamodo on the mound, the bullpen, coming up big last night,
putting up zeros afterwards, in the top of the lineup, delivering,
Tommy Emmon delivering. They do it all without Freddie Freeman.
Right now, the Dodgers, all things are clicking for him
right now. This is some of the best baseball they've

(03:18):
played collectively this season.

Speaker 4 (03:20):
David, Yeah, it's the best baseball they've played all season.
And I know, going into the playoffs, everybody was so
skeptical about how they would be able to navigate the
postseason with a very thin starting staff. Well, the answer
was scoring runs. You know, I've said this before. Other
players told me from other teams that the Dodgers needed

(03:45):
to score at least five or six runs a game
to be able to run the table. And they certainly
have done that in a resounding fashion in their three
wins in this NLCS. They have dominated the Mets with
their offense. Sand you know, that makes life a lot
easier for Dave Roberts to execute the pitching game plan.

(04:06):
You know, when you have a six run lead in
the fifth.

Speaker 1 (04:09):
Inning, Hi, Hi, David, good to be with you this morning.
I wanted to ask you this situation with last night.
Phillips was out there with an ending in the third,
trying inning in the third as well. Are these guys
available for tonight? How's the situation look for the bullpen?
I think pretty strong, But are they at one hundred
percent the availability out there given the fact that these

(04:31):
other guys pitched last night?

Speaker 4 (04:34):
Yeah, you know, Michael Kopek has only pitched once in
this series. Blake Trinan has pitched back to back. Would
he go three in a row? That remains to be seen.
But you know, it feels like the Dodgers have been
able to, like I said, you take the advantage of
their offense and not have to push these guys too far.
And if it's a close game going into the seventh, eighth,

(04:56):
and ninth, Innik Steve it's a chance to go to
the World Series. I would not see any hesitation by
Dave Roberts to go to those guys to close out
this game. Now, the one thing the Dodgers have been
very fortunate they have played close games. Their relievers have
not given up the leads. Because if you start using
your high leverage relievers as we saw last night in

(05:19):
the Yankees Cleveland game, and it goes to extra innings.
The way that these managers and teams are being so
overly aggressive early in the game, you're really left with
not much in those type of situations. So the Dodgers
have been very fortunate in that department as well. But
to your question, yes, I feel like all those guys

(05:39):
have not been pushed too far. I know Phillips through
thirty four pitches last night. He wouldn't go for any plus,
that's for sure. But if there was two or three
batters that the Dodgers needed him to get, I don't
believe Dave Roberts would hesitate.

Speaker 3 (05:56):
I thought a sneaky good move that they made last
night was Tommy Edmund put him in the clean spot
David and it paid off. He drove in three runs,
but kind of felt like he was a bridge between
the big guys at the top of the lineup and
the bottom of the lineup and getting on base, driving
in runs, and letting the guys behind them then do
the damage that they did.

Speaker 4 (06:16):
Yeah, you know, Tommy Edmund had hit cleanup for the
Dodgers this season a handful of times. It was the
first time in his major league career that he had
ever done that. And look, he's not going to try
to beat John Carlos Stanton just because he's hitting Ford.
He's just another piece to what you mentioned earlier, a
full one through nine lineup that is very connected. And

(06:40):
there's an argument to be made that Tommy Edmond is
a leading candidate to be the NLCSMVP. He's hitting four
to twelve, He's driven in a run in every one
of the games, and right now, in my mind, the
two candidates are Jack Flaherty if he pitches well again,
and Tommy Edmund. But Tommy Edmond under the radar, has
been really good.

Speaker 1 (07:01):
Yeah, David, I look at it on the other side
and what would have to be done to kind of
mitigate what the Mets can put out at you. I
think they've done a really good job in the middle
of that order. Vientos has been good for the team
in Lindor as well, but they've really been able to
silence what Alonzo's effective effectiveness should have been him and Nimo.

(07:22):
I think the Dodgers have done a really, really super
good job on those two guys, and if you keep
those guys off I mean, you're gonna be able to
limit the you know, the capacity of what this lineup
can put out.

Speaker 4 (07:36):
Yeah, it kind of feels like even when Lindor's energy
went down yesterday, Steve, it just feels like the Dodgers
broke the spirit of the Mets, who have had such
a great season coming back from being dead to rights
in May. But this crowd has been emptied out. The
Dodgers have emptied out City Field the first two nights here,

(07:57):
and I feel like they've broken the spirit of Queens
with the way they've dominated the Mets so far.

Speaker 2 (08:04):
David, do you.

Speaker 3 (08:04):
Expect Freddy Freeman to be back in the lineup for
Game five this afternoon.

Speaker 4 (08:09):
That's a great question. There's an argument to be made
that the Dodgers can do it without him and get
them ready for the World Series. But I expect Freddy
to be in there a chance to go to the
World Series. I don't see him saying no. And if
Dave Roberts even brought the subject to him, I would
say that he would put up a fight to be
out there if his ankle's feeling better.

Speaker 1 (08:31):
Yeah, Dave, Dave, last one for me, I wanted to
ask you you know the matchup that we saw yesterday
with Quintana. I think this is a terrible matchup for
the Mets. The Dodgers are a team that doesn't chase.
Kintana makes his living by having teams chase what he's
doing just outside of the strike zone. That's where he's
really effective. And sooner or later, if you drag that

(08:54):
guy out, he's got to come into the into the
strike zone, and his stuff is not that great where
he can get people out all the time living in
the strike zone. He's got to be outside of it,
and the Dodgers don't do that.

Speaker 4 (09:07):
You can see the look on his face last night,
Steve that he was fit to be tied because of
all those reasons that you just mentioned. Dan, You're right,
he did look yeah, yeah, I mean like you're right.
It's a bad matchup for the Mets. It really is there.
They are overmatched in this series, and it just proves

(09:29):
to show how good the Padres were because there is
a certain step down in class level as far as
talent goes between these two teams.

Speaker 3 (09:39):
All right, final thing for me, David, and I think
the biggest question everybody's wondering is if the Dodgers are
to win and celebrate a chance to go to the
World Series. Are you going to be able to change
and shower and do that before you get on a
plane and fly across back the country to LA.

Speaker 4 (09:58):
I don't think anybody's asked that question and accept you,
but shower, shower is not available. I'm gonna have to
Uh you just reminded me. I'll bring a towel from
the hotel right now. Actually, thank you. I will not
be able to shower. I have a change of clothes,
but uh no showers in the press box.

Speaker 3 (10:20):
Tim All right, well, maybe I'll change soon. All right, David,
We appreciate you being up this morning. Looking forward to a
great coverage all day long here on AM five to
seventy Morongo Casino, Dodgers on deck starting at one o'clock,
first pitch of two o eight and who knows, maybe
a celeration around five o'clock Pacific.

Speaker 2 (10:35):
We shall see. Thanks David, Thanks David. All right, guys,
thanks all right, there he goes David Vasse.

Speaker 3 (10:41):
Yeah, it's it's the questions I think about Saxy is
how is how is vas gonna get on a plane
drenched in champagne?

Speaker 2 (10:47):
Does he have a change of clothes. They show this
new thing out.

Speaker 1 (10:50):
It's called I forget the name of it, but it's like, uh,
you take a bath with the kind of like a
sponge bath with these with these new tallettes or whatever
they are.

Speaker 2 (10:59):
All the skunkies, skunkies.

Speaker 1 (11:00):
Yes, do you ever get a skunky?

Speaker 4 (11:03):
Uh?

Speaker 2 (11:03):
No?

Speaker 5 (11:04):
No?

Speaker 1 (11:04):
Okay, yeah, I guess.

Speaker 2 (11:06):
I guess we're pretty good. I know you name it that.

Speaker 1 (11:09):
I don't get the name. I don't I don't understand
that name.

Speaker 2 (11:12):
It's yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 1 (11:13):
But you know, you know what David said it was
there was kind of like a dangerous thing. And the
way I look at this is he said they're a
step down in class. You know what he's saying is true.
I mean, the team knows it. The team knows playing
this team against playing the Padres. We knew it. When
we played the Oakland A's against the Mets. The Mets
were way better team, no no question about it. But
that's dangerous because just when you have those people right

(11:37):
where you think you did where you want them, bang,
they just surprise you. Three guys go off and they're
having you know, the series of their live Two guys
are playing with their hair on fire. The umpires given
the the pitching staff for the for the Mets. You
know a little more than the corner, and pretty soon
you find yourself in a game seven. You don't want
to do that, and this team is very, very dangerous.

(12:00):
Don't go there.

Speaker 2 (12:01):
Wipe them out tonight, squash them like a bug. That's it,
Olivia and Montabella.

Speaker 3 (12:05):
Olivia, thanks for being patient and joining us here on
a five seventy l A Sports.

Speaker 6 (12:09):
Hi Olivia, Hi, good morning morning, guys, Go Dodgers. So
a couple of things. Number one, I think we're going
to do it tonight. I have confidence in our boys.
I think we're gonna you know, everybody wants to stay
at home, so I think we're gonna do it. I
know we're gonna do it. Number two, I think it's
gonna be Dodgers and Yankees, just like every buddy he's

(12:31):
waiting for. But I also feel like I think it
was sacri Kith earlier said that one of their friends
is nervous about playing the Dodgers. I'm nervous about playing
the Yankees.

Speaker 5 (12:41):
I think there's sack.

Speaker 6 (12:42):
I'm a little I don't know, I'm scared and I
want to see like what your guys's take on it is.

Speaker 4 (12:47):
And if we do face the Yankees, how.

Speaker 6 (12:49):
Do you think it's gonna look? Are you guys nervous
at all?

Speaker 3 (12:52):
A little nervous, Olivia. That's why my tombs are going
to come in very handy. Yes, during a world series.

Speaker 1 (12:57):
So you're going to be the the international spokesperson.

Speaker 3 (13:00):
You and Yama Modo, Yes, me and Yoshiyama Mood are
gonna be the two the global ambassadors. Is gonna work, hopefully, Acid,
I mean, well, I'm not just limiting myself to Tom's
you know, if there's others out there that want to
jump on board.

Speaker 1 (13:11):
Well, but you got to tie in the Yammy, Yummy tummy, Timmy.

Speaker 2 (13:15):
All that stuff works. That's true, you know what I mean,
that's true. It does tie in there with the name
and everything. The Yankees.

Speaker 1 (13:23):
I mean that it's no, no, it's no tie in. Okay,
go ahead, the Yankees.

Speaker 3 (13:28):
I mean, assuming they get past the Guardians and they
still got a series to play here up to games
to one, and who knows that Guardians could tie this
thing up later on today. But if the Yankees were
to prevail, Baseball certainly wants the Dodgers Yankees World Series.
I think the fan bases would want them. I think
even the fringe baseball fans would be intrigued by a
New York LA World Series. And it certainly you've got

(13:48):
the stars to have to have a series that a
lot of people will be tuning into. Matchup wise, just
kind of quickly. I mean, your first impression is a
matchup against the Yankees. They match up well.

Speaker 1 (14:00):
Okay. First of all, if if I was working in
a professional uh you know, capacity with the Dodgers, I
would say, shame on you, because we're not gonna even
go there. It's looking too far ahead, okay, and it's
bad karma to go far that far ahead. But because
we're not doing that, when we're just two guys talking
here and everybody else is listening, nobody else, I would

(14:20):
say that it's the Yankees are really good. They've got
all of it. They've got the big stars, they've got
the slug, they've got pitching, they've got a great bullp
They've got all of it, man, there's no question about it.
And they've got some they've got kind of a team
a little bit like the Dodgers. They got you know
Volpe over there shortstop. It kind of does everything. And
they've got guys that do their parts. If you will,

(14:44):
and you know they're gonna be it'll be a good matchup.
It'll be fantastic matchup.

Speaker 3 (14:49):
Baseball's got their fingers crossed and it is a matchup
we all can get here in the upcoming World Series.
The Dodgers still one went away from punching their ticket
to the Fall Classic. With thanks to David Vasse for
going on. We'll get to you for more of your
phone calls. Stephen Nelson will join us as well as
we head to nine o'clock this morning. Colin Coward then
takes over Rogan and Rodney for one hour and sprint

(15:10):
between noon and one, and then as Marago Casino Dodgers
on deck at one, first pitch for the morale Gallpa
Motors broadcast booth coming up at two to zero waight
Game five and the NLCS Dodgers win and they're in
to the World Series for the fourth time in the
past eight years. It's Sax and Kate's and am right
here on a FI seventy light Sports. I'm not surprised

(15:37):
that the Dodgers have beat them down. The Dodgers are
a superior team in my in my estimation, they're they
are better ball club, but they are still dangerous. So
that's that's kind of like the back and forth about it.
But I'm not surprised that the Dodgers are beating them down.
They man, this is a good team. This is this
might be the best Dodger team I've ever seen.

Speaker 7 (15:58):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (15:59):
Wow, Yeah, that is saying a lot. I mean it,
I mean, this is think about it. Look at all aspects, pitching, defense, power,
I mean, panash, They've got all of it on this
team and the team. The best thing that the team
has tim The best thing that the team has is
its unity. And the team is really really in its

(16:23):
raw sense, the team is hungry. The team wants to
win really bad. And you can talk about, you know,
players being pampered with money and all that, that didn't
mean a damn thing to the Dodgers. They want to win.
And that's where you have this club right now. It

(16:43):
doesn't guarantee it. You still got to beat these guys
and then you got to beat probably the Yankees. So
it doesn't guarantee anything, because anything can happen at a
certain at a certain time. You could get the Tampa
Bay Rays. You could get you could get the Pittsburgh Pirates,
you could get any team that you look at and
you say, well, really not a scary powerhouse. But in

(17:04):
seven games, any team can win. That's the way baseball is.

Speaker 3 (17:08):
You get hot for three or four days, that's it,
and you're you're gonna upset a team.

Speaker 2 (17:13):
Father Gary is back, Father Gary in Good.

Speaker 5 (17:16):
Morning for Gary, Good morning je. I'm thrilled with what's
going on. But let's remember a week ago today we
were praying to win Game five against the Padres. So
let's not get ahead of ourselves and talk about those
yanks out there on the East Coast. Let's worry about
the Mets. Let's have the attitude that Max months he

(17:36):
had when postgame interview last night, when they told him
about the twelfth consecutive on basis appearances, he said he
had no clue and he just wanted to do whatever
he could do to help the team win. That's the
attitude we need man, not only on the field, but
on these streets as well. Of La Man, Let's take
a lesson from the Dodgers. Let's move forward. Let's go

(17:58):
I love this team and mister Sachs, I agree, probably
the best Dodger team ever. Just so much fun to watch,
and it's just great even watching Clayton Kershaw in the
dugout sharing on his team and Freddie Freeman. You guys,
just tell me this is not a dream. Tell me
this is really happening.

Speaker 3 (18:17):
Thank you, It's really happening, Father Gary, And we appreciate
the phone call. We appreciate your faith and certainly the
prayers were answer for game five, Yes of the NLDS
last Friday. Yeah, it's a fun ride and it is happening.
It is for real. Diana and Gernada Hills has been
waiting patiently. We appreciate that. Diana, good morning, how are you?

Speaker 8 (18:38):
Good morning? I'm well, how are you guys doing today?

Speaker 4 (18:40):
Fantastic, awesome, awesome.

Speaker 8 (18:43):
Just a couple of quick things. Number One, when Fat
said about, you know, the Mets being a step down
in class, we cannot forget the last two years with
the Arizona Cardinals and the Nationals and even San Diego
Padres a couple of years ago. I mean, they were
a step down in class to us.

Speaker 4 (19:00):
What happened?

Speaker 8 (19:00):
We were blown out by them, so we cannot let
our foot off the pedal for sure. Secondly, I just
want to say that this team, for me is just
the most cohesive team I've seen since probably the twenty
seventeen year. And the only difference for me between twenty
seventeen and now is our bullpen pitching is lights out.

(19:22):
Before when we would take out our starting pitchers, which
inevitably seemed too early for me, you know, I would
cringe every time someone would, you know, the next picture
would come up. What's going to happen now? I'm like,
come on, bring it on, boys, let's see just mow
them all down.

Speaker 3 (19:38):
It's awesome, it is, It's something special, and you're right,
this does feel like the twenty seventeen team as far
as how close.

Speaker 2 (19:44):
They were and how they were.

Speaker 3 (19:47):
You know, that was also the first time they got
to the postseason. The World Series run that they went
on twenty sixteen, they fell short and didn't get to
the World Series, and in twenty seventeen they finally punched
through beating the Chicago Cubs. That's when Sax and Kate's
and the AM was born. In twenty seventeen postseason, and
that's when this magical run deeps into postseasons began, and yeah,

(20:07):
it feels a lot like this twenty seventeen team because
it was the first for a lot of these players
on this Dodgers team. And I as we said earlier,
it's a first for guys on this year's team, and
it's also maybe a last chance for other players, Yeah,
to get back to a World Series, including Clayton Kershaw.

Speaker 1 (20:24):
How about the in roads the team is making with
some of these younger players being able to experience this,
This that you can't buy this. This is invaluable for
these guys to be this deep in the postseason on
the big stage. Guys like you know we talked about yesterday,
guys like Enriquez and in Casparius to be here and
be able to witness this. Man, I'll tell you, you

(20:44):
couldn't You couldn't pay, so you can. You can find
a way to pay to make this thing happen. It's
so valuable for these guys, and it's it's great for
the organization.

Speaker 3 (20:54):
Yeah, and last night I saw Clayton Kershaw do a
postgame interview. And he's with the team, He's a part
of the team. He's certainly a mainstay on this this
Dodger team, the Hall of Famer in that locker room,
his presence, even though he's not on the postseason roster
and playing it's been a possible World Series run here,
he's still around the team. He's still a presence, he's
still leading by example, and he's still the leader in

(21:15):
that clubhouse. And you know that's something that we can't
lose sight of the fact that he's got that presence
in that clubhouse as well.

Speaker 1 (21:20):
Yeah, he's you know, he's one in fifty million. You know,
he's he's a first ballot Hall of Famer. Everybody looks
up to him, and the Dodgers are, i mean the
smart to have him around these young guys. It's great
for the team.

Speaker 2 (21:34):
This this man had a late night last night.

Speaker 3 (21:37):
It was a fun nights calling the game for the
Dodgers ten to win over the New York Mets. It
started with a show Hey Otani lead off home run.
The Dodgers saw Mookie Betts have a big night. Tommy
Edmond in the cleanup spot, drove in three runs as
the Dodgers get a ten to two win over the
New York Mets. Steven Nelson on the call last night
and all postseason long. Right here on a five to

(21:58):
seven y LA Sports joins us now from New York
City as the Dodgers get ready for a possible close
out Game five of this NLCS.

Speaker 7 (22:06):
Nelly, Good morning, Zaxy, TC, Good morning.

Speaker 2 (22:09):
How are you doing fantastic?

Speaker 3 (22:11):
Doing better now that the Dodgers put that boat race
on the Mets last night with the two attended to
woo and win Yoshinoba Yamamoto last night, Let's start right
there and what he did in the four plus innings
A little surprise day Roberts took him out when he did.
But what we've seen out of him in his last
two starts after that shaky outing against the Padres in

(22:31):
the NLDS man, he has really looked like a different
locked in pitcher.

Speaker 5 (22:36):
Yeah, look, I.

Speaker 7 (22:37):
Think we do do have to keep reminding ourselves like
it was a rotator cup strain and that is a
serious thing that he is still coming back from. And
I can understand the Dodgers and Yamamoto, I'm managing his
work the way they have been, though it is I'm
sure for all of us a little bit confusing and
maybe mildly frustrating because long lived the starting pitch. Sure,

(23:00):
or we would like to see that happen in a
Major League baseball again. But it's just a new era.
But you know, you look at Walker bw the night before,
four innings right in Yoshino Yelmota, four and a third.
This is just the way the game is now. And
for him to hunker down after that was that was
a massive mistake to Mark Ventos, a middle middle fastball
and he's been the best hitter for New York and

(23:22):
he made him pay. But after that, to settle in
and end up finishing with with with eight punchouts and
kind of getting the game to a spot where it's like, okay,
this is this is a decent place for the bullpen
to go to work. You have to be pleased with that,
especially knowing that this was his only turn in this
nationalagu Championship Series. He had to have at least a

(23:45):
solid one. It wasn't a quality start, but it was
a solid start. And and the Dodger bats, I mean,
the way this offense is clicking in this series, guys,
I mean with thirty runs on thirty six hits now
in thirty one walks, I mean you have to appreciate
the approach and the patients. Months he hit the nail

(24:05):
on the head post game. It was just going to
be who gave in first. Kintana, who wants guys to
chase with the Dodgers, who wants pitchers to pitch in
his own And it was the Dodgers who didn't blink.

Speaker 1 (24:15):
Yeah, Steven, good to be with you this morning. I
wanted to kind of tap into that a little bit.
What you were talking about is, you know, besides all
the great things that the Dodgers bring, the you know,
the star power, the fact that they've just got unbelievable
talent on this team. The scary thing for this club
to finish up with the New York Mets and then
hopefully not looking too far ahead, of course, but if

(24:37):
it may be the Yankees, these guys are facing the
Dodgers at the wrong time. You have all different parts
of this batting order. Yesterday was the top two guys
with five hits and seven runs scored. How often do
you see something like this Before that it was the
bottom of the order with Edmund and Hernandez and them
doing their thing, and then you got guys in the

(24:58):
middle that are doing their so you got everybody doing
a job, and if it's not one part, it's the
other part. I mean, all of a sudden, now the
starters are a big plus for the Dodgers. That was
supposed to be the question mark. And these guys are
facing the Dodgers at a really bad time.

Speaker 7 (25:14):
I think you're spot on the spot on their seats,
And look, like, how many times have we had to
hear that from the other side for the Dodgers, Right,
it's just about playing good baseball at the right time. Well,
that happened the last two postseasons, right, especially last year
with the Diamondbacks. Like, the Dodgers are clearly on paper
better than this team, and yet those three games weren't close,

(25:34):
and they were their season was done in a blink.
And so now the Dodgers on the other side of
the coin, and it's just such a welcome site of
relief for sure. So I have to imagine for the
guys in the clubhouse, because it really did feel like
that Division Series was a World Series for them, and
just like and just the magnitude of what it meant

(25:56):
to get by I'm not trying to build up the padre.
It could have been anybody in that division series. But
it adds to it obviously that it was a division rival.
But to see the ball go in the hole again, right, Like,
I just think that was a massive weight off this
team's shoulders. And now they're playing just clean, solid Dodger

(26:18):
baseball and it's a beautiful sight. I mean, we saw
the small ball in Game one, it was like hell yeah,
And then now we've seen the last two games. It
just a all around clinic. I mean they're taking their walks,
they're getting the timely base hits or or getting the
two out hits to keep an ending alive and setting
up the big blast like we saw in Game three,

(26:39):
you know, with with Key k Hernandez hitting the home
run after Tommy single in the sixth inning. Just you
know again, you can really can't ask for anything else.
Is there anything more from the Dodgers than what we've
seen up to this point. But like you said, can't
get too far ahead of yourselves. I mean, you got
Sham and I are looming in Game six for New York.
So that's why it's imperative just step on throats tonight.

Speaker 4 (27:01):
Guys.

Speaker 7 (27:02):
Don't give him any hope. Don't give him any life.

Speaker 3 (27:04):
Steven Nelson joins us now here on a five seventy
LA Sports. Tommy Edmund, batting clean up last night, drives
in three rows playing shortstop. Started the postseason playing center field.
Miguel Rohas gets injured, he goes back to his natural spot,
a shortstop. We're all seeing right now, Stephen why Andrew
Freeman has been trying for the last three years to

(27:25):
acquire Tommy Edmund finally did so at the trade deadline,
even though he was heard we're seeing how valuable this
guy is.

Speaker 9 (27:33):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (27:33):
I remember having a conversation this is probably in early
May at Dodger Stadium before the game, talking with a
couple of members of the front office, and I was like, look,
obviously a long way to go, and like, but just
as a trade deadline with next week, Cleo you going
after And I kid you not, the first name out
of their mouth is Tommy Edmund. So it was just

(27:55):
and I was like, I mean, I've known Tommy the
last couple of years. I also knew he was very
hurt like that the wrist injury that he went through
last year was very serious and was really a problem
trying to get him to recover properly and then he
comes back and then the ankle blows up on him.
So I was a little surprised by that to hear

(28:15):
that was the first name. You just think back to me, like,
what is this team going to need? You know, what
does it want? So Tommy Edmond haunt. Yeah, I mean,
he's just a perfect fit because he's elit. Second, he's
elite in center, he's elite at short. He's a switch
hitter and he makes contact and he's tough to strike out.
And I'm like, I mean, yeah, yeah, sign me up.
And so that they make that move. And it really

(28:37):
was a footnote, right because Jack Flaerty was the biggest
name move and the Dodgers brought him home, and then
Michael Kopek. Everybody knows him, you know, whether it was
as a top prospect coming up the Red Sox and
then a big part of the Chris Sale trade and
you know, one hundred miles prior, so on and so forth.
Tom Edmond was the footnote of the deadline and ultimately
he has joined Jack and Copec on the headlines of

(29:03):
the Dodgers tradeline acquisition trade deadline acquisitions. Excuse me, he's
the Dodgers team leader in hits and again we've seen
him a clutch up in a number of key situations,
you know, whether it's two strikes and runners on or
two ounce and nobody on. He just finds a way.

(29:24):
He is just I hate that. I kind of hate
this cliche, but it's so perfect for him. He's just
a ballplayer, Saxey. It's just like whatever you need, whatever
you need from Tommy Edmuck, he will give you a
sacrifice bunt, a squeeze butt, He'll drop it down for you.
You want him to swing away, he'll swing away and
at whatever position. He is just a perfect piece for

(29:46):
this team, and you're seeing it on the biggest stage.

Speaker 1 (29:49):
Yeah, I agree. And he can pop a home run
now again too. I mean he's got a little bit
of sock in the bat. So you know, Steven, I'm
looking at this game ahead of course with David Peterson,
of course, another left hand or trying to get in
the head of the Dodgers. I don't think they're blinking
with this lefty thing they're throwing at him. You know,
Quintana was a different animal compared to Pete Peterson. He's
the quintessential nibbler as he was, and the Dodgers just

(30:12):
drug him out in the deep water and made him
come into the strike zone and then it was all over.
But David Peterson's more of the traditional type. I mean
he last regular season eleven regular season starts, he had
just over a two forty e er, pretty darn good.
His regular season e r a two ninety really good
as well. But remember in October he's topped out at
fifty pitches in Game one and that's kind of where

(30:35):
he's been. Is not not the traditional starter. So what's
the way the Dodgers are going to approach him? Are
they going to be a little more aggressive, expand a
little bit more because they can, of course, when Kinana
you can't do they do this with Peterson? Or how
do you think they approach him?

Speaker 5 (30:51):
Oh?

Speaker 7 (30:51):
I think a good thing for the Dodgers is that
is that they're they seen him twice this year. Obviously
in Game one he came out of the bullpen. He
was a third pitcher after single really struggled to start
to the tune of third innings three runs, I think
only two of them are earned. But because that quick
sidebar ridiculous official scoring era Otani hits that ball one
hundred and seventeen miles an hour and they're like, that's

(31:13):
a single in an air by Marte. It was like,
that was very clearly a rocket double. It was so
it was so dumb. But anyway, but that.

Speaker 1 (31:21):
Deeper hit, see Stephen, they're deep and they just get
it more than you.

Speaker 4 (31:24):
Right, Yes, that's right.

Speaker 7 (31:25):
Yeah, the game more clearly than than than than you
and I do. But you are only forty pitches in
that game. But that was when we saw the small ball.
You know, Key gave with the single luck sacrifice bunt,
and then edmund O'tani and Freddy all had RBI singles.
So and then they saw his season debut back in
May here at City Field. You know one you know

(31:48):
positive that the Dodgers can pull from. That one was
that was a day. You know, Will Smith had two
home runs, including one off of David Peterson. And I
know we've all been kind of banging the drum for
Will to get going here in this championship series. So
he was a he had a really terrific year. I mean,
I think he had the sixth best ra among pitchers

(32:11):
who to release one hundred innings. So they've kind of
put him in that this swing role in the postseason,
but you have to imagine Carlos Mendoza is going to
try and stretch him as far as they can. I mean,
they've they're seasons on the line, and so you know,
David Peterson and you've only been throwing forty to fifty pitches.

(32:31):
We may need you to go seven, like we saw
earlier in the year. So but the Dodgers do have
some familiarity with him, and they've all been positive memories
this year for the most part, so I think that's
something that we'll give him more momentum. But listening to
them postgame s, actually you really had to like and
I get postgame interories or post game injories, and they

(32:51):
got to do a bunch more of them in the postseason,
and so a lot of them become cookie cutter answers.
But across the board, the Dodgers were all saying the
right things, and they all appeared and sounded to have
the right amount of focus and respect. They know that
the Mets have been cockroaches this year, and you know,
don't want to go quietly. They want to write another
chapter in this insane storybook season. And you know, but

(33:17):
so the Dodgers are like, you know, we're not going
to see we can't straight from our game plan all
those little things one pitch at the time, and and
and those are the cliches that you that you want
to hear with the focus that you wanted to see.

Speaker 3 (33:28):
Steven, we appreciate you jumping on this morning, late night,
last night, back at it this afternoon, hopefully a clinching
game with the Dodgers. You'll be on the call with
Rick Monday, first pitch at two eight Pacific, right here
on n FI seventy LA Sports.

Speaker 2 (33:41):
Appreciate it.

Speaker 7 (33:43):
Thank you, guys, fellows good. Don't give him anything, Do not.

Speaker 2 (33:47):
Let him, do not give him an inch. We appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (33:49):
There he goes.

Speaker 3 (33:50):
Steven Nelson will be on the call later on this afternoon,
all postseason long, Stephen Nelson calling games right here on
n FI seventy LA Sports. We appreciate him jumping on,
they said of advast, Say coming up final sleep at
the calls, and we'll get Steve's keys to a game
five clinching win tonight in New York.

Speaker 1 (34:07):
Say I got a key.

Speaker 3 (34:08):
Oh yeah, you've been spot on for those who listen
in don't go anywhere. Saxy's been spot on all postseason long,
and he's got Game five keys next, Sax and Kates
at the AM as we wrap things up on a
Friday morning, Dodgers a three to one series lead, Game

(34:32):
five a win, and the Dodgers move on to the
World Series. First pitch coming up at two to eight
from the Kalpa Motors Broadcast Booth, Morono Casino, Dodgers on
Decades at All started at one o'clock. Saxy will get
to your keys here in just a minute. Let's wrap
things up, though, with a couple of calls. Patrick and
Rachel Cuckamonga has been waiting patiently. Patrick, how you doing okay?

Speaker 9 (34:54):
Good? How are you guys doing?

Speaker 2 (34:56):
Patrick on?

Speaker 4 (34:57):
All right?

Speaker 9 (34:59):
Quick question in assuming we do go to the World Series,
what are the chances that the rehabbing guys like Graderol,
Gonsolin Rojas will be added to the roster, especially if
we don't start until next weekend the scheduled.

Speaker 1 (35:13):
Good question.

Speaker 3 (35:13):
I don't think Graderol will be a part of it.
Miguel Rojas is probably the most likely. Don't forget about
Joe Kelly, who is not on this NLCS roster. He
is a possibility as well. Certainly Clayton kershaw Tony Gonsolin,
Jack Flayer, uh, the big Man, Tyler Glass now not
going to be a part of the postseason. They're shut
down for the year. Gavin Stone at surgery. But we'll

(35:36):
see maybe Joe Kelly, Miguel Rojas, We'll certainly see. I'd
hate to take Tommy Edmond out of the lineup in
a short stop spot and then.

Speaker 1 (35:43):
Not probably won't. Yeah, I don't see how they would.

Speaker 3 (35:46):
Nope, No, I mean if you take Edmond out of
short and put Rojas back, Edmon goes to center. That
wors Keikiggan Afloy.

Speaker 1 (35:50):
You can't take ke. They're not going to do that.

Speaker 3 (35:52):
Yeah, it's a trickle down effects. Rudy in La is
next up here on an fin seventy.

Speaker 2 (35:56):
Hi, Rudy, good morning.

Speaker 5 (35:59):
I think you were taking would call.

Speaker 10 (36:00):
I usedid a couple of days. I hear people telling me, oh,
it's better if they if they come and win it
over here or not. This is the time for you
to kip the foot on the gaspell keep push and
push and pushing. We need to win them the nembos
to stay humble, dogar plants.

Speaker 3 (36:17):
We got this all right, Rudy wrapping things up? Eric
and HOLLYO, what do you got about thirty seconds?

Speaker 4 (36:22):
Derek, go ahead, Dodger Day shard one more game, y'all.

Speaker 11 (36:28):
My pities took us off. Tobby has got to be
the nlcs VP. Mercy is a heart out, Jimmy Saxy?
What needs to be done to close this out? Humid rally,
Towell says, let.

Speaker 3 (36:39):
Go love it, Eric in Hollywood, love the passion. Great
to hear from you on this possible close out Friday.
All right, Saxy, how do they do it? What's the
keys to a game five?

Speaker 2 (36:49):
Win today?

Speaker 1 (36:50):
Easy? This is an easy key. I'm just expecting a
lot of what happened yesterday to be, uh, you know,
spilled over to today. You know the stars are gonna
and all that. But you know what we're gonna see tonight, Tim,
you know what you're gonna see. I guarantee you I
can feel it. I got no inside information on this
at all. Just say it. Okay, you're gonna see a
ticked off I've had enough of this. I want to say.

(37:14):
I don't want to say. The work is the Family show. Sure,
but you're gonna see a flaming red mad uh Taoscar Hernandez.
I look to him to get into the box, dig
in and let everybody know he's there until he crushes.
And I see Taoscar Hernandez lighting this thing up. You

(37:35):
got a left hander against him, a right hander, and
he feasts on these guys. He's not gonna be tinkered
with like he was with Kintana. He's gonna go up
there and mash watch Taoscar Hernandez have a just blowout
game tonight.

Speaker 3 (37:49):
I hope you're right, and Dodger fans, I know he'll
be right because Saxy's been spot on.

Speaker 1 (37:54):
I want him to be mad coming to the game today.

Speaker 3 (37:57):
And getting a sun flower bath when he comes back
to the dugout like they do for their home run celebration.
Cannot wait Game five coming up at two eight this afternoon.
Saxy can't wait to talk next week, buddy, Yes, sir,
All right, there you goes Steve Sacks. Thanks to Michelle,
Thanks to Zach for all their health this morning. Thanks
to you Dodger fans for being a part of the show.
Dodgers up three games to one and is best of

(38:18):
seven nlcs A close out Game five is coming up
right here later on this afternoon, Morongo Casino Dodgers on
Deck starts at one pm. First pitch at two to
oh eight. Can they do it? Will they do it? Yes,
Today's the day they get it done. They clinch in
New York and they're gonna punch their ticket to the
World Series. All the play by play coming up later

(38:40):
on this afternoon. Coming up next, it's a Herd with
Colin Cowhard solo.

Speaker 2 (38:44):
Everybody
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