October 9, 2024 • 44 mins
Roggin and Rodney talk with the Callers and try to work through the frustration with David Vassegh after the Dodgers losegame 3
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Okay, here we go, Fred Rogan Rodney Pete on five
seventy LA Sports. It's two hours today to get ready
for what might be the final Dodger game of the season.
On the other hand, it could very well be another
step in their road to the World Series. Rodney, And
which one do you think it'll be. Well, I'm gonna
stay positive here here, Fred. I think it's going to
(00:21):
be a step in another road to the World Series.
I think that the game five is coming back to
Dodger Stadium. And I say this because you know, everybody
wants to point to previous years and say, oh, the
Dodger struggles in the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Here we go again, this and that. But I think
this year is is a little bit different and a
lot of ways we talked about going into these playoffs
is that first off, you know, a different, different lineup
obviously with o Tani and he's got a hit and
we'll we'll talk about him. But I think that because
(00:55):
they they had to fight. These are the things we
talked about going into the series. They had to fight
to win the division. But also there were several times
this year where their backs were to the wall, they
were struggling they needed to win, they needed to stop
the bleeding, and they did it. And I think that
because of that, this year can be different. Now they
(01:17):
still have to go out and do it on the field,
but I think they can only because I'd look at
and I'd probably be looking at this different if the
game ended up different last night. But it was a
close ball game. It was hard fault. We saw the
emotions of Walker Buehler. You know, obviously Uh Tasker hitting
(01:39):
the Grand Slam was was huge, but there wasn't a blowout.
And I think because the Dodgers' bullpen has been pretty good,
I think they can handle tonight and get it back
to Yamamoto. But I do I feel like it's a
(01:59):
it's a little bit different than year's past. Now we
hope that comes true, but I think it's a little
bit different feeling. But things have to happen in this
game that haven't happened in the two losses.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Okay, so I am with you. I think the Dodger
bullpen will pitch well tonight. I am with you one
hundred percent on that. That does not, though excuse the
distinct lack of hitting t Oscar Homwerk last night and
Mooky finally broke out of it. Thank goodness, Mooki came alive.
(02:31):
Mooky hit the ball. Mooki hit a home run. So
Mooki showed up last night. He had been missing in action.
He showed up big time. Yeah. I don't want to
be wrong about something that I've said. You questioned it
when I said it. I don't want to be wrong
about it. But I may be is Otani made for
(02:51):
the moment because after his performance in Game one, he
has been absent hitting, and he's got to hit tonight.
He's got to hit. He can't be chasing. He's got
to hit, and there can't be when a guy has
a bad game, there's no bad games. Now he's got
to hit tonight. Mooky's got to continue tonight. I think
(03:14):
the bullpenal'll do a fine job. Yeah, I do too.
I'm concerned about somebody hitting tonight because aside from ti
Oscar last night and Muki, what happened, what happened? Nobody
hit nobody, Freddie body, Freddie Freeman's ankle is bothering him.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
That very apparent. But he got a big hit, he yes,
but his ankle had to come out of the game.
He couldn't run, but his ankle. I mean, you know,
we'll get in to the defense. But yeah, he is
a And here's the thing you just wish, uh, you know,
Otani could play first base, because if Otani plays first base,
(03:55):
you can DH Freddy. I don't need Freddy. I don't
need Freddy to beat out a infield hit. But I
certainly think he can still be effective at the plate
without having to play the field, and so that becomes
a lie better. But you can't dch anybody because Otani's
the DH. But yeah, you're you're absolutely right. And we
say this all the time, and I hear the narrative
(04:16):
all the time. You fred Oh, you know, in the playoffs,
you gotta have pitching, starting, pitching, pitching, pitching, pitching, pitching, pitch.
I think it's the opposite. The last few years, it's hitting.
We see some of the top pitchers in the league
go in like ready to win the cy young get
lit up in the playoffs. It is about hitting because
(04:37):
the players at this point in the season and his
teams and they always say, and it still is true,
that it comes down to how hot you are, how
hot the team is. But at the end of the day.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
It is hitting.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
When you have a lineup where six, seven out of
the nine guys coming to the plate are on fire,
are in a groove, you can't stop them. Aaron Nola
is one of the best pitchers in the league and
has been. The Mets lit him up.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
And the Mets have been hot. The mess has been
that team with a little momentum, Yes, and they're hitting.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
They never feel like they're out of a game because
their offense can bring them back at any moment. And
it's not just one guy, and it's not just two.
They got five to six to seven guys in that
lineup that are dangerous. And you look at the Padres
right now, that lineup, that lineup is dangerous. Seven guys
(05:30):
in that lineup are dangerous. I mean, Arise at the top,
who's not even hitting right now, not even really being
a factor as much right now and now defensively he has,
but offensively he's he's a hit king. I mean, he's
the you know, led the league in average profar got
to watch out for him, obviously. Tattoos is on fire,
(05:52):
Machado's on fire, the young kid Merrill, He's dangerous at
the plate right now, Croninworth is dangerous. Paralta. Paralta is
hitting the ball like he's an All Star. I mean,
they got seven guys that are dangerous at the plate,
and like you mentioned before, the Dodgers have one or
(06:12):
two each game they get hot. Not gonna cut it,
not gonna cut it, not gonna cut it. Your seven, eight, six, seven, eighth,
ninth hitter has got to come through.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
I mean, we love Max Munsey. Hit the damn ball. Yeah,
you know what, America's catcher Will Smith hit the ball.
I mean, you're to that point you don't want to
start calling people out. You don't want to do that
because we love the Dodgers. But that's it. It's go time.
(06:44):
There's no turning back now. We can't have Max Munsey
whoosh these gigantic swings and makes no contact, or he
hits it and he flies out. One home run every
seven games is no. I'm gonna cut it now. Trying
to hit it.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
It feels like he's trying to hit a home run
every time up and every swing doesn't matter if it's
two strikes or no strikes.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
His swing is hitting it. I'm gonna hit it a
country mile. You got to just hit it. Sometimes you
got to put it in play. Will Smith, let's be honest,
and you know he's probably been dinged up. He's the catcher,
and we know. I mean from a defensive standpoint, I
think he led the league in throwing guys out. But
they signed him to hit. They gave him this giant
(07:30):
deal to hit. And now's the time you gotta hit.
Now's the time you cannot give them clean innings anymore.
I mean, look at the game last night, Rodney. I
gotta tell you what I thought. Walker Buehler left it
out there. How that Walker Bueller did as well as
he could. He seemed in command, He was in charge,
(07:54):
he was comfortable. Did he get a lot of third strikes? No,
who cares? He had them in the game. There were
two miscues that killed him and he led to this
giant inning. Why Freddy goes to second to try to
start a double play. As much as you hate Manny
(08:15):
Machado as a fan, that guy gets it. He's a
baseball player. He gets it, and he just kind of
ran around so that when Freddy threw it, Rojas wouldn't
be able to see it. Yeah, and because he hit him, Yeah,
that's legal. That's smart, that's baseball.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Yeah, that was as long as you're not trying to
avoid a tag, you can run in anywhere in the
baseline right right.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
So that was azarm.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
He even checking looked back real quick to see where
Freddie fielded the ball, and then he and then he
curved inside on the grass.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
But very just very smart, smart baseball. Okay, But that
that little moment right there, just the slightest thing just
changed everything. That adjustment Machado made where you didn't you
thought initially what is he doing? Oh, okay, he knew
the game and.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
The game, and I think he got on on on
a two strike pitch where he was got fooled and
he reached out over the outside portion and just flicked
it into left field, and that's how he got on.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
It was one of those when you're going good, you're
going good, all right. So now that was critical. And
then the other moment in that inning, uh, Miggey Rojas
yep ball to Shutter, flipped the ball. You got to
throw the ball a second basement, right, And I think
he was puzzled as to why he didn't flip it.
If he flips that ball to Lox I'm not saying
(09:42):
it's a double play, but it certainly gets the runner
at second. It's the runner at second instead, what happens
the runner at second is there, The runner at first
is safe and now and now look and when it's
all said and done, six runs six to one. Right,
So you think it at that point. And they even
talked to Dave Roberts during the telecast and he goes,
(10:04):
we're not waving the white flag yet. Yeah, right, okay,
so now you're looking at it and going, God, this
is exactly what you don't need. But Bueller never lost
his composure. Never. Well he did in a dugout, Well
that was different. Yeah, on the hill he didn't. He
never lost it. Yeah. But in the and you know what,
that's ok I love that me too. That's okay. At
(10:26):
least somebody act like they care. So he gets back
out there, why because all of a sudden, the Dodgers
are back in the game. They're back. Yeah. King looks
confused and disheveled, and and Ti Oscar hits a grand
Slam and you're going, okay, we're early in this game. Early,
(10:47):
we're one rundown. Oh no, we got him, Now, we
got him. Now it's we that's it. They're in our sights.
We'll shut them down, and we'll shut them up and
then they can't hit. Yeah, and then that's it. No,
I mean no, that doesn't work. And the excuse, well,
(11:12):
you know it's the playoffs or King or the reliever
they brought. Who cares, doesn't matter. It doesn't matter now, guys.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
No, teams that are winning and have one are teams
that hit the ball, like creating. It's offense the back
he's talking about the pitch. It's offense. Arizona on their
run last year as their two pitchers got hot, but
it was their offense that got hot. And up and
down that lineup, you didn't know who to pitch to
(11:39):
and who to pitch around. And that's the same thing
with the two teams that are leading right now in
the National League, the Mets and the Padres. Who you
want to face. You know, you just old stay away
from tattoos, stay away from Machado, you gotta stay away
from Merril.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
You gotta watch out for Barlton, now, crowning Worth.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
I mean they up and down that lineup, everybody is
a threat, and they they're they're coming through where the Dodgers,
you can't you can't say you really can't say anyone
tied on the Dodgers hitting the ball.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
They're not, of course, you can't say it. They're not.
And you know something in the postseason houstings that they've suffered.
You can't say it about any of them. Then, No,
in the past two years, you can't say it they
aren't hitting.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
No, And in years that they didn't make it to
the World Series, it was there often they did hit
because about picture. It was it was Corey Seeger and Bellinger,
even it was Chris Taylor who had that hot series
and a couple you know, and and Key k who
had big moments in the in the in hitting, it
was up and down that lineup, you know, And and
now there's there's just I mean, it's almost like they're
(12:58):
waiting on Otel and Mookie to save the day.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Well, nobody else can do anything, and you know, talking
about Miggey Rojas. All right, Dave Roberts made two decisions
last night. Two one, I thought, and I agree with
you was gutsy and brilliant when he went out to
(13:23):
talk to Bueller. The minute he comes out of the dugout.
We know what that means. We know that's it. And
he went out there and he had a conversation and
I didn't hear it, nor did you, But I can
assure you one thing. Bueller said, I'll get him. I'm
not coming out. I got this, and Dave Roberts stuck
(13:47):
with him. I thought that was a gutsy decision, and
I agree with you. It proved to be the right decision,
and it showed what Walker Buehller is made of. All right, son,
So there's one decision he made. Let's talk about the
other one. When he takes Rojas out of the game.
I'm not there, You're not there. We don't know what
(14:07):
the plan was ahead of time. Tell me you didn't
think t K would go in he played piz Yeah,
you didn't think would go in? I thought, I thought, yeah,
I thought key K. I did think k K was
coming in the game. I did.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
But I get it, I get I get it. Edmund
moving from center to shortstop turned out to be a
good move too. Defenses. Sensibly, he made some plays that
outside of Mickey Row, I don't know if anybody else
(14:47):
maked it on that team. No, they were great Rodney,
you know, but I did believe and and and and
you said this last I think you said it going
into UH into the playoffs or or even before that.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
You like the way pi Haz was playing was hitting.
I did too.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
I thought he'd kind of come around. He was, he
was hitting the ball well, he was getting hot. But
I think in that moment, yeah, I felt like key
K because he had been there and he'd done that.
You know, he was in the situation before. He's been
in big moments, and and yeah, I I certainly thought that.
But I get it, and I understand, you know, when
(15:25):
you need somebody maybe to run into one and Pi
Haz has kind of been offensively, he's kind of been
hot and you get to move Edmond to UH to shortstop.
I mean that it didn't It didn't bother me as
much as as as maybe some other people didn't bother
I mean, like again, I was leaning as soon as
(15:47):
it happened. Soon as he pulled up at third base,
I was like, Oh, here comes k K. That's what
I thought. And I mean, and you know, kindsight could
could could be he want it to me, comes up
hit the three run bomb or he strikes out Dwight.
We don't know, you don't know what's gonna happen, but yeah,
I thought being the experience of Key K would have
(16:08):
probably been the move I would have made.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Hright, Dodger fans. Uh, we're gonna open the phone lines,
not quite yet what we'll do. David Vassiel joined us
from San Diego when we come back and after that,
we're gonna open the phone lines and let you talk
about what needs to be done or what you expect
to be Hey, Rodney, Pete, Fred Rogan, getting ready now
or never? Yeah, that's one. We're gonna look at it now.
(16:41):
We're never. All right, Let's bring on David vass from
San Diego. Dave, good afternoon.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
Hey guys, good afternoon.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Okay, we'll start with this. Do we know who's starting
for the Dodgers or who's pitching tonight?
Speaker 3 (16:56):
It's gonna be a bullpaying game. Fred, I've been laying
that out for you every time time I come on
the show. What we saw in Denver was going to
be something that was going to be replicated tonight. So
you're going to see either Vesti or Banda more than
likely start the game to face two of the three
first hitters that are lefties, and then from there you're
(17:17):
going to see Landon Knack at some point and they're
going to go with a bullpen game. He was not
really a surprise. I don't know why everybody's so surprised.
I've been saying that since the beginning of the series.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
No, no, I was going to open it up again.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Yeah, it's going to be a leftie to face the
lefty hitters.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Okay, bandassie, there's a lefties out there. They What was
the what was the vibe after last night's game? I mean,
I know, was you know, disappointing and all that, But
did you get a sense of like head down or
was it we got we got to get tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Now.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
I mean that clubhouse was down last night, but that
was last night. Obviously, he lost a playoff game. You're
down two games to one, and he blew a great
opportunity to come from behind because they did not have
all but one base runner. They only had one base
runner the last six innings of the game after taoscar
Hernandez's Grand Slam. So I think they were all disappointed
(18:20):
with that fact. And you know, today's a new day.
And I said this on Dodger Talk last night, and
I'll say it again that this team has showed some
more fight than what we have seen in each of
the last two playoffs series. And a big reason why
is ta Oscar Hernandez. He's the personality that you know,
hopefully is contagious to the rest of that clubhouse. And
(18:41):
you know, there's no other player that I believe would
have come through with that type of hit other than
Taoscar Hernandez in that spot.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
Dave iout Walker Bula looked good last night for being
Walker Bueller. He seemed confident, he seemed comfortable. I mean,
he got tagged by that the two defensive moments. But
aside from that, Dave I thought he did a pretty
good job.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
Freddy gave up six runs in one inning. Yeah, I
don't know how anybody can say that he pitched well
last night.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Okay, but here's the same, Dave. If Freddy Freeman doesn't
throw the ball and hit one player and then Mickey
Rojas throws the ball to second base, he's not giving
up six runs.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
Well, Number one, that was a smart base play by
Manny Machado. It was very much within the rules. If
you've been watching Justin Turner and Chase Utley run the bases.
They used to do the same thing, so that was
not out of bounds. Number two. Yeah, Mickey Rojas tried
to be a hero and tried to do too much.
That would have been one out. But that still doesn't
(19:46):
change the fact that Walker Bueler had two strikes on
all those hitters hitters and couldn't put them away. He
was a victim of paper cuts. But he can't be
absolved of that six run inning.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
No he can't.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
He can't, But the complexion of the inning changes if
he gets one of those outs.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
I really believe that is there. But two strikes is
two strikes, Rodney. You got to be able to put
away hitters.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Yeah, you do. Got to be able to put away hitters, Dave.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
You know that, But I'm just saying in all in all,
and then to come back after that, and I thought
it was big for Dave Roberts to leave him in
the game, But to come back after that and shut
it down, I thought that was big too.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Were you pleased with that?
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Sure? Yeah, that was good that he was able to
stabilize the ship. But that's been a microcosm of his season.
Where he has a inning where there's a huge crooked
number in an inning, and that's just been him this
year because of the reasons that I just mentioned. He
can't put away hitters and that's unfortunate. So it was
(20:54):
great that he gave them five. But you know, if
they're not going with a bullpen game today, does Dave
Roberts have more urgency to take him out of that inning?
Speaker 1 (21:05):
I don't know. I actually thought when he went out
and talked to him, I thought Walker probably said, I
can get this guy or let me go.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
I was in the fifth inning. That was in the
fifth inning. That wasn't in the second inning.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
Oh you mean the second inning? Yeah, yeah, yeah, But again,
as you said, he was victimized by paper cuts. The
issue was they didn't hit Dave. They didn't hit that
was the problem. If if Machado doesn't get hit by
Freddy's ball and Mickey Rojas flipped it to Lux, he's
not giving up six ones at inning. And then if
Tiascar hits a home run a Grand Slam, which.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
He did, they just didn't very just forgetting about Fernando's
Tatis Junior's home run. We're just gonna forget about.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
That come to the plate at that time, does he
even get to come up?
Speaker 3 (21:48):
Well, you know, that's neither here or there. David Peralta
seemed to be able to get a big hit as well.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
Yeah, but also Dave, you know, you strike.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
Maybe not the strikeout, he doesn't have to put away
strikeout pitch, but he got to ground balls.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
I mean that's part of it. Five innings. But he
did give up six runs. All six runs were charged
to Walker Buehler. Okay, there were no unearned runs in
that inning.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
Okay, well yeah, okay, and that's fair. But what about
the fact they didn't hit? Isn't that then.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
They scored five runs.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Mookie hit, but who else hit? Mookie hit, and so
did Ti Oscar? Who else hit?
Speaker 3 (22:27):
Well, that's a problem as well. They only had one
base runner last six innings. Guys named Will Smith, Max Munsey,
Gavin Lux, Tom Y Edman were combined zero for fifteen.
That's not going to get it done either. Usually when
you score five runs in a playoff game, you should
win it.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
Were you surprised that he didn't put kek in instead
of Andy Pays?
Speaker 4 (22:48):
I was.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
I was shocked. I was shocked, and I actually thought
before the game that keyk Hernandez should have got the
start in center field and tom Yeddman should have been
at short stop because obviously Rojas is limited defensively and
is he really a difference maker offensively? Back to your
point about not hitting, he really is not that guy.
(23:11):
So I'm hoping that Key k Hernandez does get the
start today.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
What does it look like, David, do you think it's
going to look like? You think Key Caman lineup? What
about Freddie? And and does does Edmunds play short and
Key k play first? I mean, what do you think
it looks like?
Speaker 3 (23:28):
I think Freddie Freeman plays first tonight, And like I said,
I hope it's Key k Hernandez in center and tom
Y Edmondette short.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Uh Okay, Dave, As you approach the game tonight, and
you've mentioned and so have we, you know it's been
a season of adversity, they've been able to fight back.
Do you think they have enough fight left in them
for tonight?
Speaker 5 (23:52):
I do?
Speaker 1 (23:53):
I do.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
I've seen more of that in this series than I
have seen in the last two years. And look, a
bullpick game can go great or it can go sideways
on you because you're asking a lot of different pitchers
to be on their game. So if you go back
to twenty twenty one, the last time the Dodgers won
a road playoff game, it was in San Francisco the
(24:15):
night they used an opener for Julio Orias. So maybe
that's the magic pill tonight. Go back to the opener
and use Land and Knack, and you win a road
playoff game for the first time in seven games.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
I think the g is going to be fine. I
think they're gonna feel like the bullpen will be fine too.
It just it just they can't.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
It's risky, but they can't get off to the starts
that they've been getting off to. And that's just the
pattern for the Dodgers that they can whoever you know,
starts the game and comes in next. It can't be
down three to nothing and four to nothing in the
second inning again like they like they've been doing.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
I will say this, the questions I'm getting from around
baseball are valid ones. That the Dodgers have this payroll,
they obviously spent a lot of money during the off season,
but don't have a starting pitcher for Game four. That's
a valid question to be asked one hundred percent.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
But I think the bigger question is which will be
explored during the off season. The reason they don't have
a picture for Game four is because they're all hurt,
and how did that happen? That's I think the bigger
question here, that's the valid question. Why is the majority
of the Dodger starting staff injured or suffering from Tommy
John problems? Why? I think that's what has to be explored, Dave.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
So that's something that Andrew Freeman said he's already starting
to dive into and more during the off season. But
the facts are they traded for a pitcher that has
had a long list of injuries with his arm, and
that's Tyler Glass. Now, he made the most starts of
his career last year, which was only twenty, so he
(25:54):
has a track record that shouldn't be as big of
a shock as everybody's making it out to be.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
All Right, Well, Dave, thanks for coming on.
Speaker 3 (26:03):
Okay, guys, thanks, all right, there he goes.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
David Vassa. Jesus, he was ready. He was ready.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
He was feeling it like the like the like the
players are right now. He's just like, you know, it's
very animated for it. He was animated. And I have
to tell you, we're not with him every day, Rodney.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
No, he feels it.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
He feels that that pressure and all that stuff that
he gets from those players in the locker room and
all those things because he's in it every single day,
and the angst and all of that.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
So it came out a little bit today. Yeah, And
here's the thing. I will respectfully and again, we're not
with that team every single day watching them, but I'm
going to respectfully disagree with his assessment of Bueler. I
am too.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
I am too, because you can't put it all on him,
and you can't you know, you know, yeah, he's supposed
to put away pitches. Well, he's not that guy. You
can't look at him from last year's previous and go, well,
Walker Buhler two years ago, Walker Buhler four years ago
would have struck that guy out instruct that. Well, that's
not who he is anymore, at least not this year.
(27:13):
Coming off to Tommy John.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
You know.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
But if he gets you know, this guy on first
and there in that inning and he gets a ground ball,
double play ball, you expect to get a double play.
He gets a ground ball, and you expect to get
at least one out out of that. You know, he's
doing his job basically, so to suggest that he's not,
(27:37):
you know, he didn't put those guys out. Yeah, he didn't.
On paper, he didn't put him out. But he did
what most pitchers are supposed to do, give me a groundball,
double play, and he got a ground ball and didn't
get the double play. Not only did he not get
the double play, he didn't get anybody out right.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
That made it worse. Yeah, all right, it's like six nine, eight,
seven seventy. All right, we're get up on the phone lines.
Dodger fans. You can weigh in now. You can weigh
in on your thoughts. You can weigh in on what
David Says has to say. Boys, God, but this is it?
(28:17):
What do you think about? Oh yeah?
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Especially one for Dodger fans. Today's afternoon delight is Won't
Back Down by Eminem featuring Pink. It was off Eminem's
seventh album, Recovery from back in twenty ten, which had
a lot of features on it, including this one here
from Pink. That's what the Dodger's got to do, Freddy,
(28:45):
don't back down again. Today's Afternoon Delight is won't back
down by eminem and Pink.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Let's go, let's go, all right, let's open it up.
Let's hear it, Dodger fans, oh, Juan in Guardina.
Speaker 6 (29:01):
Let lose, all right, guys, I just want to I
just want to make this point Walker Buehler throwing that
pitch that Tati's hit.
Speaker 3 (29:09):
To me, it was down right.
Speaker 6 (29:11):
It was a home run, batting practice pitch. My thing
is coaching. What's going on with coaching? Why do we
why can't we like get coaches, change up the coaches
at the end of the day, like these guys were
every year, it's the same coaches.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
Well, what do you mean by change up the coaches?
What do you want the coaches to do? One they wanted?
Speaker 2 (29:29):
You want the coaches to pitch? It was a mistake
that certainly was a mistake by Walker Buehler. But but
guys make mistakes when you're playing sports and it's a
real deal.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Yeah, what do you so, seriously, what do you want
the coach to do?
Speaker 5 (29:44):
Well?
Speaker 6 (29:44):
Like, for example, Mark Pryor is a great guy, but
you know what guy's life, Greg Maddix, I was growing up,
I was a huge fan of the way that he would.
It wasn't about how fast you through.
Speaker 3 (29:54):
It was about location.
Speaker 6 (29:55):
And I just don't see these players really getting coached
to where they make adjustments.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
Okay and one and one, thanks for calling. I'm gonna
answer that for you. Thanks for calling. Uh, here's the thing,
guys in Major League Baseball are all throwing harder now.
The game evolves and changes. I think one makes a
valid point, Rodney. Yeah, it's different now, and it doesn't
necessarily mean it's better now when it comes to that.
(30:24):
But I don't think it's Mark Pryor standing behind Walker
Bueller and telling them you better pitch it right to
that spot. I think Walker Bueller knows where to pitch
the ball. It's said. It's it's a question of is
it going to end up where he wants to admitted it?
Speaker 2 (30:39):
Yes, Okay, I'm coming up to the plate. I'm going
to hit a home run right now because we need it.
Right I'm going to get a pitch that's ninety five
and it's on the inside half of the plate, and
I'm going to hit a home run right here, right now.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
And you pop it up. What fault is that? Well,
it's a hitting coach obviously. Yeah, it's not saying I mean,
and I get it. Fans are passionate.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
They're not in the they're not in the practice sessions
where they go over this is where we want to
pitch this guy. This is this is how we want
to attack him. You know, you can't throw a slider
out over the plate to tattoos. Of course, you can't
do that. It's like telling a quarterback, hey, don't throw
any interceptions.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
Yeah, don't do that. Don't do that.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
Okay, but you go out and you misread something or
the ball gets tipped or you know, guy makes a
great play that's on the quarterback or the coach.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
You know, it happens. The point is it happens.
Speaker 3 (31:43):
Go ahead, Hey, what's going on? Fred Rodney?
Speaker 1 (31:47):
What's that?
Speaker 4 (31:48):
Man? I don't think this. I don't think this whole
thing's on Walker. You got to remember he was out
there for a long time. You notice, Man, he was
sweating like crazy. With those guys making those bad plays
behind him. It just left him out there longer. And Rodney,
you know, it's like throwing a past where receiver is
supposed to be and he goes the wrong way and
all of a sudden it ends up in somebody else's hands.
Speaker 3 (32:08):
That's not your fault.
Speaker 4 (32:09):
That's the guy, the receiver's fault for making the wrong move.
Same with our short stop and Freddie making that those plays.
That's what caused Walker to be out there even longer
than what he should have been.
Speaker 3 (32:19):
Yep, And it's not on him.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
I mean, my son's a pitcher. I see him fish
all the time, and a lot of times it's your defense,
and it makes you out there having to throw more pitches,
and the more pitches you're getting tired. I mean these
relievers that come in, they're not out there for thirty
five pitches, and you'll notice that how their pitches aren't
as sharp when they're throwing.
Speaker 3 (32:37):
Thirty five pitches in anything. So that's why I said,
this isn't.
Speaker 4 (32:40):
All on Walker.
Speaker 3 (32:41):
He battled it out. I mean, look how well he
did after he got out of that inning.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
Billy appreciate it. Thanks, thanks, really, absolutely absolutely. He can't
put it all on him. When you're gonna you know,
you think you're getting out of the inning. He got
a ground ball and you're getting a double play, and
he don't all right right in Long Beach, go ahead,
Robert up.
Speaker 5 (33:03):
Guys, thanks checking my call. You know, last night is done.
I'm not interested in talking about that at all. I
am choosing to be optimistic tonight. As a lifelong Dodger fan.
I think the pod is going to come in over confident.
I think the guy, our voice and I are going
to do great. I think show he goes four for four,
the Dodgers win tonight five to three.
Speaker 7 (33:19):
That's it, guys.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
Done, all right, thanks Robert, done, done, done. I get
you know, at the end of the day, you said it,
start the show. It all comes down to hitting. You know,
we can. You can trot out everybody you want to.
They're hitting. We're not. The Mets are hitting.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
The Phillies bottom half of their their team is not hitting,
and it's the reason why those guys are two and one.
Speaker 8 (33:43):
You bring up the hitting there, Rodney, and it's facts. However,
there was a decision made before this series started that
I think is looming pretty large right now that I
haven't heard anyone bring up. I was talking about with
Fred earlier. They said we're going with Jack Flarity as
the starter in game one, and then they said, Yama Moto, Well,
(34:04):
right now, if Flarity had gone Game one, he could
be pitching tonight instead of having a bullpen game. You
think that decision isn't being rethought now, that's.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
Huge, No, because I think they still believe it's going
five and they got Yama Modo going going in the
fifth game, and that was the plan going in which
everybody in their and their brother before this series thought
this game, this series was going five games. And if
you're believing that it's gonna go five games, then you
(34:36):
trot your best guy out there for the game one
and game five.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
Is he their best guy?
Speaker 8 (34:41):
Yamamota was clear cutover Flarity.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Yeah. I don't even think.
Speaker 8 (34:44):
I bet he doesn't start Game five. I bet Flarity
does if they get there.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
No, No, I bet the rank that Yamamoto starts Game five.
I think tonight Dodger pitching is going to be fine.
I think the bullpen's going to do their job tonight.
I don't think anybody's giving up six runs in an inning.
I don't think anybody's getting not to be allowed to.
What I'm saying is seriously, I mean, I don't think
(35:09):
anybody's gonna go out there and give up back to
back home runs. Boom boom. I think the bullpen is
going to do well tonight. I think the Dodger pitching
will be fine. Whatever the definition of that is. At
this time, I think it's comes down to the hitting.
If they hit tonight, they win. Yeah. Period.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
And you remember way we used to say, you know,
the Dodgers go in years in a few years past,
the Dodgers go how Mookie goes. But the Dodgers go
how Otani goes. And if he doesn't lead off the game, okay,
you don't lead off the game with a hit or
home run or whatever.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
But he's got it. He's got to be the catalyst
for this team.
Speaker 2 (35:44):
He's got to be the guy that gets everybody going
because people feed off of him when he's going. When
he's going well, the rest of the team does. And
it shouldn't have to be that way, but that's just
the way it is, and the way the season has
gone is that they fed off of a time when
he's not kind of in the mix and he's a
non factor. It affects the rest of the team.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
Alli, Christ and La thanks for holding go ahead.
Speaker 7 (36:10):
Hey guys, you know I don't want to oversimplify this
because I know we're all trying to figure out an
answer to this problem. But I'm gonna give you the
old baseball adage of this is just baseball, and it is.
It's not like any other sport. It's a game of failure.
If you bat two fifty, you're only successful twenty five
percent of time. Rodnie, if you threw twenty five percent
completions in the NFL, you wouldn't have been an NFL quarterback.
(36:33):
And that applies to basketball too. These players are up
there trying to hit. Nothing has changed in their approach
when they were hitting the heck out of the ball
before the postseason. The difference is you're batting against better pitching,
supreme pitching. That's why Aaron Judge is one for twenty something.
So when you have a normal twenty five percent success
(36:54):
rate or thirty if you're batting three hundred, Now when
that's when you're hitting against fourth and fifty starters on
bad teams too, All that included. Now you're going against
the best pitchers of the teams that made the playoffs.
You're getting the best of the best. There's no way
in the world wild Tony would be killing the ball
up until the postseason. And he strikes out three times.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
In last night.
Speaker 7 (37:20):
Because he's hitting bad pitching.
Speaker 3 (37:22):
Pitching beats good hitting. Our pitchers are.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
Not at Aaron got up.
Speaker 7 (37:29):
Of course, of course it happens, Rounnie. Sometimes I'm talking
about just what I'm.
Speaker 2 (37:32):
Saying, is it happens. It's happening in these playoffs. We're
hitting hitting. Everybody stays pitching, pitching, pitching. But it's the hitting.
It was happening for Arizona last year. It's the hitting.
The Rangers. Corey Seeger got unbelievably hot for them last year.
So yeah, you can. You can say that and it
(37:53):
gets you through a game maybe, but at the end
of the day, in a series, you got to be
able to hit the ball.
Speaker 7 (38:00):
Roddy, I agree.
Speaker 3 (38:01):
I agree.
Speaker 7 (38:02):
But let me ask you this, just looking at it logically,
what's changed, And it's not just the Dodgers, this Paul Baseball.
What changes between the playoffs and the regular season. It's
hitting against the pitching. You have to hear, you have
to get timely, you have to get those bleeders that
the padre has got.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
Last night, you have a press Chris Chris, Chris, Chris, Chris.
We got you. We're gonna let you go. We'll keep
talking about we gotta let you go up against the break. Yeah,
you're absolutely right. It's hitting, it's getting the bleeders, it's
getting one to fall in. It's not having the padre
outfielders make great plays the other night and taking base
hits away from you. It's all of those things. But
(38:41):
it's also this and if you are a superstar, Aaron Judge,
this is your moment show Hey, o Tani, this is
your moment because you're right. During the regular season, they're
facing guys who are third or fourth on the other
teams rotation from god knows where Pittsburgh or Cincinnati or
(39:03):
Kansas City, where you can hit them. Yeah, these are
the best pictures. But when you are a superstar, this
is when you shine. This is why you are a superstar.
This is what counts Now, it doesn't matter the regular
season is over. You are compensated. You have great responsibility
(39:29):
to go along with that money. You're paid that because
you are a star. If it wasn't that way, why
wouldn't they pay everybody what they pay Otani? Or why
wouldn't they pay everybody what they pay Max Muncie. There's
a difference, and the difference is more is expected of you.
(39:50):
That's just the way it goes. You can sit and say, well,
it's a lot harder, yes, but you are supposed to
be someone who can deal with that. That's because it's harder, superstar,
because it's harder. You say, you know, it's harder on
the hitters because of good pitching, but it's also harder
on the pitchers because it's good hitting. Guys are in
(40:12):
a groove this point of the season.
Speaker 2 (40:14):
Your teams make the playoffs because guys are playing well,
because guys are in a groove. And that means whether
you're on the mound or whether you're at the plate,
Guys get into a groove and get hot at the plate.
So you can say good pitching, yeah, but sometimes good
hitting will beat good pitching.
Speaker 1 (40:33):
I cannot sign off on the excuse well, look at
Aaron Judge. Yeah, look at him. You can hit seven
hundred home runs during the regular season. You're in the playoffs. Now,
this is what matters. This is it. That's why you're
Aaron Judge. We don't need to pay you all of
that money to do this in the playoffs. We just
(40:55):
don't because we can find somebody for a lot less
can do it in the playoffs. That's why you're paid.
That's the frustration here with this Dodger team. That's why
David Vassy said people around baseball look at their look
at their salary, look at their pay roll. Will Smith
(41:15):
signed a ten year deal. You got to hit right now,
You've got to hit. That's the frustration, I think, Rodney.
But you say it's hitting. I mean, yeah, keep going
back to it, but yes, it is. It is hitting.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
And I just ran down the Padres lineup and and
seven of those guys are in a in a groove
I want to say in a zone. But they're all
in a groove right now, and they are hitting the ball.
I mean, if there's not any easy outs for that
Padres lineup right now.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
Look at it like this. As you watch the game, okay,
as I watch the game, when one of the Padres
comes up to bat right now in this series, here
comes one of them. In the back of your mind,
don't you think Jesus that guy get a hit? Yeah, okay, yeah,
When you watch the Dodgers come up to the plate
right now, in the back of your mind, do you
(42:14):
think God, I hope he gets it. I hope, I
hope he gets a hit. God, he's just got to
get on. He's just got to get on. So we're
talking about just as observers, whoever comes up for the Padres,
you think that guy's getting on base? Oh god, oh no,
don't let it be him. And with the Dodgers, you're
thinking about man, I hope he figures out a way
(42:35):
to get on. Yeah. Yeah, there there's the story. And
you know, if you're a fan, you're looking at it
the same way. Oh god, not Machado.
Speaker 2 (42:45):
Oh yeah, oh no, not Merril. Oh my good, arouses
up again? No, the lineup again?
Speaker 1 (42:53):
Right, Yeah, that's what you're thinking watching, Oh god, can
Bueler get him. On the other hand, when the Doctors,
because Tattoos is up next, right, that's what you're thinking
as a fan watching. On the other hand, here comes
Max Muncy. Damn. I just hope he hits it. Yeah,
there and there it is. Yeah, that's why they're where
(43:17):
they're at. I said before the series started, and I
think you agreed. Pitching wise, the Dodgers, they're all hurt,
they're in trouble. Ye, you're just gonna have to if
they score six, you're gonna have to score eight. If
they score five, you're gonna have to score seven. I
said that before the playoffs began. That's the only way
(43:40):
they're going to win. They're just going to have to
outscore them.
Speaker 2 (43:44):
Yep, yep, it's no doubt. There's no doubt. It's just
the where they are right now. You know, And I
think you're a spot on Fred.
Speaker 1 (43:53):
You know. I don't want to something in.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
The water or whatever, but they got to really examine
so many injuries to all these pitchers.
Speaker 1 (44:02):
Oh, it's absurd.
Speaker 2 (44:03):
Over the last five years, it's just been I mean
every single year. It's not just one guy, not just one.
Speaker 1 (44:10):
Guy, Rodney. They have a whole staff having Tommy John surgery.
It's like they haven't they have enough pictures having Tommy
John or had Tommy John that they could be an
entire pitching staff. They could be your starters. That's how
many guys have had it. Think about that. Yeah, they
(44:31):
have an entire rotation from their system that has undergone
Tommy John surgery. Yeah, that's scary. It's scary. We'll continue.
Dylan Hernandez will join us next, and then we will
(44:52):
open the phone lines back up
Okay, here we go, Fred Rogan Rodney Pete on five
seventy LA Sports. It's two hours today to get ready
for what might be the final Dodger game of the season.
On the other hand, it could very well be another
step in their road to the World Series. Rodney, And
which one do you think it'll be. Well, I'm gonna
stay positive here here, Fred. I think it's going to
(00:21):
be a step in another road to the World Series.
I think that the game five is coming back to
Dodger Stadium. And I say this because you know, everybody
wants to point to previous years and say, oh, the
Dodger struggles in the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Here we go again, this and that. But I think
this year is is a little bit different and a
lot of ways we talked about going into these playoffs
is that first off, you know, a different, different lineup
obviously with o Tani and he's got a hit and
we'll we'll talk about him. But I think that because
(00:55):
they they had to fight. These are the things we
talked about going into the series. They had to fight
to win the division. But also there were several times
this year where their backs were to the wall, they
were struggling they needed to win, they needed to stop
the bleeding, and they did it. And I think that
because of that, this year can be different. Now they
(01:17):
still have to go out and do it on the field,
but I think they can only because I'd look at
and I'd probably be looking at this different if the
game ended up different last night. But it was a
close ball game. It was hard fault. We saw the
emotions of Walker Buehler. You know, obviously Uh Tasker hitting
(01:39):
the Grand Slam was was huge, but there wasn't a blowout.
And I think because the Dodgers' bullpen has been pretty good,
I think they can handle tonight and get it back
to Yamamoto. But I do I feel like it's a
(01:59):
it's a little bit different than year's past. Now we
hope that comes true, but I think it's a little
bit different feeling. But things have to happen in this
game that haven't happened in the two losses.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Okay, so I am with you. I think the Dodger
bullpen will pitch well tonight. I am with you one
hundred percent on that. That does not, though excuse the
distinct lack of hitting t Oscar Homwerk last night and
Mooky finally broke out of it. Thank goodness, Mooki came alive.
(02:31):
Mooky hit the ball. Mooki hit a home run. So
Mooki showed up last night. He had been missing in action.
He showed up big time. Yeah. I don't want to
be wrong about something that I've said. You questioned it
when I said it. I don't want to be wrong
about it. But I may be is Otani made for
(02:51):
the moment because after his performance in Game one, he
has been absent hitting, and he's got to hit tonight.
He's got to hit. He can't be chasing. He's got
to hit, and there can't be when a guy has
a bad game, there's no bad games. Now he's got
to hit tonight. Mooky's got to continue tonight. I think
(03:14):
the bullpenal'll do a fine job. Yeah, I do too.
I'm concerned about somebody hitting tonight because aside from ti
Oscar last night and Muki, what happened, what happened? Nobody
hit nobody, Freddie body, Freddie Freeman's ankle is bothering him.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
That very apparent. But he got a big hit, he yes,
but his ankle had to come out of the game.
He couldn't run, but his ankle. I mean, you know,
we'll get in to the defense. But yeah, he is
a And here's the thing you just wish, uh, you know,
Otani could play first base, because if Otani plays first base,
(03:55):
you can DH Freddy. I don't need Freddy. I don't
need Freddy to beat out a infield hit. But I
certainly think he can still be effective at the plate
without having to play the field, and so that becomes
a lie better. But you can't dch anybody because Otani's
the DH. But yeah, you're you're absolutely right. And we
say this all the time, and I hear the narrative
(04:16):
all the time. You fred Oh, you know, in the playoffs,
you gotta have pitching, starting, pitching, pitching, pitching, pitching, pitching, pitch.
I think it's the opposite. The last few years, it's hitting.
We see some of the top pitchers in the league
go in like ready to win the cy young get
lit up in the playoffs. It is about hitting because
(04:37):
the players at this point in the season and his
teams and they always say, and it still is true,
that it comes down to how hot you are, how
hot the team is. But at the end of the day.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
It is hitting.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
When you have a lineup where six, seven out of
the nine guys coming to the plate are on fire,
are in a groove, you can't stop them. Aaron Nola
is one of the best pitchers in the league and
has been. The Mets lit him up.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
And the Mets have been hot. The mess has been
that team with a little momentum, Yes, and they're hitting.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
They never feel like they're out of a game because
their offense can bring them back at any moment. And
it's not just one guy, and it's not just two.
They got five to six to seven guys in that
lineup that are dangerous. And you look at the Padres
right now, that lineup, that lineup is dangerous. Seven guys
(05:30):
in that lineup are dangerous. I mean, Arise at the top,
who's not even hitting right now, not even really being
a factor as much right now and now defensively he has,
but offensively he's he's a hit king. I mean, he's
the you know, led the league in average profar got
to watch out for him, obviously. Tattoos is on fire,
(05:52):
Machado's on fire, the young kid Merrill, He's dangerous at
the plate right now, Croninworth is dangerous. Paralta. Paralta is
hitting the ball like he's an All Star. I mean,
they got seven guys that are dangerous at the plate,
and like you mentioned before, the Dodgers have one or
(06:12):
two each game they get hot. Not gonna cut it,
not gonna cut it, not gonna cut it. Your seven, eight, six, seven, eighth,
ninth hitter has got to come through.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
I mean, we love Max Munsey. Hit the damn ball. Yeah,
you know what, America's catcher Will Smith hit the ball.
I mean, you're to that point you don't want to
start calling people out. You don't want to do that
because we love the Dodgers. But that's it. It's go time.
(06:44):
There's no turning back now. We can't have Max Munsey
whoosh these gigantic swings and makes no contact, or he
hits it and he flies out. One home run every
seven games is no. I'm gonna cut it now. Trying
to hit it.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
It feels like he's trying to hit a home run
every time up and every swing doesn't matter if it's
two strikes or no strikes.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
His swing is hitting it. I'm gonna hit it a
country mile. You got to just hit it. Sometimes you
got to put it in play. Will Smith, let's be honest,
and you know he's probably been dinged up. He's the catcher,
and we know. I mean from a defensive standpoint, I
think he led the league in throwing guys out. But
they signed him to hit. They gave him this giant
(07:30):
deal to hit. And now's the time you gotta hit.
Now's the time you cannot give them clean innings anymore.
I mean, look at the game last night, Rodney. I
gotta tell you what I thought. Walker Buehler left it
out there. How that Walker Bueller did as well as
he could. He seemed in command, He was in charge,
(07:54):
he was comfortable. Did he get a lot of third strikes? No,
who cares? He had them in the game. There were
two miscues that killed him and he led to this
giant inning. Why Freddy goes to second to try to
start a double play. As much as you hate Manny
(08:15):
Machado as a fan, that guy gets it. He's a
baseball player. He gets it, and he just kind of
ran around so that when Freddy threw it, Rojas wouldn't
be able to see it. Yeah, and because he hit him, Yeah,
that's legal. That's smart, that's baseball.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Yeah, that was as long as you're not trying to
avoid a tag, you can run in anywhere in the
baseline right right.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
So that was azarm.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
He even checking looked back real quick to see where
Freddie fielded the ball, and then he and then he
curved inside on the grass.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
But very just very smart, smart baseball. Okay, But that
that little moment right there, just the slightest thing just
changed everything. That adjustment Machado made where you didn't you
thought initially what is he doing? Oh, okay, he knew
the game and.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
The game, and I think he got on on on
a two strike pitch where he was got fooled and
he reached out over the outside portion and just flicked
it into left field, and that's how he got on.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
It was one of those when you're going good, you're
going good, all right. So now that was critical. And
then the other moment in that inning, uh, Miggey Rojas
yep ball to Shutter, flipped the ball. You got to
throw the ball a second basement, right, And I think
he was puzzled as to why he didn't flip it.
If he flips that ball to Lox I'm not saying
(09:42):
it's a double play, but it certainly gets the runner
at second. It's the runner at second instead, what happens
the runner at second is there, The runner at first
is safe and now and now look and when it's
all said and done, six runs six to one. Right,
So you think it at that point. And they even
talked to Dave Roberts during the telecast and he goes,
(10:04):
we're not waving the white flag yet. Yeah, right, okay,
so now you're looking at it and going, God, this
is exactly what you don't need. But Bueller never lost
his composure. Never. Well he did in a dugout, Well
that was different. Yeah, on the hill he didn't. He
never lost it. Yeah. But in the and you know what,
that's ok I love that me too. That's okay. At
(10:26):
least somebody act like they care. So he gets back
out there, why because all of a sudden, the Dodgers
are back in the game. They're back. Yeah. King looks
confused and disheveled, and and Ti Oscar hits a grand
Slam and you're going, okay, we're early in this game. Early,
(10:47):
we're one rundown. Oh no, we got him, Now, we
got him. Now it's we that's it. They're in our sights.
We'll shut them down, and we'll shut them up and
then they can't hit. Yeah, and then that's it. No,
I mean no, that doesn't work. And the excuse, well,
(11:12):
you know it's the playoffs or King or the reliever
they brought. Who cares, doesn't matter. It doesn't matter now, guys.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
No, teams that are winning and have one are teams
that hit the ball, like creating. It's offense the back
he's talking about the pitch. It's offense. Arizona on their
run last year as their two pitchers got hot, but
it was their offense that got hot. And up and
down that lineup, you didn't know who to pitch to
(11:39):
and who to pitch around. And that's the same thing
with the two teams that are leading right now in
the National League, the Mets and the Padres. Who you
want to face. You know, you just old stay away
from tattoos, stay away from Machado, you gotta stay away
from Merril.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
You gotta watch out for Barlton, now, crowning Worth.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
I mean they up and down that lineup, everybody is
a threat, and they they're they're coming through where the Dodgers,
you can't you can't say you really can't say anyone
tied on the Dodgers hitting the ball.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
They're not, of course, you can't say it. They're not.
And you know something in the postseason houstings that they've suffered.
You can't say it about any of them. Then, No,
in the past two years, you can't say it they
aren't hitting.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
No, And in years that they didn't make it to
the World Series, it was there often they did hit
because about picture. It was it was Corey Seeger and Bellinger,
even it was Chris Taylor who had that hot series
and a couple you know, and and Key k who
had big moments in the in the in hitting, it
was up and down that lineup, you know, And and
now there's there's just I mean, it's almost like they're
(12:58):
waiting on Otel and Mookie to save the day.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Well, nobody else can do anything, and you know, talking
about Miggey Rojas. All right, Dave Roberts made two decisions
last night. Two one, I thought, and I agree with
you was gutsy and brilliant when he went out to
(13:23):
talk to Bueller. The minute he comes out of the dugout.
We know what that means. We know that's it. And
he went out there and he had a conversation and
I didn't hear it, nor did you, But I can
assure you one thing. Bueller said, I'll get him. I'm
not coming out. I got this, and Dave Roberts stuck
(13:47):
with him. I thought that was a gutsy decision, and
I agree with you. It proved to be the right decision,
and it showed what Walker Buehller is made of. All right, son,
So there's one decision he made. Let's talk about the
other one. When he takes Rojas out of the game.
I'm not there, You're not there. We don't know what
(14:07):
the plan was ahead of time. Tell me you didn't
think t K would go in he played piz Yeah,
you didn't think would go in? I thought, I thought, yeah,
I thought key K. I did think k K was
coming in the game. I did.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
But I get it, I get I get it. Edmund
moving from center to shortstop turned out to be a
good move too. Defenses. Sensibly, he made some plays that
outside of Mickey Row, I don't know if anybody else
(14:47):
maked it on that team. No, they were great Rodney,
you know, but I did believe and and and and
you said this last I think you said it going
into UH into the playoffs or or even before that.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
You like the way pi Haz was playing was hitting.
I did too.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
I thought he'd kind of come around. He was, he
was hitting the ball well, he was getting hot. But
I think in that moment, yeah, I felt like key
K because he had been there and he'd done that.
You know, he was in the situation before. He's been
in big moments, and and yeah, I I certainly thought that.
But I get it, and I understand, you know, when
(15:25):
you need somebody maybe to run into one and Pi
Haz has kind of been offensively, he's kind of been
hot and you get to move Edmond to UH to shortstop.
I mean that it didn't It didn't bother me as
much as as as maybe some other people didn't bother
I mean, like again, I was leaning as soon as
(15:47):
it happened. Soon as he pulled up at third base,
I was like, Oh, here comes k K. That's what
I thought. And I mean, and you know, kindsight could
could could be he want it to me, comes up
hit the three run bomb or he strikes out Dwight.
We don't know, you don't know what's gonna happen, but yeah,
I thought being the experience of Key K would have
(16:08):
probably been the move I would have made.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Hright, Dodger fans. Uh, we're gonna open the phone lines,
not quite yet what we'll do. David Vassiel joined us
from San Diego when we come back and after that,
we're gonna open the phone lines and let you talk
about what needs to be done or what you expect
to be Hey, Rodney, Pete, Fred Rogan, getting ready now
or never? Yeah, that's one. We're gonna look at it now.
(16:41):
We're never. All right, Let's bring on David vass from
San Diego. Dave, good afternoon.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
Hey guys, good afternoon.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Okay, we'll start with this. Do we know who's starting
for the Dodgers or who's pitching tonight?
Speaker 3 (16:56):
It's gonna be a bullpaying game. Fred, I've been laying
that out for you every time time I come on
the show. What we saw in Denver was going to
be something that was going to be replicated tonight. So
you're going to see either Vesti or Banda more than
likely start the game to face two of the three
first hitters that are lefties, and then from there you're
(17:17):
going to see Landon Knack at some point and they're
going to go with a bullpen game. He was not
really a surprise. I don't know why everybody's so surprised.
I've been saying that since the beginning of the series.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
No, no, I was going to open it up again.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Yeah, it's going to be a leftie to face the
lefty hitters.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Okay, bandassie, there's a lefties out there. They What was
the what was the vibe after last night's game? I mean,
I know, was you know, disappointing and all that, But
did you get a sense of like head down or
was it we got we got to get tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Now.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
I mean that clubhouse was down last night, but that
was last night. Obviously, he lost a playoff game. You're
down two games to one, and he blew a great
opportunity to come from behind because they did not have
all but one base runner. They only had one base
runner the last six innings of the game after taoscar
Hernandez's Grand Slam. So I think they were all disappointed
(18:20):
with that fact. And you know, today's a new day.
And I said this on Dodger Talk last night, and
I'll say it again that this team has showed some
more fight than what we have seen in each of
the last two playoffs series. And a big reason why
is ta Oscar Hernandez. He's the personality that you know,
hopefully is contagious to the rest of that clubhouse. And
(18:41):
you know, there's no other player that I believe would
have come through with that type of hit other than
Taoscar Hernandez in that spot.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
Dave iout Walker Bula looked good last night for being
Walker Bueller. He seemed confident, he seemed comfortable. I mean,
he got tagged by that the two defensive moments. But
aside from that, Dave I thought he did a pretty
good job.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
Freddy gave up six runs in one inning. Yeah, I
don't know how anybody can say that he pitched well
last night.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Okay, but here's the same, Dave. If Freddy Freeman doesn't
throw the ball and hit one player and then Mickey
Rojas throws the ball to second base, he's not giving
up six runs.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
Well, Number one, that was a smart base play by
Manny Machado. It was very much within the rules. If
you've been watching Justin Turner and Chase Utley run the bases.
They used to do the same thing, so that was
not out of bounds. Number two. Yeah, Mickey Rojas tried
to be a hero and tried to do too much.
That would have been one out. But that still doesn't
(19:46):
change the fact that Walker Bueler had two strikes on
all those hitters hitters and couldn't put them away. He
was a victim of paper cuts. But he can't be
absolved of that six run inning.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
No he can't.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
He can't, But the complexion of the inning changes if
he gets one of those outs.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
I really believe that is there. But two strikes is
two strikes, Rodney. You got to be able to put
away hitters.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Yeah, you do. Got to be able to put away hitters, Dave.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
You know that, But I'm just saying in all in all,
and then to come back after that, and I thought
it was big for Dave Roberts to leave him in
the game, But to come back after that and shut
it down, I thought that was big too.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Were you pleased with that?
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Sure? Yeah, that was good that he was able to
stabilize the ship. But that's been a microcosm of his season.
Where he has a inning where there's a huge crooked
number in an inning, and that's just been him this
year because of the reasons that I just mentioned. He
can't put away hitters and that's unfortunate. So it was
(20:54):
great that he gave them five. But you know, if
they're not going with a bullpen game today, does Dave
Roberts have more urgency to take him out of that inning?
Speaker 1 (21:05):
I don't know. I actually thought when he went out
and talked to him, I thought Walker probably said, I
can get this guy or let me go.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
I was in the fifth inning. That was in the
fifth inning. That wasn't in the second inning.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
Oh you mean the second inning? Yeah, yeah, yeah, But again,
as you said, he was victimized by paper cuts. The
issue was they didn't hit Dave. They didn't hit that
was the problem. If if Machado doesn't get hit by
Freddy's ball and Mickey Rojas flipped it to Lux, he's
not giving up six ones at inning. And then if
Tiascar hits a home run a Grand Slam, which.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
He did, they just didn't very just forgetting about Fernando's
Tatis Junior's home run. We're just gonna forget about.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
That come to the plate at that time, does he
even get to come up?
Speaker 3 (21:48):
Well, you know, that's neither here or there. David Peralta
seemed to be able to get a big hit as well.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
Yeah, but also Dave, you know, you strike.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
Maybe not the strikeout, he doesn't have to put away
strikeout pitch, but he got to ground balls.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
I mean that's part of it. Five innings. But he
did give up six runs. All six runs were charged
to Walker Buehler. Okay, there were no unearned runs in
that inning.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
Okay, well yeah, okay, and that's fair. But what about
the fact they didn't hit? Isn't that then.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
They scored five runs.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Mookie hit, but who else hit? Mookie hit, and so
did Ti Oscar? Who else hit?
Speaker 3 (22:27):
Well, that's a problem as well. They only had one
base runner last six innings. Guys named Will Smith, Max Munsey,
Gavin Lux, Tom Y Edman were combined zero for fifteen.
That's not going to get it done either. Usually when
you score five runs in a playoff game, you should
win it.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
Were you surprised that he didn't put kek in instead
of Andy Pays?
Speaker 4 (22:48):
I was.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
I was shocked. I was shocked, and I actually thought
before the game that keyk Hernandez should have got the
start in center field and tom Yeddman should have been
at short stop because obviously Rojas is limited defensively and
is he really a difference maker offensively? Back to your
point about not hitting, he really is not that guy.
(23:11):
So I'm hoping that Key k Hernandez does get the
start today.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
What does it look like, David, do you think it's
going to look like? You think Key Caman lineup? What
about Freddie? And and does does Edmunds play short and
Key k play first? I mean, what do you think
it looks like?
Speaker 3 (23:28):
I think Freddie Freeman plays first tonight, And like I said,
I hope it's Key k Hernandez in center and tom
Y Edmondette short.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Uh Okay, Dave, As you approach the game tonight, and
you've mentioned and so have we, you know it's been
a season of adversity, they've been able to fight back.
Do you think they have enough fight left in them
for tonight?
Speaker 5 (23:52):
I do?
Speaker 1 (23:53):
I do.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
I've seen more of that in this series than I
have seen in the last two years. And look, a
bullpick game can go great or it can go sideways
on you because you're asking a lot of different pitchers
to be on their game. So if you go back
to twenty twenty one, the last time the Dodgers won
a road playoff game, it was in San Francisco the
(24:15):
night they used an opener for Julio Orias. So maybe
that's the magic pill tonight. Go back to the opener
and use Land and Knack, and you win a road
playoff game for the first time in seven games.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
I think the g is going to be fine. I
think they're gonna feel like the bullpen will be fine too.
It just it just they can't.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
It's risky, but they can't get off to the starts
that they've been getting off to. And that's just the
pattern for the Dodgers that they can whoever you know,
starts the game and comes in next. It can't be
down three to nothing and four to nothing in the
second inning again like they like they've been doing.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
I will say this, the questions I'm getting from around
baseball are valid ones. That the Dodgers have this payroll,
they obviously spent a lot of money during the off season,
but don't have a starting pitcher for Game four. That's
a valid question to be asked one hundred percent.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
But I think the bigger question is which will be
explored during the off season. The reason they don't have
a picture for Game four is because they're all hurt,
and how did that happen? That's I think the bigger
question here, that's the valid question. Why is the majority
of the Dodger starting staff injured or suffering from Tommy
John problems? Why? I think that's what has to be explored, Dave.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
So that's something that Andrew Freeman said he's already starting
to dive into and more during the off season. But
the facts are they traded for a pitcher that has
had a long list of injuries with his arm, and
that's Tyler Glass. Now, he made the most starts of
his career last year, which was only twenty, so he
(25:54):
has a track record that shouldn't be as big of
a shock as everybody's making it out to be.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
All Right, Well, Dave, thanks for coming on.
Speaker 3 (26:03):
Okay, guys, thanks, all right, there he goes.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
David Vassa. Jesus, he was ready. He was ready.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
He was feeling it like the like the like the
players are right now. He's just like, you know, it's
very animated for it. He was animated. And I have
to tell you, we're not with him every day, Rodney.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
No, he feels it.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
He feels that that pressure and all that stuff that
he gets from those players in the locker room and
all those things because he's in it every single day,
and the angst and all of that.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
So it came out a little bit today. Yeah, And
here's the thing. I will respectfully and again, we're not
with that team every single day watching them, but I'm
going to respectfully disagree with his assessment of Bueler. I
am too.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
I am too, because you can't put it all on him,
and you can't you know, you know, yeah, he's supposed
to put away pitches. Well, he's not that guy. You
can't look at him from last year's previous and go, well,
Walker Buhler two years ago, Walker Buhler four years ago
would have struck that guy out instruct that. Well, that's
not who he is anymore, at least not this year.
(27:13):
Coming off to Tommy John.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
You know.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
But if he gets you know, this guy on first
and there in that inning and he gets a ground ball,
double play ball, you expect to get a double play.
He gets a ground ball, and you expect to get
at least one out out of that. You know, he's
doing his job basically, so to suggest that he's not,
(27:37):
you know, he didn't put those guys out. Yeah, he didn't.
On paper, he didn't put him out. But he did
what most pitchers are supposed to do, give me a groundball,
double play, and he got a ground ball and didn't
get the double play. Not only did he not get
the double play, he didn't get anybody out right.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
That made it worse. Yeah, all right, it's like six nine, eight,
seven seventy. All right, we're get up on the phone lines.
Dodger fans. You can weigh in now. You can weigh
in on your thoughts. You can weigh in on what
David Says has to say. Boys, God, but this is it?
(28:17):
What do you think about? Oh yeah?
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Especially one for Dodger fans. Today's afternoon delight is Won't
Back Down by Eminem featuring Pink. It was off Eminem's
seventh album, Recovery from back in twenty ten, which had
a lot of features on it, including this one here
from Pink. That's what the Dodger's got to do, Freddy,
(28:45):
don't back down again. Today's Afternoon Delight is won't back
down by eminem and Pink.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Let's go, let's go, all right, let's open it up.
Let's hear it, Dodger fans, oh, Juan in Guardina.
Speaker 6 (29:01):
Let lose, all right, guys, I just want to I
just want to make this point Walker Buehler throwing that
pitch that Tati's hit.
Speaker 3 (29:09):
To me, it was down right.
Speaker 6 (29:11):
It was a home run, batting practice pitch. My thing
is coaching. What's going on with coaching? Why do we
why can't we like get coaches, change up the coaches
at the end of the day, like these guys were
every year, it's the same coaches.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
Well, what do you mean by change up the coaches?
What do you want the coaches to do? One they wanted?
Speaker 2 (29:29):
You want the coaches to pitch? It was a mistake
that certainly was a mistake by Walker Buehler. But but
guys make mistakes when you're playing sports and it's a
real deal.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Yeah, what do you so, seriously, what do you want
the coach to do?
Speaker 5 (29:44):
Well?
Speaker 6 (29:44):
Like, for example, Mark Pryor is a great guy, but
you know what guy's life, Greg Maddix, I was growing up,
I was a huge fan of the way that he would.
It wasn't about how fast you through.
Speaker 3 (29:54):
It was about location.
Speaker 6 (29:55):
And I just don't see these players really getting coached
to where they make adjustments.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
Okay and one and one, thanks for calling. I'm gonna
answer that for you. Thanks for calling. Uh, here's the thing,
guys in Major League Baseball are all throwing harder now.
The game evolves and changes. I think one makes a
valid point, Rodney. Yeah, it's different now, and it doesn't
necessarily mean it's better now when it comes to that.
(30:24):
But I don't think it's Mark Pryor standing behind Walker
Bueller and telling them you better pitch it right to
that spot. I think Walker Bueller knows where to pitch
the ball. It's said. It's it's a question of is
it going to end up where he wants to admitted it?
Speaker 2 (30:39):
Yes, Okay, I'm coming up to the plate. I'm going
to hit a home run right now because we need it.
Right I'm going to get a pitch that's ninety five
and it's on the inside half of the plate, and
I'm going to hit a home run right here, right now.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
And you pop it up. What fault is that? Well,
it's a hitting coach obviously. Yeah, it's not saying I mean,
and I get it. Fans are passionate.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
They're not in the they're not in the practice sessions
where they go over this is where we want to
pitch this guy. This is this is how we want
to attack him. You know, you can't throw a slider
out over the plate to tattoos. Of course, you can't
do that. It's like telling a quarterback, hey, don't throw
any interceptions.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
Yeah, don't do that. Don't do that.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
Okay, but you go out and you misread something or
the ball gets tipped or you know, guy makes a
great play that's on the quarterback or the coach.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
You know, it happens. The point is it happens.
Speaker 3 (31:43):
Go ahead, Hey, what's going on? Fred Rodney?
Speaker 1 (31:47):
What's that?
Speaker 4 (31:48):
Man? I don't think this. I don't think this whole
thing's on Walker. You got to remember he was out
there for a long time. You notice, Man, he was
sweating like crazy. With those guys making those bad plays
behind him. It just left him out there longer. And Rodney,
you know, it's like throwing a past where receiver is
supposed to be and he goes the wrong way and
all of a sudden it ends up in somebody else's hands.
Speaker 3 (32:08):
That's not your fault.
Speaker 4 (32:09):
That's the guy, the receiver's fault for making the wrong move.
Same with our short stop and Freddie making that those plays.
That's what caused Walker to be out there even longer
than what he should have been.
Speaker 3 (32:19):
Yep, And it's not on him.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
I mean, my son's a pitcher. I see him fish
all the time, and a lot of times it's your defense,
and it makes you out there having to throw more pitches,
and the more pitches you're getting tired. I mean these
relievers that come in, they're not out there for thirty
five pitches, and you'll notice that how their pitches aren't
as sharp when they're throwing.
Speaker 3 (32:37):
Thirty five pitches in anything. So that's why I said,
this isn't.
Speaker 4 (32:40):
All on Walker.
Speaker 3 (32:41):
He battled it out. I mean, look how well he
did after he got out of that inning.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
Billy appreciate it. Thanks, thanks, really, absolutely absolutely. He can't
put it all on him. When you're gonna you know,
you think you're getting out of the inning. He got
a ground ball and you're getting a double play, and
he don't all right right in Long Beach, go ahead,
Robert up.
Speaker 5 (33:03):
Guys, thanks checking my call. You know, last night is done.
I'm not interested in talking about that at all. I
am choosing to be optimistic tonight. As a lifelong Dodger fan.
I think the pod is going to come in over confident.
I think the guy, our voice and I are going
to do great. I think show he goes four for four,
the Dodgers win tonight five to three.
Speaker 7 (33:19):
That's it, guys.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
Done, all right, thanks Robert, done, done, done. I get
you know, at the end of the day, you said it,
start the show. It all comes down to hitting. You know,
we can. You can trot out everybody you want to.
They're hitting. We're not. The Mets are hitting.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
The Phillies bottom half of their their team is not hitting,
and it's the reason why those guys are two and one.
Speaker 8 (33:43):
You bring up the hitting there, Rodney, and it's facts. However,
there was a decision made before this series started that
I think is looming pretty large right now that I
haven't heard anyone bring up. I was talking about with
Fred earlier. They said we're going with Jack Flarity as
the starter in game one, and then they said, Yama Moto, Well,
(34:04):
right now, if Flarity had gone Game one, he could
be pitching tonight instead of having a bullpen game. You
think that decision isn't being rethought now, that's.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
Huge, No, because I think they still believe it's going
five and they got Yama Modo going going in the
fifth game, and that was the plan going in which
everybody in their and their brother before this series thought
this game, this series was going five games. And if
you're believing that it's gonna go five games, then you
(34:36):
trot your best guy out there for the game one
and game five.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
Is he their best guy?
Speaker 8 (34:41):
Yamamota was clear cutover Flarity.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Yeah. I don't even think.
Speaker 8 (34:44):
I bet he doesn't start Game five. I bet Flarity
does if they get there.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
No, No, I bet the rank that Yamamoto starts Game five.
I think tonight Dodger pitching is going to be fine.
I think the bullpen's going to do their job tonight.
I don't think anybody's giving up six runs in an inning.
I don't think anybody's getting not to be allowed to.
What I'm saying is seriously, I mean, I don't think
(35:09):
anybody's gonna go out there and give up back to
back home runs. Boom boom. I think the bullpen is
going to do well tonight. I think the Dodger pitching
will be fine. Whatever the definition of that is. At
this time, I think it's comes down to the hitting.
If they hit tonight, they win. Yeah. Period.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
And you remember way we used to say, you know,
the Dodgers go in years in a few years past,
the Dodgers go how Mookie goes. But the Dodgers go
how Otani goes. And if he doesn't lead off the game, okay,
you don't lead off the game with a hit or
home run or whatever.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
But he's got it. He's got to be the catalyst
for this team.
Speaker 2 (35:44):
He's got to be the guy that gets everybody going
because people feed off of him when he's going. When
he's going well, the rest of the team does. And
it shouldn't have to be that way, but that's just
the way it is, and the way the season has
gone is that they fed off of a time when
he's not kind of in the mix and he's a
non factor. It affects the rest of the team.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
Alli, Christ and La thanks for holding go ahead.
Speaker 7 (36:10):
Hey guys, you know I don't want to oversimplify this
because I know we're all trying to figure out an
answer to this problem. But I'm gonna give you the
old baseball adage of this is just baseball, and it is.
It's not like any other sport. It's a game of failure.
If you bat two fifty, you're only successful twenty five
percent of time. Rodnie, if you threw twenty five percent
completions in the NFL, you wouldn't have been an NFL quarterback.
(36:33):
And that applies to basketball too. These players are up
there trying to hit. Nothing has changed in their approach
when they were hitting the heck out of the ball
before the postseason. The difference is you're batting against better pitching,
supreme pitching. That's why Aaron Judge is one for twenty something.
So when you have a normal twenty five percent success
(36:54):
rate or thirty if you're batting three hundred, Now when
that's when you're hitting against fourth and fifty starters on
bad teams too, All that included. Now you're going against
the best pitchers of the teams that made the playoffs.
You're getting the best of the best. There's no way
in the world wild Tony would be killing the ball
up until the postseason. And he strikes out three times.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
In last night.
Speaker 7 (37:20):
Because he's hitting bad pitching.
Speaker 3 (37:22):
Pitching beats good hitting. Our pitchers are.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
Not at Aaron got up.
Speaker 7 (37:29):
Of course, of course it happens, Rounnie. Sometimes I'm talking
about just what I'm.
Speaker 2 (37:32):
Saying, is it happens. It's happening in these playoffs. We're
hitting hitting. Everybody stays pitching, pitching, pitching. But it's the hitting.
It was happening for Arizona last year. It's the hitting.
The Rangers. Corey Seeger got unbelievably hot for them last year.
So yeah, you can. You can say that and it
(37:53):
gets you through a game maybe, but at the end
of the day, in a series, you got to be
able to hit the ball.
Speaker 7 (38:00):
Roddy, I agree.
Speaker 3 (38:01):
I agree.
Speaker 7 (38:02):
But let me ask you this, just looking at it logically,
what's changed, And it's not just the Dodgers, this Paul Baseball.
What changes between the playoffs and the regular season. It's
hitting against the pitching. You have to hear, you have
to get timely, you have to get those bleeders that
the padre has got.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
Last night, you have a press Chris Chris, Chris, Chris, Chris.
We got you. We're gonna let you go. We'll keep
talking about we gotta let you go up against the break. Yeah,
you're absolutely right. It's hitting, it's getting the bleeders, it's
getting one to fall in. It's not having the padre
outfielders make great plays the other night and taking base
hits away from you. It's all of those things. But
(38:41):
it's also this and if you are a superstar, Aaron Judge,
this is your moment show Hey, o Tani, this is
your moment because you're right. During the regular season, they're
facing guys who are third or fourth on the other
teams rotation from god knows where Pittsburgh or Cincinnati or
(39:03):
Kansas City, where you can hit them. Yeah, these are
the best pictures. But when you are a superstar, this
is when you shine. This is why you are a superstar.
This is what counts Now, it doesn't matter the regular
season is over. You are compensated. You have great responsibility
(39:29):
to go along with that money. You're paid that because
you are a star. If it wasn't that way, why
wouldn't they pay everybody what they pay Otani? Or why
wouldn't they pay everybody what they pay Max Muncie. There's
a difference, and the difference is more is expected of you.
(39:50):
That's just the way it goes. You can sit and say, well,
it's a lot harder, yes, but you are supposed to
be someone who can deal with that. That's because it's harder, superstar,
because it's harder. You say, you know, it's harder on
the hitters because of good pitching, but it's also harder
on the pitchers because it's good hitting. Guys are in
(40:12):
a groove this point of the season.
Speaker 2 (40:14):
Your teams make the playoffs because guys are playing well,
because guys are in a groove. And that means whether
you're on the mound or whether you're at the plate,
Guys get into a groove and get hot at the plate.
So you can say good pitching, yeah, but sometimes good
hitting will beat good pitching.
Speaker 1 (40:33):
I cannot sign off on the excuse well, look at
Aaron Judge. Yeah, look at him. You can hit seven
hundred home runs during the regular season. You're in the playoffs. Now,
this is what matters. This is it. That's why you're
Aaron Judge. We don't need to pay you all of
that money to do this in the playoffs. We just
(40:55):
don't because we can find somebody for a lot less
can do it in the playoffs. That's why you're paid.
That's the frustration here with this Dodger team. That's why
David Vassy said people around baseball look at their look
at their salary, look at their pay roll. Will Smith
(41:15):
signed a ten year deal. You got to hit right now,
You've got to hit. That's the frustration, I think, Rodney.
But you say it's hitting. I mean, yeah, keep going
back to it, but yes, it is. It is hitting.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
And I just ran down the Padres lineup and and
seven of those guys are in a in a groove
I want to say in a zone. But they're all
in a groove right now, and they are hitting the ball.
I mean, if there's not any easy outs for that
Padres lineup right now.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
Look at it like this. As you watch the game, okay,
as I watch the game, when one of the Padres
comes up to bat right now in this series, here
comes one of them. In the back of your mind,
don't you think Jesus that guy get a hit? Yeah, okay, yeah,
When you watch the Dodgers come up to the plate
right now, in the back of your mind, do you
(42:14):
think God, I hope he gets it. I hope, I
hope he gets a hit. God, he's just got to
get on. He's just got to get on. So we're
talking about just as observers, whoever comes up for the Padres,
you think that guy's getting on base? Oh god, oh no,
don't let it be him. And with the Dodgers, you're
thinking about man, I hope he figures out a way
(42:35):
to get on. Yeah. Yeah, there there's the story. And
you know, if you're a fan, you're looking at it
the same way. Oh god, not Machado.
Speaker 2 (42:45):
Oh yeah, oh no, not Merril. Oh my good, arouses
up again? No, the lineup again?
Speaker 1 (42:53):
Right, Yeah, that's what you're thinking watching, Oh god, can
Bueler get him. On the other hand, when the Doctors,
because Tattoos is up next, right, that's what you're thinking
as a fan watching. On the other hand, here comes
Max Muncy. Damn. I just hope he hits it. Yeah,
there and there it is. Yeah, that's why they're where
(43:17):
they're at. I said before the series started, and I
think you agreed. Pitching wise, the Dodgers, they're all hurt,
they're in trouble. Ye, you're just gonna have to if
they score six, you're gonna have to score eight. If
they score five, you're gonna have to score seven. I
said that before the playoffs began. That's the only way
(43:40):
they're going to win. They're just going to have to
outscore them.
Speaker 2 (43:44):
Yep, yep, it's no doubt. There's no doubt. It's just
the where they are right now. You know, And I
think you're a spot on Fred.
Speaker 1 (43:53):
You know. I don't want to something in.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
The water or whatever, but they got to really examine
so many injuries to all these pitchers.
Speaker 1 (44:02):
Oh, it's absurd.
Speaker 2 (44:03):
Over the last five years, it's just been I mean
every single year. It's not just one guy, not just one.
Speaker 1 (44:10):
Guy, Rodney. They have a whole staff having Tommy John surgery.
It's like they haven't they have enough pictures having Tommy
John or had Tommy John that they could be an
entire pitching staff. They could be your starters. That's how
many guys have had it. Think about that. Yeah, they
(44:31):
have an entire rotation from their system that has undergone
Tommy John surgery. Yeah, that's scary. It's scary. We'll continue.
Dylan Hernandez will join us next, and then we will
(44:52):
open the phone lines back up
Roggin And Rodney News
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