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Speaker 1: The quest for the three-peat has begun.
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Speaker 2: Only four teams in Major League Baseball history have won three consecutive titles. The Dodgers are the favorites to become the fifth.
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Speaker 1: This is World Champion Dodger Talk.
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Speaker 2: Here we go again. We're getting ready to run it back.
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Speaker 1: To get in on the show, call 866-987-2570. And be sure to follow Dodger Talk wherever you get your podcasts. Here's your host, David Vassey.
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Speaker 2: Welcome to Dodger Talk. David Basset with you until 5.30 on this beautiful Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles. Even brighter when the Dodgers sweep the Giants, and that is what has taken place. Over this three-game series, the Dodgers return home for the final regular season homestand and begin it by sweeping the San Francisco Giants as they lower their magic number to clinch that all-important number two seed to three. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. What kind of Sunday would it be? Dodgers win, Raiders win foo. I mean, we have a great day going here on this beautiful Sunday. And look, it was great to see Emmitt Sheehan do what he did today because he certainly has changed. his season around he knew he was coming back up he knew he was going to be used as the bulk innings pitcher he went five and a third scoreless today had nine strikeouts and one walk and look That's the role Emmett Sheehan is going to be used in in a postseason series, likely the NLCS and the World Series, because those are best to seven and an NLDS best to five. You don't need that many starters, but maybe they opt to go with Emmett Sheehan in the NLDS. But I distinctly remember him being a big part of that Philly series, also part of the World Series, maybe didn't go as smooth as he or the Dodgers envisioned, but he was able to be part of it, and it seems like he's better prepared for what to expect this time around. Remember, that was his first taste of pitching in the postseason and first taste of pitching out of the bullpen. There's something to be said about experience, and the 26-year-old Emmitt Sheehan now has that experience under his belt. So I think at this point, when we talk about the Dodgers, it's about A, staying healthy. It's about B, playing good baseball, no matter who you're playing against. And I know it was the Marlins and the Reds and today the Giants, but The Dodgers, outside of a Max Muncy throwing error, played really good baseball against the Giants, and that's how you win a one- or two-run game, and that's exactly what they did today. And I just feel like they're in a really good spot going into the postseason. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. Had a great time on Sportsnet LA with Steven Nelson and Jessica Mendoza. Happy to be back on Dodger Talk. We'll be with you during the Padres series. Tomorrow is a day off, the final day off of the regular season for the Dodgers. And then they welcome in the Padres, who all of a sudden now have made it a real race when it comes to the wildcard seeding. It seemed like a foregone conclusion just now. a week ago that it was going to be the Cubs and Phillies as the top two wildcard seeds. Now the Padres have caught fire. They've won five in a row. They've won 35 games since the middle of August. And they and the Cubs now are tied for the top spot in the National League wildcard picture while the Phillies have faded. So if the wildcard picture began now, it would be Cubs Padres fighting it out in a short wildcard series while the Phillies would have to face an in-division foe in the Atlanta Braves. For the longest time, I felt like it was going to be Braves Padres in Atlanta. All of a sudden now, that's very much in doubt. And the reason why that matters is because the Dodgers' magic number to clinch that number two seed is at three, and they would play the winner of a Braves Phillies now wildcard series. It looked like it was going to be the winner of a Braves... Padres series but all of a sudden now it may be Braves Phillies and I wouldn't say that it's a you know as much of a sure thing for the Braves to win that wild card series against the Phillies even with Jesus Lizardo on the IL and not sure what that shoulder injury is going to look like they still got Christopher Sanchez they still can beat you with one swing of the bat from Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper and Louisa rise. The Phillies are a very dangerous team in a short series, not to mention they got, you know, is Zach Wheeler and a Sanchez lined up for a game one or game two, but that's why the Dodgers getting that number two seat is so important because if the Padres are that team, if they beat the Braves, if it's the Phillies, that play the Braves and beat the Braves, they burn their top two starters. And I know the Phillies have more pitching depth than the Padres do, and arguably more than the Braves do, but you're in a huge disadvantage. A, having to play that best of three wildcard series, and then whoever plays the Braves, because the Braves are going to host that wildcard series. Whoever beats the Braves or if the Braves win that series, not only have you spent your two best starters, but now you have to fly cross country to the West Coast to play the Dodgers. And that's not something anybody wants to have to do, especially when you'll have arrested Yamamoto, arrested Snell, arrested Scooble to go in a best of five series. And by the way, Blake Snell is Threw again off of flat ground. He really got into his back leg, his power drive leg, his left leg where the left groin stiffness popped up in his last start in Cincinnati. And he is really confident that he's 100% ready to go. And it kind of feels like he'll pitch Saturday in San Francisco. Nothing's been determined except for the fact that Dave Roberts said earlier today two different times that Snell would pitch in the final series against in San Francisco. We just don't know what day officially. Speaking of the Dodgers pitching staff, Rokey Sasaki was such a big part of the bullpen last year. I know Dave Roberts has kind of waffled between Rokey coming back and being a starter or Rokey coming as a reliever. All of a sudden now, this is what Dave Roberts had to say about when Rokey Sasaki pitches against the Padres, what role it would be in.
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Speaker 3: No, it's not a bulk guy. I could see multiples, but it's not going to be bulk as in four or five innings.
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Speaker 4: It won't be that.
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Speaker 3: Yeah, I trust him. I trust Rokey in any situation. I would say probably not coming into an inning. I mean, probably start a clean inning, but yeah. It won't be in the ninth this the first time, but it potentially could fall out, but it won't be that way.
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Speaker 2: You mentioned having Rookie as insurance, but now that you have a little bit more stability around your starters and you have Sheehan for length, is this now part of the transition to him as how you like to use him in the postseason?
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Speaker 3: Yeah, because I think that, you know, he's done it. He's really good. He's a neutral pitcher, high octane stuff. and then so you really just need four starters, you know, so we're in a good spot there for now.
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Speaker 2: All right, there you go. Dave Roberts laying it out and making it more transparent than what he has in the last week. I mean, we all expected at some point Rokey to transition to that reliever role, but I guess that's also a signal that the Dodgers are very confident that Snell is healthy and Glasnow's healthy. I felt like they were kind of waiting to see if those two guys were going to be healthy the final week of the season before they decided to transition Roki Sasaki to the bullpen. And we all know how good he was in getting the final six and three outs of different playoff games last year. So you're going to see Roki Sasaki in a bullpen role. Against the Padres, Dave Roberts before the game indicated it would be Wednesday where Roque would come and pitch and be activated off the IL. And then you just heard him say right there, not the first time pitching in the ninth inning, maybe the second time.
00:09:39
Speaker 5: So.
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Speaker 2: Those things are definitely in motion as the Dodgers now are entering the final week of the regular season. Only six more games to go. So this is not a dress rehearsal for the postseason, but it's aligning their pitching staff, aligning their bullpen and getting guys used to what they're going to have. to be called upon in the postseason. Emmitt Sheehan today coming in after an opener. Roki Sasaki now will be pitching out of the bullpen. in the final handful of appearances that he has against the Padres and Giants. So things are starting to round into shape, and more importantly, the Dodgers are getting Andy Pahez back on Tuesday. As I told you first a couple of days ago, Pahez said Tuesday's going to be the day. Tuesday is going to be the day the Dodgers get their all-star center fielder back, and also Shohei Otani trending toward being activated today. when he's eligible coming up during this series against the Padres. That also could be Wednesday. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. Dodgers beat the Giants today 3-1. Let's go out to Colorado. Patrick, you're listening on the iHeartRadio app. Hi, Patrick. You're on Dodger Talk.
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Speaker 4: Hello, David.
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Speaker 6: It is an absolute joy. This is a great win for the Dodgers. I can't believe for one second that we're going to lose to the Padres. And even if we meet them in postseason, we have so many weapons like you just described. There's no way, there's no way we're going to lose this. We're going to get our 11 victories. We're going to be the back-to-back-to-back champions. No doubt in my mind.
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Speaker 2: All right, Patrick, thank you for that declaration. And look, I haven't wavered. I told you in the middle of the summer, the Dodgers are going to shock a lot of people because I know the National League is superior to the American League, but it reminds me of the imbalance in the NBA when Shaq and Kobe were going for their three-peat. If you get through the West, whoever you're going to face in the finals from the Eastern Conference, whether it be the Pacers or the Nets, or the Sixers. The Dodgers, the Lakers back then were going to steamroll whoever was in front of them after getting past the Spurs, the Trailblazers, and the Sacramento Queens. The Dodgers are in a similar position. If they get through the National League, whoever they face, and I believe it's going to be a rematch of the 20 World Series, the Tampa Bay Rays, I think you're going to see a Dodgers-Rays rematch World Series with actual full capacity fans in the stands this World Series. And the Rays don't sleep on the Rays. They're really good. They got a great pitching staff. They may not have as deep of a lineup as the Dodgers have. But in my opinion, they have the American League MVP and Junior Caminero. So I really do believe it's going to be a rematch of the 20 World Series Dodgers Rays this year. But I believe the Dodgers are going to shock lot of people. It's going to be a lot easier of a road for them. They are going to dominate their opponents on the way to a three-peat. Take that to the bank, baby. Eight, six, well, don't trust me about football, but trust me about baseball, because I picked the dang Tampa Bay Bucs in my survivor pool, and I'm out. All right. Anyway, I'm serious. I said that in June, July. I believe it now. You got Yamamoto, you got Snell, you got Scooble. Tell me who's beating these guys. And now you got Mookie Betts sitting on all cylinders. You got life out of Kyle Tucker. Teoscar Hernandez has made adjustments to his stance. He's confident. His eyes are good. And all of a sudden now, October Teo is in full swing as well. And it seems like the Dodgers, all of a sudden now, have their bullpen in order with Rokey Sasaki and the secret weapon, Chris Bubich, who again pitched a scoreless inning in relief despite an extra out being given by Max Muncy, a throwing error. Bubich unwavered. This guy, I'm telling you, is going to be a big part of the Dodgers' October bullpen. Let's go out to the OC. Steve, you're on Dodger Talk. How you doing, Steve?
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Speaker 7: Hey, I'm doing great. Great weekend, Dave. A question for you. Scooble's last appearance, was it just a bad outing for him? Is there anything to be concerned about? And number two, I've noticed a pattern with Scott. He gets the first two outs very quickly and then just seems to lose focus on the third batter.
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Speaker 8: I want to know if you had noticed that at all. And that's it. Great weekend. Awesome.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, I agree with you, Steve. It's a trend that I'm sure the Dodgers are noticing as well. He gets the first two outs and then it feels like either he's locked in and then all of a sudden he loses focus or he realizes where he's at one out away from getting the final out of the game. But I have seen that trend. As far as Scooble goes, he did go on bereavement. Dave Roberts didn't say what it exactly was, but when a player goes on bereavement, there's something positive personal going on and it's not, uh, to my knowledge, his wife giving birth. Um, so maybe he just had something on his mind that was hanging over him yesterday that affected his focus because usually his fastball command is not as erratic as it was yesterday.
00:15:27
Speaker 4: Oh, well, that makes sense. That makes sense.
00:15:30
Speaker 7: I didn't know that fact. So, uh, I would say disregard my question, and that's enough to upset anybody's rhythm, especially at the level that these guys play.
00:15:41
Speaker 2: Hey, Steve, who you got for your first three starters in the postseason? Which way would you stack it?
00:15:48
Speaker 7: I'd probably go Glassnow, Yamamoto, Scooble.
00:15:52
Speaker 2: Stop it. Stop it. You are not pitching Tyler Glassnow in game one. I almost fell out of the booth, Steve.
00:16:04
Speaker 7: I'd probably go Yamamoto and then Scooble.
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Speaker 2: All right. All right. That's fair. I disagree with that because if you have Scooble pitch one of the first two games against of a series in a seven-game series, you're setting him up to pitch twice at the end of the series. So I'm sticking with Yamamoto and Snell and Scooble in game three. I think you have your two horses from a year ago be the same two horses that get you a 2-0 lead early and then allow Scooble and Glasnow to close it out. Look, here's the reality of the business of baseball. Free agency is on the horizon. Scooble is not in the same position as Max Scherzer, who already had made his big money with the Nationals. Scooble has not made the big money yet in free agency. I know you don't want to acknowledge that, but it's the business of baseball. He's on the verge of free agency for the first time. He turned down extensions from the Tigers to be able to hit free agency. I just don't see him overextending himself enough for the Dodgers. Is he going to pitch a hundred percent? Is he going to empty the tank when he pitches 100%, but is he going to pitch when you need him out of the bullpen along with pitching twice in a series? Probably the only scenario would be in a world series clinching situation. That's the only time I could see him going that far, but that's the reality of things. And I don't, I, at, For Scooble, I feel like he's in a different bucket than Scherzer. Scherzer had made his money by 2021. There was no reason for him to tap out on game six in the NLCS. Scooble has not hit free agency yet. So those are the reasons why I would line it up with Yamamoto, Snell, and Scooble. And here's another fact that you may not want to acknowledge. The best lefty on the team is Blake Snell. Blake Snell is the elite lefty on this staff when he's healthy. Now, the biggest problem for Blake is he hasn't stayed healthy his first two years with the Dodgers. And it's shocking that Scooble has made more starts for the Dodgers than Blake Snell this season.
00:18:26
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:18:27
Speaker 2: But if Snell can deliver the way he delivered in October last year, that will all be forgotten. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. We're going to take a timeout here on Dodger Talk. When we come back, Jose Mota will check in after the Dodgers sweep the Giants with a 3-1 win on the back-to-back World Champion Dodgers Audio Network. Dodger fans, this is Tommy Edmund. You're listening to the home of the back-to-back world champion Dodgers on AM 570 LA Sports.
00:19:04
Speaker 9: Come down to the final day, but they're 78-78, 500.
00:19:11
Speaker 2: Edmund swings, hits a drive, deep right field, way back and gone!
00:19:18
Speaker 9: It is a tank for Tommy, and it's a tie game, 1-1, as Edmund hits his seventh home.
00:19:23
Speaker 2: Run of the year.
00:19:25
Speaker 9: Put it to the far reaches of the visiting bullpen out in the right field corner.
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Speaker 2: Tommy Edmonds starting to get that groove again. Last night drove in the go-ahead runs. Today ties the game up with a tank to right field. And the Dodgers come from behind and beat the Giants today three to one the final score and how about October Kike warming up drove in the go ahead run with a base hit as well so Things are looking good for your back-to-back world champion Dodgers as they head into the final six games of the regular season. Daniels Jewelers presents the home run forecast for your chance to win a $ 50 Daniels Jewelers gift card. Visit am570lasports. com. Use the keyword home run and to your name you could win. Daniels Jewelers own the dream.
00:20:18
Speaker 1: 866-987-2570.
00:20:21
Speaker 2: With Shohei Otani coming back likely on Wednesday when he could be activated at the earliest, everybody is starting to ask the question, should Mookie Betts be the leadoff hitter or should Shohei Otani go back to being the leadoff hitter? I know Mookie is the man as the leadoff hitter. I know he feels empowered and confident as the Dodgers leadoff hitter. I know he has the fourth most leadoff home runs in baseball history as a leadoff hitter. I know he still has the record in Los Angeles for the most leadoff home runs by a L.A. Dodger with 33.
00:21:00
Speaker 4: But.
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Speaker 2: Mookie Betts hitting behind Shohei Otani makes a lot of sense because not only to start the game, can you go left, right, left with Otani, Betts, and Freeman, and then either Max Muncy or Will Smith hitting cleanup, you also allow Otani to get the most at-bats leading off. And we all know Otani has more power than Mookie. I know Otani's not the 50-50 guy, but I am still leaning towards having Otani be the leadoff hitter when he returns. As good as Mookie Betts is, it's a great problem to have. You basically have two leadoff hitters at the top of your order, but With the way the bottom of the lineup is starting to get on base, all of a sudden now opposing pitchers are in a heap of trouble having to face Otani and Mookie Betts. If you have Mookie lead off, all of a sudden now you may have too many consecutive lefties following him. And that's the only reason why you want to have Mookie breaking up those string of left-handed hitters. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. The other argument is as well, Mookie, you know, for the majority of this season and even going back to last year, really hasn't crushed left-handed pitching, but Freddie Freeman could hit left-handed pitching. Will Smith can hit left-handed pitching. You need somebody behind Otani that can make an opposing manager pay for bringing in a high leverage left-handed reliever to not only face Otani and Freeman, specifically Otani, but to make them pay with a right-handed hitter that can do some damage. And look, the way Mookie's swinging the bat these days, he could do damage against virtually anybody. And I know the pitchers that he's facing are not the caliber of pitchers that he'll see in the postseason, but with Mookie Betts, it's about confidence. And right now, His confidence is at an all-time high for this season. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. Dodgers sweep the Giants. Man, that has a sweet ring to it. No matter how bad the Giants are, 90-plus losing team, it still feels great to say the Dodgers swept the Giants. Today, the final score, 3-1. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. We'll get back to the phone calls in a moment, but first, It's.
00:23:34
Speaker 1: Time to go around the horn with Jose Mota.
00:23:39
Speaker 2: All right, Jose Mota, you know how sweet it is to beat the Giants, even though they're this bad. I think Dodger fans love seeing them in more pain after a sweep.
00:23:50
Speaker 5: Dodger fans understand and know exactly what those colors mean, man. As Halloween approaches, they know a lot of fans don't want to see those decorations in their house. They don't want to see the Giants colors in their house. And To see the Giants walk out of here with three losses, obviously, is quite satisfying for the fans and obviously for the Dodgers against anybody just to continue playing good baseball. But, Dave, you know what? Welcome back, man. You're a hardworking man, looking good on TV, all polished and all cleaned up. And you're back on radio.
00:24:18
Speaker 2: Yeah, back up in the saddle. All it takes is a few steps to get back to the radio booth, Jose.
00:24:24
Speaker 5: You couldn't stay away from me.
00:24:26
Speaker 2: Oh, yeah, no doubt. And as far as the Dodgers go, Emmett Sheehan, man, what a different man. He's a new man after going to Oklahoma City and working with one of the best pitching coaches in the organization, Dave Anderson.
00:24:40
Speaker 5: One thing about Emmett Sheehan that you mentioned, Dave Anderson, I'm glad you mentioned that because, you know, as good as the guys are here in the big leagues, there's a lot of stress sometimes. They have to go out there and fix things between starts and throw in your bullpen and let's go out and look what the schedule looks like, who are you going to be matching up against. You go to AAA and it's not like you're taking a breather. You're going out there saying, you know, I've been in a championship team. I got rings. I know who I am. But I need to get better. And that's the attitude. that a lot of these young players have with the Dodgers saying, when I get sent down, it's about getting better at what I do because eventually they promise you and they bring you back if you go out there and just bust your tail and work hard. His numbers in AAA in a very tough pitcher's league were outstanding, and that doesn't talk about who he was facing. It talks about commanding the fastball and making his fastball run better upstairs by not utilizing as much upstairs. You know, you and I talked for four months about, Why does he get hit at 96, 97? Because everything's up above the belt, and guys really are no strangers to putting the bat and the ball in that area. Now he can tighten up the sliders. It was the same in the postgame. He can give it different looks. And also understanding how to change speeds on that pitch has been a clue for him. But the number one thing really, Dave, has been the attitude and the efficiency and the fact that he has command now of his fastball, his changeup, and two different kinds of breaking balls.
00:26:04
Speaker 2: Yeah, he talked about his curveball. He said he worked on that at Oklahoma City. And today you saw him not only use that curveball to right handed hitters from the front door. He also was able to, you know, use that curveball in different ways. It seems like for him to use that pitch in different counts, different hitters, it seems like it made his fastball that much better.
00:26:27
Speaker 5: Way better now because he can throw the breaking balls in three different looks. I'll say opposite pitches in three different looks early in counts. Now the fouls zips by you at 96, 97 with some movement and some life. With him, the way you portray a guy like this and you project him, he could be, you know, you're Justin Robleski from that side in October because he is tough. He can get a strikeout. He has a nice pace on the mound. Hopefully nothing in terms of environment or who he faces is going to phase him or change him, but he is just a great arm to have, a great attitude, and a kid that knows and understands the expectations way more. And by taking that step back and listening to another voice, it's also advantageous for a young player, but he knows and understands the expectations up here. And I think more than anything, Dave, is There's competition, and guys want to be a part of the bullpen or the rotation. Why not?
00:27:17
Speaker 2: Jose Mota is joining us after the Dodgers sweep the Giants 3-1, the final score today. Emmitt Sheehan pitching out of the bullpen for five and a third scoreless innings helps the Dodgers beat San Francisco today. Now, Dave Roberts said after the game today that Roki Sasaki will pitch against the Padres but not start a game, come out of the bullpen and not be a bulk pitcher. So we're starting to get a sense of what the Dodgers may be getting Rokey used to. Do you believe that we're going to see a more lethal version of Rokey Sasaki coming out of the bullpen this time?
00:27:56
Speaker 5: I really do, because last year he was limited to the one inning, maybe two, or, you know, multiple batters going into the second inning. But now he is stretched out as a starter. I'm not really... Much concern about him not having pitch here as of late. He knows and understands that, you know, getting ready out of the bullpen is not going to give you the leeway and all that leisure time to go out there and, you know, stretch out and play catch in left field or whatever it is in the outfield. But the urgency comes up right away. And just having him, you know, it's having the luxury of doing that for the Dodgers right now at this point of the season. But it's so helpful for a guy to say, okay, what's my routine going to be? What do I need to do? Who do I need to study? Which situation may I come in? Because Dave clearly said he wants him to come in in a clean inning, not to relieve anybody or to go out there and save somebody, but to understand that he needs to get ready fast, faster I should say, but also to know that he can go out there and give you some length, righties and lefties, the way his stuff is playing out. Hopefully there will be no issues again with that blister, and he's not going to be holding back. The bullpens I've seen and the lives I've seen has been pretty incredible, the pop of the fastball, the command, the repetition of the mechanics. But he is a great weapon to have. If you keep him stretched out enough, understand that anybody falters and, you know, snow's throwing pops up again, he is more than ready and understanding more and more that there's a bigger role for him.
00:29:17
Speaker 2: Hey, maybe that blister is part of the reason why the Dodgers decided to have him come out of the bullpen. Maybe they're trying to manage that blister, not irritate it, not let it reopen by having him pitch maybe two innings, three at the most out of the bullpen.
00:29:32
Speaker 5: It could be part of the theory, too, because, you know, when you ask a guy that, you know, has that type of issue in the past, guys that I've talked to, it's like, if you tell me about starting a game i might be a little tender to say you know what i don't want to go out there and do something that is going to hurt the team but when you're leaving in october it's a different monster it's like it might bother me a little bit more but if i'm executing pitches it's not hampering me in terms of execution or hanging pitches or being able to use my whole arsenal, then let's go at it. It's a different mentality. It's a different monster. It's a different season once you give the ball to guys in October. It seems like every little pain or discomfort appears very quickly, and that's what you want from guys right now.
00:30:09
Speaker 2: Jose, I'll tell you this right now. Obviously, we haven't seen Rokey this year, but if there was one guy you had to tell me had to get the final three to six outs of a playoff game, I'm choosing Rokey right now.
00:30:22
Speaker 5: You're going to choose Rocky. You know who I'm going to put on that list, too? Evan Phillips. Remember that name?
00:30:27
Speaker 2: Yeah. Evan Phillips.
00:30:29
Speaker 5: What I saw yesterday in talking to Conor McGinnis today was something I hadn't seen in a couple years. I mean the determination of the fastball, being able to use arm side, glove side, and then the breaking ball was the best I've seen from him in two seasons because it is absolutely darting and disappearing. So put Rocky up there with Evan Phillips. Let's not forget about that name.
00:30:50
Speaker 2: All right. Thanks, Jose. Evan Phillips, obviously a big part of the 24 championship run, one of the bullpen dogs and just obviously is used as the super reliever in many different innings, different situations. So, yeah, those two guys, I would say, are at the top of my trust tree, Jose.
00:31:08
Speaker 5: So get your Japanese ready for those postgame interviews because you're never going to be a Spanish or Japanese or the Paula or English or Italian. You never know, Dave.
00:31:16
Speaker 2: All right, Jose. Thanks a lot, and we'll see you on Tuesday at the ballpark with the Dodgers and Padres.
00:31:22
Speaker 5: Great job on TV. Great job on the radio también, David. Adios.
00:31:26
Speaker 2: Okay. Feliz domingo. Jose Mota, part of the Dodgers Spanish radio broadcast. Yeah. If Evan Phillips can get back to being consistently Evan Phillips, all of a sudden now he's a guy that certainly can come in the sixth inning, seventh inning, and get you out of a high leverage situation. And that's what the Dodgers have loved using him for, not locking him in into just the ninth inning, but having the freedom to use Phillips in a big situation in the sixth inning, the seventh inning, the eighth inning, and of course, the ninth inning. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. Dodgers beat the Giants today 3-1. Chris Bubich, the win in relief. The first win for Bubich this season since May when he was starting for the Kansas City Royals and I know we don't keep up on Royals baseball out here in LA, but this guy was an all-star last year as a starter. He's had some arm issues. The Dodgers made an under-the-radar trade for him. He's a free agent at the end of the year and has certainly embraced pitching out of the bullpen to help the Dodgers in any way he can. There wasn't enough time for him to build up after he was traded to the Dodgers, still going through the rehab process. And here he is now. Three outings, has not given up a run, and has struck out two of the three batters that he has faced in each of his three outings. So he's definitely a secret weapon that maybe is not a household name right now. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. Let's go out to Long Beach. Carsey, you're on Dodger Talk live from the stadium. Hi, Carsey.
00:33:12
Speaker 10: Hi, Dave. So happy to be on.
00:33:14
Speaker 2: Oh, I'm happy to hear that.
00:33:19
Speaker 10: So our magic number is down to three, and it means we're that much closer to clinching a bye. Problem is, it seems every time we get a bye, we thought when the ALCS went to extra games last year and we were kind of sitting the rest versus rust um, conversation, do you think the Dodgers would benefit, uh, from the buy this year, uh, versus, uh, the team last year?
00:33:58
Speaker 4: Um, yes.
00:33:58
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:33:59
Speaker 10: Uh, yes to that question.
00:34:00
Speaker 1: 100%.
00:34:00
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:34:00
Speaker 10: The Dodgers 100%.
00:34:01
Speaker 4: Yes.
00:34:01
Speaker 2: Agree with me. Every year is different. Every team is different. Last year, the Dodgers needed the challenge to continue to play. And basically, they were glorified scrimmage games against the Reds. I mean, let's be honest. They were barely 500, and they were a playoff team last year. The National League is much tougher this year. And this team is a year older, has played more games than any other team in baseball the last two years, including going to a Game 7 of the World Series. I want the Dodgers to have home field advantage. I don't want them opening up every playoff series basically on the road. I don't want them traveling to the East Coast to start a series against the Braves. I don't want them traveling to the East Coast to open up a series against the Phillies. So yes, yes, yes. I want them to have the bye. I want them to be the number two seed. And those five days off, Carsey, are going to benefit Roki Sasaki. They're going to benefit Snell. They're going to benefit Otani. And they're going to benefit Andy Pahez.
00:35:20
Speaker 1: Okay.
00:35:21
Speaker 10: That sounds perfect. You know us, Dave, us Dodger fans are always worriers.
00:35:28
Speaker 9: Yeah.
00:35:28
Speaker 2: Spread the word at Phil Traney's in Long Beach. All right, Carsey?
00:35:32
Speaker 1: Yes.
00:35:33
Speaker 2: All right, thanks for the phone call. Yeah, without a doubt, last year I was all in. I felt like the Dodgers needed to keep playing, and it was a good thing for them to have that mini two-game playoff series against the Reds and then go on. I had no doubts they could be the team without home field advantage and still beat the Phillies, not have home field advantage against the Brewers and still beat the Brewers. The one thing that I wasn't sure about was the Dodgers going to Toronto and having to make that long trip twice and not have home field advantage against the Blue Jays. You saw that in the middle three games of the World Series. The Dodgers were gassed. They lost two out of the three home World Series games they played last year. That 18 inning game took the life out of them for what? Game five. And that's why the Blue Jays were able to beat them. Thankfully, there was a day off between game five and game six for them to kind of get their legs underneath them and move forward. But this year, I am all in for the bye. The Dodgers need those five days. They need home field advantage, at least for the NLDS. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. Let's go out to Surprise, Arizona. Yogi, you're on Dodger Talk. How are you doing, Yogi?
00:36:57
Speaker 4: I'm doing well, David. How are you doing?
00:37:00
Speaker 2: Fantastic. It's been a dream with this team. It's the best Dodger teams that we have seen in a long time the last few years.
00:37:10
Speaker 4: No, I agree, but the problem I got, and I don't know, I might be in the league by myself, but I don't see Otani as a leadoff man. He just strikes out way too many times. He needs contact hitters in those first three positions. I look at him as a four or five hitter. I might be way off the chart, but.
00:37:31
Speaker 2: Five would be a little bit too low for me, Yogi, because then he's barely getting four plate appearances a game, barely. And you're not getting him in a spot where he could come up more often with runners in scoring position. And look, in the traditional sense, yeah, maybe Otani would have been the four cleanup hitter 20 years ago, but that's not the line of thinking these days. And, you know, he's only leading off one time to start the game. There's a lot of other opportunities for him to come up with men on base as the leadoff hitter.
00:38:07
Speaker 4: No, I get all that. But, you know, you put him against a good left-handed pitcher, say, late in the innings or whatever the situation might be, a good left-handed hitter in there with a good sweeper. I mean, he's a mess on that.
00:38:20
Speaker 2: Well, hitting's hard, Yogi. And I know before he went on the IL, he was in the worst slump of his career. But he wasn't 100% healthy. He should have been on the IL probably two weeks before he went on the IL.
00:38:35
Speaker 1: So.
00:38:36
Speaker 2: I'm not going to judge him off of that.
00:38:39
Speaker 4: No, I totally understand that. You're absolutely right. They were playing him when he probably shouldn't have been, and I'm guessing that's based on him. He makes that call. That's what I look at. I think Otani kind of does what he dictates to management.
00:38:58
Speaker 2: I wouldn't use that word, dictate, but he has a strong say. He's the greatest player on the planet, and great players want to play. But at some point, like the Dodgers did, you have to protect these great players from themselves.
00:39:11
Speaker 4: Exactly. And that's the whole thing. He should have been playing when he was playing when he shouldn't have been.
00:39:19
Speaker 2: So, okay, you say Otani should hit fourth. Who's your first three hitters in the order?
00:39:24
Speaker 4: Well, I go bats for sure. I bet Edmund second. He put the ball down. You know, I mean, you know, Munch, he's been hitting the ball. How about Will Smith? I mean, Will Smith is he's the key to that team coming back. He's a big part of it.
00:39:40
Speaker 2: Yeah, they have a lot of good hitters right now. And Will Smith is starting to look like Will Smith again. So You want Mookie Betts sitting leadoff, then you want another right-handed hitter and Will Smith hitting second, and then who's sitting third?
00:39:54
Speaker 4: I get what you're saying about right, left, right, left.
00:39:58
Speaker 2: Exactly. I'm giving you the thought process of the team and an unemotional assessment of the way things should lay out. because it's not just about Otani and Mookie Betts. It's a lineup. It has to be a whole connected group of hitters from one through nine. What makes sense to make it a tougher decision on the opposing manager what to do, especially now, Yogi, because teams use their bullpen more than ever, and especially in a postseason game. You want to make that decision tougher for the manager because And 20 years ago, a relief pitcher didn't have to come into the game and face three hitters minimum. See, all these things are, the game has changed. You can't think about it the same way for those reasons.
00:40:54
Speaker 4: Well, all I can say is this.
00:40:56
Speaker 2: The rules of the game have changed.
00:40:59
Speaker 3: Right.
00:40:59
Speaker 4: No, understood. But I just would like to see him make more contact. You know, instead of, you know, everything's just driving the ball out.
00:41:06
Speaker 8: That's who he is.
00:41:07
Speaker 2: I just like to see him make more contact.
00:41:09
Speaker 4: He utilizes speed.
00:41:11
Speaker 2: Well, he's got a bad left knee. I don't know if he's going to utilize the speed as much, Yogi. I don't think the Dodgers want him running the way they had him running two years ago, even without pitching put to the side for the rest of the year. Got to run, Yogi. Thank you for the phone call. That's my point. See, it's not just you might say like, oh, this new way of thinking is ridiculous. Actually, it's not. Actually, it's not. The playoffs starters going a complete game is very rare these days. The Dodgers have two of them and Snell and Yamamoto and Scooble that could. And we saw Yamamoto do it. We could have seen Snell do it in Milwaukee as well. But for the majority of these teams, they don't have those type of starters. They have good starters. And when they emptied the tank, they're only going six innings, which means the opposing team has to think about who they're going to bring in as relief pitcher and relief pitchers go what one inning each. So you have to make it a tougher decision for that manager to make when you're coming in the middle of a playoff game and have to decide which one of your relievers is is going to be able to face three consecutive Dodgers, whether it be Otani, Betts, Freeman, or Muncie, Smith, Tucker, or Muncie, Smith, Teoscar, Hernandez. That's what goes into constructing a lineup these days. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. Dodgers beat the Giants today 3-1. Let's go out to L.A. Nick, you're on Dodger Talk. How you doing, Nick?
00:42:51
Speaker 8: What's up, Dave? How are you, sir?
00:42:53
Speaker 2: Awesome.
00:42:55
Speaker 5: Hey, man.
00:42:55
Speaker 8: First of all, I want to say, David, you're just simply the best in the business. I mean, truly. I followed you since the days of Joe and Doug, and you bring such knowledge and insight, but you also have such a humility. You can see with the players, the way the players love you, the way they were They were getting you with the champagne, man. You can see it. Nothing worse to me than someone in your business who's got a big ego. You're just the best. That's number one, brother.
00:43:30
Speaker 2: Well, I had two of the best teachers right there. Joe McDonald was definitely my mentor when I first started. Doug Krikorian as well. I learned from the two best. What I've learned, Nick, and what it's always been about and my goal in doing this It's telling the stories of the players. It's not about me. It's about the players. So I just hold the mic for these guys to show you that they're not a video game avatar on MLB The Show. They're not a fantasy baseball number. They're actual human beings that have emotions, that are going through things like you and me, and that's what I always try to bring through. It's about them. That's who you care about, and we're just the facilitators to all that.
00:44:17
Speaker 8: That's amazing. That's the right philosophy. It says a lot about your character, man. There was never, ever, and people, I'm dating myself here, but that's all right. There's never been a greater show than the McDonald's show. How many drinks for you today?
00:44:32
Speaker 3: None.
00:44:39
Speaker 2: Hey, Nick, since you've been around a long time, you gotta, you gotta acknowledge the fact that yes, the Garvey Lopes, Russell say Dodgers were amazing.
00:44:48
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:44:49
Speaker 2: Oral Hershiser and the 88 Dodgers were magical and Keros and Piazza were two really good players, but this last 15 years have got to be the greatest years in Dodger baseball history.
00:45:03
Speaker 8: Oh, there's no question. And, um, I'll say this. I wasn't planning on saying, speaking about this, but you know, I, I was real lucky, man. My, my, my father was in the go, go Dodgers fan club. I'm not sure they're even, they're even around anymore. The go, go Dodger fan club. And we used to, we used to go, we used to travel with the team. Well, not with the team. We used to go stay in hotels. They're saying San Diego. We stayed in a hotel as a kid and, I was blessed to grow up with Lopes and Say and Yeager and Dusty and all those guys, Steve Sachs and Steve Yeager. That was a special time with Fernando. But what we've got now is just my dad died in 2000. I've always been a bigger Lakers fan than Dodgers fans, but I've died hard both. My dad was the biggest Dodger fan ever. I think of him often because he would just be astounded. I'm astounded by what the Dodgers have going right now. It's really unbelievable, and I think we're going to pull it off again. I wanted to ask you real quick, David, how's Dougie doing? I haven't heard anything from him in a long time. How's he doing, Doug Corian?
00:46:21
Speaker 2: I have great news for you, Nick. Doug Krikorian is still alive. He is still alive in Long Beach, and he's doing great and is still the same Dougie Krikorian. So that is the yearly annual update of Doug Krikorian. He is still alive, upright.
00:46:38
Speaker 10: Okay.
00:46:39
Speaker 4: All right.
00:46:40
Speaker 8: He's never been a better rider in L.A., and he's hilarious as anybody can be. He's still that same guy. That's awesome. I don't have too much time. I do want to say this. This is Is Colin Yee on the boards today?
00:46:53
Speaker 2: He is, Nick. Geez, you are really a P1 listener. You are definitely dedicated to sports talk radio.
00:46:59
Speaker 8: We'll check this out, brother. No, check this out. I want to shout out to Colin. Here's why.
00:47:05
Speaker 2: What about Dwayne? What about Dwayne McDonald?
00:47:08
Speaker 5: Don't leave out poor Dwayne.
00:47:11
Speaker 8: No, never, but I don't know. I'm not sure. I don't know much about Dwayne, but I want to say this. Colin, your dad, your dad, Mr. Billy Yee.
00:47:19
Speaker 4: Mr.
00:47:19
Speaker 1: Yee?
00:47:19
Speaker 4: He put out.
00:47:21
Speaker 5: Mr.
00:47:21
Speaker 8: Yee, I'll tell you why. He put out a link on Facebook to Colin's show, boxing show, which was fantastic. I listened to the whole thing. And I want to say this, Colin, you know, I wish you the best of luck in life. Because your father, Mr. Billy Yee, was my seventh grade history teacher at Marguerite Elementary School in Alhambra. And he was the best.
00:47:44
Speaker 4: Mr.
00:47:45
Speaker 8: Yee, if you're listening out there, the best teacher I ever had in my life growing up as a kid. He was the kind of teacher that made you feel special, that made you feel worthwhile, that always had your back, and just like you, David, was humble. He still is humble. So shout out to you, Colin, and to your dad. And that's it, David. You take care, brother.
00:48:04
Speaker 2: Thank you, Nick. Man, what a special caller you are, man. Hold on. Colin wants to say thank you. Dwayne's parents were not teachers, but I'm sure they impacted lives somewhere. Poor Dwayne. Poor Dwayne. I feel like I have to get Doug Krikorian on the off day show now tomorrow. Off day Dodger talk tomorrow to prove to Nick in L.A. that Doug is still alive. Yeah, true story. Over 80 now, still alive, still going to Europe and still calling me incessantly and upset when I don't return his calls because I'm still working. I'm not living the top 1% life of Doug Krikorian now, living the good life out there in Long Beach. All right. Tomorrow, off day Dodger talk. Maybe Doug Krikorian will come on the show tomorrow. You never know. Maybe I'll make people happy tomorrow on the off day show. Tuesday, the Dodgers and Padres will hook up for the beginning of their final regular season series. All of a sudden now, there's a real possibility the Dodgers and Padres may see each other in the playoffs. The Dodgers don't have a defined starter yet. I'm not sure what the Padres are doing, but We'll let you know before first pitch on 7 10 tuesday night so thank you to colin yee for all his help and uh thank you to dwayne mcdonald who was severely ignored by nick in la but i i appreciate you dwayne Anyway, and thanks to Tim Cates for covering the Clubhouse show. Thanks to you for listening. Off-day Dodger talk tomorrow night at 7 o'clock. In case you missed any of the show or any of our pregame conversations, you can find it on the iHeartRadio app. Once again, the final score today from Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers defeat the Giants 3-1 and sweep the Giants out of L.A. Have a great rest of your Sunday. We'll talk to you tomorrow at 7 o'clock. Who do you want to kick out of L.A.? See ya.
Speaker 1: The quest for the three-peat has begun.
00:00:03
Speaker 2: Only four teams in Major League Baseball history have won three consecutive titles. The Dodgers are the favorites to become the fifth.
00:00:12
Speaker 1: This is World Champion Dodger Talk.
00:00:15
Speaker 2: Here we go again. We're getting ready to run it back.
00:00:16
Speaker 1: To get in on the show, call 866-987-2570. And be sure to follow Dodger Talk wherever you get your podcasts. Here's your host, David Vassey.
00:00:30
Speaker 2: Welcome to Dodger Talk. David Basset with you until 5.30 on this beautiful Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles. Even brighter when the Dodgers sweep the Giants, and that is what has taken place. Over this three-game series, the Dodgers return home for the final regular season homestand and begin it by sweeping the San Francisco Giants as they lower their magic number to clinch that all-important number two seed to three. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. What kind of Sunday would it be? Dodgers win, Raiders win foo. I mean, we have a great day going here on this beautiful Sunday. And look, it was great to see Emmitt Sheehan do what he did today because he certainly has changed. his season around he knew he was coming back up he knew he was going to be used as the bulk innings pitcher he went five and a third scoreless today had nine strikeouts and one walk and look That's the role Emmett Sheehan is going to be used in in a postseason series, likely the NLCS and the World Series, because those are best to seven and an NLDS best to five. You don't need that many starters, but maybe they opt to go with Emmett Sheehan in the NLDS. But I distinctly remember him being a big part of that Philly series, also part of the World Series, maybe didn't go as smooth as he or the Dodgers envisioned, but he was able to be part of it, and it seems like he's better prepared for what to expect this time around. Remember, that was his first taste of pitching in the postseason and first taste of pitching out of the bullpen. There's something to be said about experience, and the 26-year-old Emmitt Sheehan now has that experience under his belt. So I think at this point, when we talk about the Dodgers, it's about A, staying healthy. It's about B, playing good baseball, no matter who you're playing against. And I know it was the Marlins and the Reds and today the Giants, but The Dodgers, outside of a Max Muncy throwing error, played really good baseball against the Giants, and that's how you win a one- or two-run game, and that's exactly what they did today. And I just feel like they're in a really good spot going into the postseason. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. Had a great time on Sportsnet LA with Steven Nelson and Jessica Mendoza. Happy to be back on Dodger Talk. We'll be with you during the Padres series. Tomorrow is a day off, the final day off of the regular season for the Dodgers. And then they welcome in the Padres, who all of a sudden now have made it a real race when it comes to the wildcard seeding. It seemed like a foregone conclusion just now. a week ago that it was going to be the Cubs and Phillies as the top two wildcard seeds. Now the Padres have caught fire. They've won five in a row. They've won 35 games since the middle of August. And they and the Cubs now are tied for the top spot in the National League wildcard picture while the Phillies have faded. So if the wildcard picture began now, it would be Cubs Padres fighting it out in a short wildcard series while the Phillies would have to face an in-division foe in the Atlanta Braves. For the longest time, I felt like it was going to be Braves Padres in Atlanta. All of a sudden now, that's very much in doubt. And the reason why that matters is because the Dodgers' magic number to clinch that number two seed is at three, and they would play the winner of a Braves Phillies now wildcard series. It looked like it was going to be the winner of a Braves... Padres series but all of a sudden now it may be Braves Phillies and I wouldn't say that it's a you know as much of a sure thing for the Braves to win that wild card series against the Phillies even with Jesus Lizardo on the IL and not sure what that shoulder injury is going to look like they still got Christopher Sanchez they still can beat you with one swing of the bat from Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper and Louisa rise. The Phillies are a very dangerous team in a short series, not to mention they got, you know, is Zach Wheeler and a Sanchez lined up for a game one or game two, but that's why the Dodgers getting that number two seat is so important because if the Padres are that team, if they beat the Braves, if it's the Phillies, that play the Braves and beat the Braves, they burn their top two starters. And I know the Phillies have more pitching depth than the Padres do, and arguably more than the Braves do, but you're in a huge disadvantage. A, having to play that best of three wildcard series, and then whoever plays the Braves, because the Braves are going to host that wildcard series. Whoever beats the Braves or if the Braves win that series, not only have you spent your two best starters, but now you have to fly cross country to the West Coast to play the Dodgers. And that's not something anybody wants to have to do, especially when you'll have arrested Yamamoto, arrested Snell, arrested Scooble to go in a best of five series. And by the way, Blake Snell is Threw again off of flat ground. He really got into his back leg, his power drive leg, his left leg where the left groin stiffness popped up in his last start in Cincinnati. And he is really confident that he's 100% ready to go. And it kind of feels like he'll pitch Saturday in San Francisco. Nothing's been determined except for the fact that Dave Roberts said earlier today two different times that Snell would pitch in the final series against in San Francisco. We just don't know what day officially. Speaking of the Dodgers pitching staff, Rokey Sasaki was such a big part of the bullpen last year. I know Dave Roberts has kind of waffled between Rokey coming back and being a starter or Rokey coming as a reliever. All of a sudden now, this is what Dave Roberts had to say about when Rokey Sasaki pitches against the Padres, what role it would be in.
00:07:41
Speaker 3: No, it's not a bulk guy. I could see multiples, but it's not going to be bulk as in four or five innings.
00:07:48
Speaker 4: It won't be that.
00:07:51
Speaker 3: Yeah, I trust him. I trust Rokey in any situation. I would say probably not coming into an inning. I mean, probably start a clean inning, but yeah. It won't be in the ninth this the first time, but it potentially could fall out, but it won't be that way.
00:08:14
Speaker 2: You mentioned having Rookie as insurance, but now that you have a little bit more stability around your starters and you have Sheehan for length, is this now part of the transition to him as how you like to use him in the postseason?
00:08:24
Speaker 3: Yeah, because I think that, you know, he's done it. He's really good. He's a neutral pitcher, high octane stuff. and then so you really just need four starters, you know, so we're in a good spot there for now.
00:08:38
Speaker 2: All right, there you go. Dave Roberts laying it out and making it more transparent than what he has in the last week. I mean, we all expected at some point Rokey to transition to that reliever role, but I guess that's also a signal that the Dodgers are very confident that Snell is healthy and Glasnow's healthy. I felt like they were kind of waiting to see if those two guys were going to be healthy the final week of the season before they decided to transition Roki Sasaki to the bullpen. And we all know how good he was in getting the final six and three outs of different playoff games last year. So you're going to see Roki Sasaki in a bullpen role. Against the Padres, Dave Roberts before the game indicated it would be Wednesday where Roque would come and pitch and be activated off the IL. And then you just heard him say right there, not the first time pitching in the ninth inning, maybe the second time.
00:09:39
Speaker 5: So.
00:09:40
Speaker 2: Those things are definitely in motion as the Dodgers now are entering the final week of the regular season. Only six more games to go. So this is not a dress rehearsal for the postseason, but it's aligning their pitching staff, aligning their bullpen and getting guys used to what they're going to have. to be called upon in the postseason. Emmitt Sheehan today coming in after an opener. Roki Sasaki now will be pitching out of the bullpen. in the final handful of appearances that he has against the Padres and Giants. So things are starting to round into shape, and more importantly, the Dodgers are getting Andy Pahez back on Tuesday. As I told you first a couple of days ago, Pahez said Tuesday's going to be the day. Tuesday is going to be the day the Dodgers get their all-star center fielder back, and also Shohei Otani trending toward being activated today. when he's eligible coming up during this series against the Padres. That also could be Wednesday. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. Dodgers beat the Giants today 3-1. Let's go out to Colorado. Patrick, you're listening on the iHeartRadio app. Hi, Patrick. You're on Dodger Talk.
00:10:59
Speaker 4: Hello, David.
00:11:01
Speaker 6: It is an absolute joy. This is a great win for the Dodgers. I can't believe for one second that we're going to lose to the Padres. And even if we meet them in postseason, we have so many weapons like you just described. There's no way, there's no way we're going to lose this. We're going to get our 11 victories. We're going to be the back-to-back-to-back champions. No doubt in my mind.
00:11:34
Speaker 2: All right, Patrick, thank you for that declaration. And look, I haven't wavered. I told you in the middle of the summer, the Dodgers are going to shock a lot of people because I know the National League is superior to the American League, but it reminds me of the imbalance in the NBA when Shaq and Kobe were going for their three-peat. If you get through the West, whoever you're going to face in the finals from the Eastern Conference, whether it be the Pacers or the Nets, or the Sixers. The Dodgers, the Lakers back then were going to steamroll whoever was in front of them after getting past the Spurs, the Trailblazers, and the Sacramento Queens. The Dodgers are in a similar position. If they get through the National League, whoever they face, and I believe it's going to be a rematch of the 20 World Series, the Tampa Bay Rays, I think you're going to see a Dodgers-Rays rematch World Series with actual full capacity fans in the stands this World Series. And the Rays don't sleep on the Rays. They're really good. They got a great pitching staff. They may not have as deep of a lineup as the Dodgers have. But in my opinion, they have the American League MVP and Junior Caminero. So I really do believe it's going to be a rematch of the 20 World Series Dodgers Rays this year. But I believe the Dodgers are going to shock lot of people. It's going to be a lot easier of a road for them. They are going to dominate their opponents on the way to a three-peat. Take that to the bank, baby. Eight, six, well, don't trust me about football, but trust me about baseball, because I picked the dang Tampa Bay Bucs in my survivor pool, and I'm out. All right. Anyway, I'm serious. I said that in June, July. I believe it now. You got Yamamoto, you got Snell, you got Scooble. Tell me who's beating these guys. And now you got Mookie Betts sitting on all cylinders. You got life out of Kyle Tucker. Teoscar Hernandez has made adjustments to his stance. He's confident. His eyes are good. And all of a sudden now, October Teo is in full swing as well. And it seems like the Dodgers, all of a sudden now, have their bullpen in order with Rokey Sasaki and the secret weapon, Chris Bubich, who again pitched a scoreless inning in relief despite an extra out being given by Max Muncy, a throwing error. Bubich unwavered. This guy, I'm telling you, is going to be a big part of the Dodgers' October bullpen. Let's go out to the OC. Steve, you're on Dodger Talk. How you doing, Steve?
00:14:14
Speaker 7: Hey, I'm doing great. Great weekend, Dave. A question for you. Scooble's last appearance, was it just a bad outing for him? Is there anything to be concerned about? And number two, I've noticed a pattern with Scott. He gets the first two outs very quickly and then just seems to lose focus on the third batter.
00:14:33
Speaker 8: I want to know if you had noticed that at all. And that's it. Great weekend. Awesome.
00:14:39
Speaker 2: Yeah, I agree with you, Steve. It's a trend that I'm sure the Dodgers are noticing as well. He gets the first two outs and then it feels like either he's locked in and then all of a sudden he loses focus or he realizes where he's at one out away from getting the final out of the game. But I have seen that trend. As far as Scooble goes, he did go on bereavement. Dave Roberts didn't say what it exactly was, but when a player goes on bereavement, there's something positive personal going on and it's not, uh, to my knowledge, his wife giving birth. Um, so maybe he just had something on his mind that was hanging over him yesterday that affected his focus because usually his fastball command is not as erratic as it was yesterday.
00:15:27
Speaker 4: Oh, well, that makes sense. That makes sense.
00:15:30
Speaker 7: I didn't know that fact. So, uh, I would say disregard my question, and that's enough to upset anybody's rhythm, especially at the level that these guys play.
00:15:41
Speaker 2: Hey, Steve, who you got for your first three starters in the postseason? Which way would you stack it?
00:15:48
Speaker 7: I'd probably go Glassnow, Yamamoto, Scooble.
00:15:52
Speaker 2: Stop it. Stop it. You are not pitching Tyler Glassnow in game one. I almost fell out of the booth, Steve.
00:16:04
Speaker 7: I'd probably go Yamamoto and then Scooble.
00:16:08
Speaker 2: All right. All right. That's fair. I disagree with that because if you have Scooble pitch one of the first two games against of a series in a seven-game series, you're setting him up to pitch twice at the end of the series. So I'm sticking with Yamamoto and Snell and Scooble in game three. I think you have your two horses from a year ago be the same two horses that get you a 2-0 lead early and then allow Scooble and Glasnow to close it out. Look, here's the reality of the business of baseball. Free agency is on the horizon. Scooble is not in the same position as Max Scherzer, who already had made his big money with the Nationals. Scooble has not made the big money yet in free agency. I know you don't want to acknowledge that, but it's the business of baseball. He's on the verge of free agency for the first time. He turned down extensions from the Tigers to be able to hit free agency. I just don't see him overextending himself enough for the Dodgers. Is he going to pitch a hundred percent? Is he going to empty the tank when he pitches 100%, but is he going to pitch when you need him out of the bullpen along with pitching twice in a series? Probably the only scenario would be in a world series clinching situation. That's the only time I could see him going that far, but that's the reality of things. And I don't, I, at, For Scooble, I feel like he's in a different bucket than Scherzer. Scherzer had made his money by 2021. There was no reason for him to tap out on game six in the NLCS. Scooble has not hit free agency yet. So those are the reasons why I would line it up with Yamamoto, Snell, and Scooble. And here's another fact that you may not want to acknowledge. The best lefty on the team is Blake Snell. Blake Snell is the elite lefty on this staff when he's healthy. Now, the biggest problem for Blake is he hasn't stayed healthy his first two years with the Dodgers. And it's shocking that Scooble has made more starts for the Dodgers than Blake Snell this season.
00:18:26
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:18:27
Speaker 2: But if Snell can deliver the way he delivered in October last year, that will all be forgotten. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. We're going to take a timeout here on Dodger Talk. When we come back, Jose Mota will check in after the Dodgers sweep the Giants with a 3-1 win on the back-to-back World Champion Dodgers Audio Network. Dodger fans, this is Tommy Edmund. You're listening to the home of the back-to-back world champion Dodgers on AM 570 LA Sports.
00:19:04
Speaker 9: Come down to the final day, but they're 78-78, 500.
00:19:11
Speaker 2: Edmund swings, hits a drive, deep right field, way back and gone!
00:19:18
Speaker 9: It is a tank for Tommy, and it's a tie game, 1-1, as Edmund hits his seventh home.
00:19:23
Speaker 2: Run of the year.
00:19:25
Speaker 9: Put it to the far reaches of the visiting bullpen out in the right field corner.
00:19:32
Speaker 2: Tommy Edmonds starting to get that groove again. Last night drove in the go-ahead runs. Today ties the game up with a tank to right field. And the Dodgers come from behind and beat the Giants today three to one the final score and how about October Kike warming up drove in the go ahead run with a base hit as well so Things are looking good for your back-to-back world champion Dodgers as they head into the final six games of the regular season. Daniels Jewelers presents the home run forecast for your chance to win a $ 50 Daniels Jewelers gift card. Visit am570lasports. com. Use the keyword home run and to your name you could win. Daniels Jewelers own the dream.
00:20:18
Speaker 1: 866-987-2570.
00:20:21
Speaker 2: With Shohei Otani coming back likely on Wednesday when he could be activated at the earliest, everybody is starting to ask the question, should Mookie Betts be the leadoff hitter or should Shohei Otani go back to being the leadoff hitter? I know Mookie is the man as the leadoff hitter. I know he feels empowered and confident as the Dodgers leadoff hitter. I know he has the fourth most leadoff home runs in baseball history as a leadoff hitter. I know he still has the record in Los Angeles for the most leadoff home runs by a L.A. Dodger with 33.
00:21:00
Speaker 4: But.
00:21:03
Speaker 2: Mookie Betts hitting behind Shohei Otani makes a lot of sense because not only to start the game, can you go left, right, left with Otani, Betts, and Freeman, and then either Max Muncy or Will Smith hitting cleanup, you also allow Otani to get the most at-bats leading off. And we all know Otani has more power than Mookie. I know Otani's not the 50-50 guy, but I am still leaning towards having Otani be the leadoff hitter when he returns. As good as Mookie Betts is, it's a great problem to have. You basically have two leadoff hitters at the top of your order, but With the way the bottom of the lineup is starting to get on base, all of a sudden now opposing pitchers are in a heap of trouble having to face Otani and Mookie Betts. If you have Mookie lead off, all of a sudden now you may have too many consecutive lefties following him. And that's the only reason why you want to have Mookie breaking up those string of left-handed hitters. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. The other argument is as well, Mookie, you know, for the majority of this season and even going back to last year, really hasn't crushed left-handed pitching, but Freddie Freeman could hit left-handed pitching. Will Smith can hit left-handed pitching. You need somebody behind Otani that can make an opposing manager pay for bringing in a high leverage left-handed reliever to not only face Otani and Freeman, specifically Otani, but to make them pay with a right-handed hitter that can do some damage. And look, the way Mookie's swinging the bat these days, he could do damage against virtually anybody. And I know the pitchers that he's facing are not the caliber of pitchers that he'll see in the postseason, but with Mookie Betts, it's about confidence. And right now, His confidence is at an all-time high for this season. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. Dodgers sweep the Giants. Man, that has a sweet ring to it. No matter how bad the Giants are, 90-plus losing team, it still feels great to say the Dodgers swept the Giants. Today, the final score, 3-1. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. We'll get back to the phone calls in a moment, but first, It's.
00:23:34
Speaker 1: Time to go around the horn with Jose Mota.
00:23:39
Speaker 2: All right, Jose Mota, you know how sweet it is to beat the Giants, even though they're this bad. I think Dodger fans love seeing them in more pain after a sweep.
00:23:50
Speaker 5: Dodger fans understand and know exactly what those colors mean, man. As Halloween approaches, they know a lot of fans don't want to see those decorations in their house. They don't want to see the Giants colors in their house. And To see the Giants walk out of here with three losses, obviously, is quite satisfying for the fans and obviously for the Dodgers against anybody just to continue playing good baseball. But, Dave, you know what? Welcome back, man. You're a hardworking man, looking good on TV, all polished and all cleaned up. And you're back on radio.
00:24:18
Speaker 2: Yeah, back up in the saddle. All it takes is a few steps to get back to the radio booth, Jose.
00:24:24
Speaker 5: You couldn't stay away from me.
00:24:26
Speaker 2: Oh, yeah, no doubt. And as far as the Dodgers go, Emmett Sheehan, man, what a different man. He's a new man after going to Oklahoma City and working with one of the best pitching coaches in the organization, Dave Anderson.
00:24:40
Speaker 5: One thing about Emmett Sheehan that you mentioned, Dave Anderson, I'm glad you mentioned that because, you know, as good as the guys are here in the big leagues, there's a lot of stress sometimes. They have to go out there and fix things between starts and throw in your bullpen and let's go out and look what the schedule looks like, who are you going to be matching up against. You go to AAA and it's not like you're taking a breather. You're going out there saying, you know, I've been in a championship team. I got rings. I know who I am. But I need to get better. And that's the attitude. that a lot of these young players have with the Dodgers saying, when I get sent down, it's about getting better at what I do because eventually they promise you and they bring you back if you go out there and just bust your tail and work hard. His numbers in AAA in a very tough pitcher's league were outstanding, and that doesn't talk about who he was facing. It talks about commanding the fastball and making his fastball run better upstairs by not utilizing as much upstairs. You know, you and I talked for four months about, Why does he get hit at 96, 97? Because everything's up above the belt, and guys really are no strangers to putting the bat and the ball in that area. Now he can tighten up the sliders. It was the same in the postgame. He can give it different looks. And also understanding how to change speeds on that pitch has been a clue for him. But the number one thing really, Dave, has been the attitude and the efficiency and the fact that he has command now of his fastball, his changeup, and two different kinds of breaking balls.
00:26:04
Speaker 2: Yeah, he talked about his curveball. He said he worked on that at Oklahoma City. And today you saw him not only use that curveball to right handed hitters from the front door. He also was able to, you know, use that curveball in different ways. It seems like for him to use that pitch in different counts, different hitters, it seems like it made his fastball that much better.
00:26:27
Speaker 5: Way better now because he can throw the breaking balls in three different looks. I'll say opposite pitches in three different looks early in counts. Now the fouls zips by you at 96, 97 with some movement and some life. With him, the way you portray a guy like this and you project him, he could be, you know, you're Justin Robleski from that side in October because he is tough. He can get a strikeout. He has a nice pace on the mound. Hopefully nothing in terms of environment or who he faces is going to phase him or change him, but he is just a great arm to have, a great attitude, and a kid that knows and understands the expectations way more. And by taking that step back and listening to another voice, it's also advantageous for a young player, but he knows and understands the expectations up here. And I think more than anything, Dave, is There's competition, and guys want to be a part of the bullpen or the rotation. Why not?
00:27:17
Speaker 2: Jose Mota is joining us after the Dodgers sweep the Giants 3-1, the final score today. Emmitt Sheehan pitching out of the bullpen for five and a third scoreless innings helps the Dodgers beat San Francisco today. Now, Dave Roberts said after the game today that Roki Sasaki will pitch against the Padres but not start a game, come out of the bullpen and not be a bulk pitcher. So we're starting to get a sense of what the Dodgers may be getting Rokey used to. Do you believe that we're going to see a more lethal version of Rokey Sasaki coming out of the bullpen this time?
00:27:56
Speaker 5: I really do, because last year he was limited to the one inning, maybe two, or, you know, multiple batters going into the second inning. But now he is stretched out as a starter. I'm not really... Much concern about him not having pitch here as of late. He knows and understands that, you know, getting ready out of the bullpen is not going to give you the leeway and all that leisure time to go out there and, you know, stretch out and play catch in left field or whatever it is in the outfield. But the urgency comes up right away. And just having him, you know, it's having the luxury of doing that for the Dodgers right now at this point of the season. But it's so helpful for a guy to say, okay, what's my routine going to be? What do I need to do? Who do I need to study? Which situation may I come in? Because Dave clearly said he wants him to come in in a clean inning, not to relieve anybody or to go out there and save somebody, but to understand that he needs to get ready fast, faster I should say, but also to know that he can go out there and give you some length, righties and lefties, the way his stuff is playing out. Hopefully there will be no issues again with that blister, and he's not going to be holding back. The bullpens I've seen and the lives I've seen has been pretty incredible, the pop of the fastball, the command, the repetition of the mechanics. But he is a great weapon to have. If you keep him stretched out enough, understand that anybody falters and, you know, snow's throwing pops up again, he is more than ready and understanding more and more that there's a bigger role for him.
00:29:17
Speaker 2: Hey, maybe that blister is part of the reason why the Dodgers decided to have him come out of the bullpen. Maybe they're trying to manage that blister, not irritate it, not let it reopen by having him pitch maybe two innings, three at the most out of the bullpen.
00:29:32
Speaker 5: It could be part of the theory, too, because, you know, when you ask a guy that, you know, has that type of issue in the past, guys that I've talked to, it's like, if you tell me about starting a game i might be a little tender to say you know what i don't want to go out there and do something that is going to hurt the team but when you're leaving in october it's a different monster it's like it might bother me a little bit more but if i'm executing pitches it's not hampering me in terms of execution or hanging pitches or being able to use my whole arsenal, then let's go at it. It's a different mentality. It's a different monster. It's a different season once you give the ball to guys in October. It seems like every little pain or discomfort appears very quickly, and that's what you want from guys right now.
00:30:09
Speaker 2: Jose, I'll tell you this right now. Obviously, we haven't seen Rokey this year, but if there was one guy you had to tell me had to get the final three to six outs of a playoff game, I'm choosing Rokey right now.
00:30:22
Speaker 5: You're going to choose Rocky. You know who I'm going to put on that list, too? Evan Phillips. Remember that name?
00:30:27
Speaker 2: Yeah. Evan Phillips.
00:30:29
Speaker 5: What I saw yesterday in talking to Conor McGinnis today was something I hadn't seen in a couple years. I mean the determination of the fastball, being able to use arm side, glove side, and then the breaking ball was the best I've seen from him in two seasons because it is absolutely darting and disappearing. So put Rocky up there with Evan Phillips. Let's not forget about that name.
00:30:50
Speaker 2: All right. Thanks, Jose. Evan Phillips, obviously a big part of the 24 championship run, one of the bullpen dogs and just obviously is used as the super reliever in many different innings, different situations. So, yeah, those two guys, I would say, are at the top of my trust tree, Jose.
00:31:08
Speaker 5: So get your Japanese ready for those postgame interviews because you're never going to be a Spanish or Japanese or the Paula or English or Italian. You never know, Dave.
00:31:16
Speaker 2: All right, Jose. Thanks a lot, and we'll see you on Tuesday at the ballpark with the Dodgers and Padres.
00:31:22
Speaker 5: Great job on TV. Great job on the radio también, David. Adios.
00:31:26
Speaker 2: Okay. Feliz domingo. Jose Mota, part of the Dodgers Spanish radio broadcast. Yeah. If Evan Phillips can get back to being consistently Evan Phillips, all of a sudden now he's a guy that certainly can come in the sixth inning, seventh inning, and get you out of a high leverage situation. And that's what the Dodgers have loved using him for, not locking him in into just the ninth inning, but having the freedom to use Phillips in a big situation in the sixth inning, the seventh inning, the eighth inning, and of course, the ninth inning. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. Dodgers beat the Giants today 3-1. Chris Bubich, the win in relief. The first win for Bubich this season since May when he was starting for the Kansas City Royals and I know we don't keep up on Royals baseball out here in LA, but this guy was an all-star last year as a starter. He's had some arm issues. The Dodgers made an under-the-radar trade for him. He's a free agent at the end of the year and has certainly embraced pitching out of the bullpen to help the Dodgers in any way he can. There wasn't enough time for him to build up after he was traded to the Dodgers, still going through the rehab process. And here he is now. Three outings, has not given up a run, and has struck out two of the three batters that he has faced in each of his three outings. So he's definitely a secret weapon that maybe is not a household name right now. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. Let's go out to Long Beach. Carsey, you're on Dodger Talk live from the stadium. Hi, Carsey.
00:33:12
Speaker 10: Hi, Dave. So happy to be on.
00:33:14
Speaker 2: Oh, I'm happy to hear that.
00:33:19
Speaker 10: So our magic number is down to three, and it means we're that much closer to clinching a bye. Problem is, it seems every time we get a bye, we thought when the ALCS went to extra games last year and we were kind of sitting the rest versus rust um, conversation, do you think the Dodgers would benefit, uh, from the buy this year, uh, versus, uh, the team last year?
00:33:58
Speaker 4: Um, yes.
00:33:58
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:33:59
Speaker 10: Uh, yes to that question.
00:34:00
Speaker 1: 100%.
00:34:00
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:34:00
Speaker 10: The Dodgers 100%.
00:34:01
Speaker 4: Yes.
00:34:01
Speaker 2: Agree with me. Every year is different. Every team is different. Last year, the Dodgers needed the challenge to continue to play. And basically, they were glorified scrimmage games against the Reds. I mean, let's be honest. They were barely 500, and they were a playoff team last year. The National League is much tougher this year. And this team is a year older, has played more games than any other team in baseball the last two years, including going to a Game 7 of the World Series. I want the Dodgers to have home field advantage. I don't want them opening up every playoff series basically on the road. I don't want them traveling to the East Coast to start a series against the Braves. I don't want them traveling to the East Coast to open up a series against the Phillies. So yes, yes, yes. I want them to have the bye. I want them to be the number two seed. And those five days off, Carsey, are going to benefit Roki Sasaki. They're going to benefit Snell. They're going to benefit Otani. And they're going to benefit Andy Pahez.
00:35:20
Speaker 1: Okay.
00:35:21
Speaker 10: That sounds perfect. You know us, Dave, us Dodger fans are always worriers.
00:35:28
Speaker 9: Yeah.
00:35:28
Speaker 2: Spread the word at Phil Traney's in Long Beach. All right, Carsey?
00:35:32
Speaker 1: Yes.
00:35:33
Speaker 2: All right, thanks for the phone call. Yeah, without a doubt, last year I was all in. I felt like the Dodgers needed to keep playing, and it was a good thing for them to have that mini two-game playoff series against the Reds and then go on. I had no doubts they could be the team without home field advantage and still beat the Phillies, not have home field advantage against the Brewers and still beat the Brewers. The one thing that I wasn't sure about was the Dodgers going to Toronto and having to make that long trip twice and not have home field advantage against the Blue Jays. You saw that in the middle three games of the World Series. The Dodgers were gassed. They lost two out of the three home World Series games they played last year. That 18 inning game took the life out of them for what? Game five. And that's why the Blue Jays were able to beat them. Thankfully, there was a day off between game five and game six for them to kind of get their legs underneath them and move forward. But this year, I am all in for the bye. The Dodgers need those five days. They need home field advantage, at least for the NLDS. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. Let's go out to Surprise, Arizona. Yogi, you're on Dodger Talk. How are you doing, Yogi?
00:36:57
Speaker 4: I'm doing well, David. How are you doing?
00:37:00
Speaker 2: Fantastic. It's been a dream with this team. It's the best Dodger teams that we have seen in a long time the last few years.
00:37:10
Speaker 4: No, I agree, but the problem I got, and I don't know, I might be in the league by myself, but I don't see Otani as a leadoff man. He just strikes out way too many times. He needs contact hitters in those first three positions. I look at him as a four or five hitter. I might be way off the chart, but.
00:37:31
Speaker 2: Five would be a little bit too low for me, Yogi, because then he's barely getting four plate appearances a game, barely. And you're not getting him in a spot where he could come up more often with runners in scoring position. And look, in the traditional sense, yeah, maybe Otani would have been the four cleanup hitter 20 years ago, but that's not the line of thinking these days. And, you know, he's only leading off one time to start the game. There's a lot of other opportunities for him to come up with men on base as the leadoff hitter.
00:38:07
Speaker 4: No, I get all that. But, you know, you put him against a good left-handed pitcher, say, late in the innings or whatever the situation might be, a good left-handed hitter in there with a good sweeper. I mean, he's a mess on that.
00:38:20
Speaker 2: Well, hitting's hard, Yogi. And I know before he went on the IL, he was in the worst slump of his career. But he wasn't 100% healthy. He should have been on the IL probably two weeks before he went on the IL.
00:38:35
Speaker 1: So.
00:38:36
Speaker 2: I'm not going to judge him off of that.
00:38:39
Speaker 4: No, I totally understand that. You're absolutely right. They were playing him when he probably shouldn't have been, and I'm guessing that's based on him. He makes that call. That's what I look at. I think Otani kind of does what he dictates to management.
00:38:58
Speaker 2: I wouldn't use that word, dictate, but he has a strong say. He's the greatest player on the planet, and great players want to play. But at some point, like the Dodgers did, you have to protect these great players from themselves.
00:39:11
Speaker 4: Exactly. And that's the whole thing. He should have been playing when he was playing when he shouldn't have been.
00:39:19
Speaker 2: So, okay, you say Otani should hit fourth. Who's your first three hitters in the order?
00:39:24
Speaker 4: Well, I go bats for sure. I bet Edmund second. He put the ball down. You know, I mean, you know, Munch, he's been hitting the ball. How about Will Smith? I mean, Will Smith is he's the key to that team coming back. He's a big part of it.
00:39:40
Speaker 2: Yeah, they have a lot of good hitters right now. And Will Smith is starting to look like Will Smith again. So You want Mookie Betts sitting leadoff, then you want another right-handed hitter and Will Smith hitting second, and then who's sitting third?
00:39:54
Speaker 4: I get what you're saying about right, left, right, left.
00:39:58
Speaker 2: Exactly. I'm giving you the thought process of the team and an unemotional assessment of the way things should lay out. because it's not just about Otani and Mookie Betts. It's a lineup. It has to be a whole connected group of hitters from one through nine. What makes sense to make it a tougher decision on the opposing manager what to do, especially now, Yogi, because teams use their bullpen more than ever, and especially in a postseason game. You want to make that decision tougher for the manager because And 20 years ago, a relief pitcher didn't have to come into the game and face three hitters minimum. See, all these things are, the game has changed. You can't think about it the same way for those reasons.
00:40:54
Speaker 4: Well, all I can say is this.
00:40:56
Speaker 2: The rules of the game have changed.
00:40:59
Speaker 3: Right.
00:40:59
Speaker 4: No, understood. But I just would like to see him make more contact. You know, instead of, you know, everything's just driving the ball out.
00:41:06
Speaker 8: That's who he is.
00:41:07
Speaker 2: I just like to see him make more contact.
00:41:09
Speaker 4: He utilizes speed.
00:41:11
Speaker 2: Well, he's got a bad left knee. I don't know if he's going to utilize the speed as much, Yogi. I don't think the Dodgers want him running the way they had him running two years ago, even without pitching put to the side for the rest of the year. Got to run, Yogi. Thank you for the phone call. That's my point. See, it's not just you might say like, oh, this new way of thinking is ridiculous. Actually, it's not. Actually, it's not. The playoffs starters going a complete game is very rare these days. The Dodgers have two of them and Snell and Yamamoto and Scooble that could. And we saw Yamamoto do it. We could have seen Snell do it in Milwaukee as well. But for the majority of these teams, they don't have those type of starters. They have good starters. And when they emptied the tank, they're only going six innings, which means the opposing team has to think about who they're going to bring in as relief pitcher and relief pitchers go what one inning each. So you have to make it a tougher decision for that manager to make when you're coming in the middle of a playoff game and have to decide which one of your relievers is is going to be able to face three consecutive Dodgers, whether it be Otani, Betts, Freeman, or Muncie, Smith, Tucker, or Muncie, Smith, Teoscar, Hernandez. That's what goes into constructing a lineup these days. 866-987-2570 is the phone number. Dodgers beat the Giants today 3-1. Let's go out to L.A. Nick, you're on Dodger Talk. How you doing, Nick?
00:42:51
Speaker 8: What's up, Dave? How are you, sir?
00:42:53
Speaker 2: Awesome.
00:42:55
Speaker 5: Hey, man.
00:42:55
Speaker 8: First of all, I want to say, David, you're just simply the best in the business. I mean, truly. I followed you since the days of Joe and Doug, and you bring such knowledge and insight, but you also have such a humility. You can see with the players, the way the players love you, the way they were They were getting you with the champagne, man. You can see it. Nothing worse to me than someone in your business who's got a big ego. You're just the best. That's number one, brother.
00:43:30
Speaker 2: Well, I had two of the best teachers right there. Joe McDonald was definitely my mentor when I first started. Doug Krikorian as well. I learned from the two best. What I've learned, Nick, and what it's always been about and my goal in doing this It's telling the stories of the players. It's not about me. It's about the players. So I just hold the mic for these guys to show you that they're not a video game avatar on MLB The Show. They're not a fantasy baseball number. They're actual human beings that have emotions, that are going through things like you and me, and that's what I always try to bring through. It's about them. That's who you care about, and we're just the facilitators to all that.
00:44:17
Speaker 8: That's amazing. That's the right philosophy. It says a lot about your character, man. There was never, ever, and people, I'm dating myself here, but that's all right. There's never been a greater show than the McDonald's show. How many drinks for you today?
00:44:32
Speaker 3: None.
00:44:39
Speaker 2: Hey, Nick, since you've been around a long time, you gotta, you gotta acknowledge the fact that yes, the Garvey Lopes, Russell say Dodgers were amazing.
00:44:48
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:44:49
Speaker 2: Oral Hershiser and the 88 Dodgers were magical and Keros and Piazza were two really good players, but this last 15 years have got to be the greatest years in Dodger baseball history.
00:45:03
Speaker 8: Oh, there's no question. And, um, I'll say this. I wasn't planning on saying, speaking about this, but you know, I, I was real lucky, man. My, my, my father was in the go, go Dodgers fan club. I'm not sure they're even, they're even around anymore. The go, go Dodger fan club. And we used to, we used to go, we used to travel with the team. Well, not with the team. We used to go stay in hotels. They're saying San Diego. We stayed in a hotel as a kid and, I was blessed to grow up with Lopes and Say and Yeager and Dusty and all those guys, Steve Sachs and Steve Yeager. That was a special time with Fernando. But what we've got now is just my dad died in 2000. I've always been a bigger Lakers fan than Dodgers fans, but I've died hard both. My dad was the biggest Dodger fan ever. I think of him often because he would just be astounded. I'm astounded by what the Dodgers have going right now. It's really unbelievable, and I think we're going to pull it off again. I wanted to ask you real quick, David, how's Dougie doing? I haven't heard anything from him in a long time. How's he doing, Doug Corian?
00:46:21
Speaker 2: I have great news for you, Nick. Doug Krikorian is still alive. He is still alive in Long Beach, and he's doing great and is still the same Dougie Krikorian. So that is the yearly annual update of Doug Krikorian. He is still alive, upright.
00:46:38
Speaker 10: Okay.
00:46:39
Speaker 4: All right.
00:46:40
Speaker 8: He's never been a better rider in L.A., and he's hilarious as anybody can be. He's still that same guy. That's awesome. I don't have too much time. I do want to say this. This is Is Colin Yee on the boards today?
00:46:53
Speaker 2: He is, Nick. Geez, you are really a P1 listener. You are definitely dedicated to sports talk radio.
00:46:59
Speaker 8: We'll check this out, brother. No, check this out. I want to shout out to Colin. Here's why.
00:47:05
Speaker 2: What about Dwayne? What about Dwayne McDonald?
00:47:08
Speaker 5: Don't leave out poor Dwayne.
00:47:11
Speaker 8: No, never, but I don't know. I'm not sure. I don't know much about Dwayne, but I want to say this. Colin, your dad, your dad, Mr. Billy Yee.
00:47:19
Speaker 4: Mr.
00:47:19
Speaker 1: Yee?
00:47:19
Speaker 4: He put out.
00:47:21
Speaker 5: Mr.
00:47:21
Speaker 8: Yee, I'll tell you why. He put out a link on Facebook to Colin's show, boxing show, which was fantastic. I listened to the whole thing. And I want to say this, Colin, you know, I wish you the best of luck in life. Because your father, Mr. Billy Yee, was my seventh grade history teacher at Marguerite Elementary School in Alhambra. And he was the best.
00:47:44
Speaker 4: Mr.
00:47:45
Speaker 8: Yee, if you're listening out there, the best teacher I ever had in my life growing up as a kid. He was the kind of teacher that made you feel special, that made you feel worthwhile, that always had your back, and just like you, David, was humble. He still is humble. So shout out to you, Colin, and to your dad. And that's it, David. You take care, brother.
00:48:04
Speaker 2: Thank you, Nick. Man, what a special caller you are, man. Hold on. Colin wants to say thank you. Dwayne's parents were not teachers, but I'm sure they impacted lives somewhere. Poor Dwayne. Poor Dwayne. I feel like I have to get Doug Krikorian on the off day show now tomorrow. Off day Dodger talk tomorrow to prove to Nick in L.A. that Doug is still alive. Yeah, true story. Over 80 now, still alive, still going to Europe and still calling me incessantly and upset when I don't return his calls because I'm still working. I'm not living the top 1% life of Doug Krikorian now, living the good life out there in Long Beach. All right. Tomorrow, off day Dodger talk. Maybe Doug Krikorian will come on the show tomorrow. You never know. Maybe I'll make people happy tomorrow on the off day show. Tuesday, the Dodgers and Padres will hook up for the beginning of their final regular season series. All of a sudden now, there's a real possibility the Dodgers and Padres may see each other in the playoffs. The Dodgers don't have a defined starter yet. I'm not sure what the Padres are doing, but We'll let you know before first pitch on 7 10 tuesday night so thank you to colin yee for all his help and uh thank you to dwayne mcdonald who was severely ignored by nick in la but i i appreciate you dwayne Anyway, and thanks to Tim Cates for covering the Clubhouse show. Thanks to you for listening. Off-day Dodger talk tomorrow night at 7 o'clock. In case you missed any of the show or any of our pregame conversations, you can find it on the iHeartRadio app. Once again, the final score today from Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers defeat the Giants 3-1 and sweep the Giants out of L.A. Have a great rest of your Sunday. We'll talk to you tomorrow at 7 o'clock. Who do you want to kick out of L.A.? See ya.
