Blake Treinen (8-28-24)

We are inside the Dodger Clubhouse with one of the Dodgers anchors of the bullpen and a man that obviously has had a remarkable season coming back from what I think we all take.

For granted, some serious injuries.

And Blake Trinan is our guest, a newly groomed Blake trining went from the hul Kogan stash to now just the I don't know, Cali kind of a goatee soul patch, right, I mean, you're being questioned about it.

It's I don't know if you can limit it to just I don't know what you just called it, but it's definitely a Midwest kate.

Is it a walla walla goatee?

No? No.

Start with Gilmesh back in the day, he had an awkward triangle goats, you know, so that was kind of cool.

And then I used to not be able to grow anything but the goatee, so that's what I went with.

I have to say, for a guy that is not from California and spends a lot of his time out there in Parts Unknown, you have some nice quaffed hair and you know how to groom yourself pretty well.

This was a product of my wife wanting me to have been adult haircut. I I enjoy more of like a like I grew up with, like just like a military cut.

My dad's in the Air Force, so we'd always just do tapers and a little bit up top.

And for the longest time I just did like a fade with a kind of like a mess I just called what my barber.

Called it a messy mop, just like spiking up top.

But one day my barber and Washington cut my hair and had me hard party and push it over, and I said, this is not me and my wife loved it, So I, uh, that's what we have now, that's what we roll with.

Yeah, happy wife, happy life, blake trying.

No one ever says happy man, happy clan, but it's always happy wife, happy life, which is true.

It should be that way.

What do you have to keep happy in the Dodger bullpen? Who's like your bullpen wife or bullpen husband.

There's no such thing as a bullpen wife, but there there are people you gotta keep happy. And I think Brazier is the guy you gotta keep happy.

Really high meenance, Brazier.

No, not high maenance. That's putting words in our mouth. You're about to get kicked out of the clubhouse.

I know he looked over here, he snapped that neck this way.

Hey, that's his words, not mine. Called you high maintenance.

He said you have to keep you healthy. He keep you healthy and happy.

Right, I didn't. That's not even part of the question. Okay, let's move on.

Blake trying is our guest as far as the bullpen, though, you guys are like your own sub team of the bigger parts of a major league team. What's what's it been like down there for all of you guys to really come together? And I feel like you guys have been really the steadying force of the team from day one.

Well, I think what our team has done a good job of is where when one we'll call them groups, right, like you have like the offense, you have the starting.

Pitchers and the leaders.

So when when the offense is clicking, it's usually at a good time when maybe the bullpen hasn't been sharp, or the starting pitching hasn't been what they wanted, or vice versus.

So the nice thing is is different parts of our.

Team have picked up the slack when other parts have gone through it, and it's one of those unique situations where it's lined up for the most part this year, and there's been a couple of stretches or maybe a stretch where kind of everything was struggling a little bit, you know.

But yeah, our offense is.

Been swinging the bat extremely well, We've been playing good defense, and pitching overall has been in a really good spot. So I don't know if you can say one one section of the of the team has been, you know, more reliable than the other. I think we've all just tried to do our parts to play good team baseball and win. So like that means if you have to, you know, press a little bit more one day to help you pick up a load from a different aspect of the of the team, then that's what we do.

It feels like you guys are getting healthy at the right time. Obviously you're missing Glass now in Yamamoto, but they're going to be back soon. The lineup is healthy, the bullpen is very healthy. Do you feel like it's starting to come together for you guys at the right time.

Yeah.

I mean it's funny, you know people might ask these questions. I don't really think of it that way. Baseball over the last few years has literally been like, Okay, well, who's going to have to deal with it this year because for whatever reason, you know, the league is just whether it's rule changes or whatever. You know, we've been playing a game a certain way for so long, and you add about five things a year. You body has

How do you feel at this point in time in the season.

I mean, like I said, I feel like we take for granted what you've been through with Daniel Hudson has been through the last couple of years, and you guys are standing tall right now.

I feel good.

I mean, it's probably the least amount of workload I've ever had in my career when you look at amount of innings throughout the season. But you know, having broken ribs at the beginning of the year didn't help, and then missing the last couple of years. So they're doing a good job managing my workload making sure that I can be of use as the LEA as the season wears on when we get to the playoffs. So I'm grateful for their approach to that, but I love competing.

Blake Trenon is our guest before first pitch between the Dodgers and Orioles. You have a new bullpen mate in Michael Kopek. What's it been like to get to know him and be part of the same group.

He's the worst against the other team.

Yeah, he met like that. He makes the other team. He makes the other team hate when he comes in. He's really impressive man and even better person.

So good good ad by the Dodgers. He got a one of one fastball, and it'll be fun to watch when he you know.

Is able to if I mean, he doesn't need to add anything else, but if he does, like it'll be good for the Dodgers.

Yeah.

So, do guys like yourself maybe talk grips with each other or talk grips with him.

We're totally different pitchers. You know.

He works on the the induced vertical movement and I'm more of a lateral than like subvertical.

Guy, so makes sense.

But he's you know, he's you know, approach to guys, competitive edges and stuff like watching high preps.

He's a great ad to the Dodger clubhouse.

All right, before I let you go, I've been meaning to ask you this because Joe Kelly was bragging that he's really good at this finger soccer thing that you guys play in the clubhouse. He says he's only been beaten but twice.

You're talking to the one. You're talking to one of them?

Really, how did that go over?

There's always excuses. Joe, Joe is the best. There's there's no disputing that. I mean, the record shows, but you know he picks and chooses and plays the waiting game, holds out. He's all about psychological warfare thing before he gets in.

There, would you say, would you describe it as finger foosball?

It's called bino bino Yeah, bino bino yeah, b I n h O. Look it up.

My name is Blake Trinon. I'm giving you guys free sales pitches. I will be having a you know, at my house with my kis. All right, that's a fun game. Yeah, the guys like it here. We've ironically ran into it in Oakland, so the club.

He's there. Chad had it out and it was it was awesome.

That's where I first saw you playing with River Ryan.

Yep, River Ryan's the other guy I've beaten Joe, so yeah, I gotta watch out.

It's right, Joe's got a hit list. Okay, I'm just joking. I'm just joking.

Thanks a lot for the time. I love sharing you with the fans.

Yeah, thanks, thanks Dave, appreciate it.

What else about Joe? Go ahead?

Nothing like Joe's the Bez. I've been here. I've been I feel like every year, exception of twenty two, I've had Joe here. So I've enjoyed. I've enjoyed every part of it.

It wouldn't be the same without you guys here.

He's one of my guys.

Og guys gonna throw it, be fifty five, throw one hundred. So we'll be playing for the next twenty years of his.

Life and you'll be throwing that nasty slider.

I'll be enjoying my family.

Thanks a lot for the time. Great to see that smile again.

Thanks Dave.