Dodger Talk (2-27-25)

Welcome the Dodger Talk.

David Vasse with you until eight o'clock tonight and we are at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.

Yeah.

I stayed here after the Dodgers and Rockies played. So Dodgers lost today two to nothing. They were shut out, but they got a good performance from their starter, Landon Nack, who is vying for a spot in the rotation or in the bullpen Jerry Carroll's pitch. We'll get to all that in a second, but want to let you know what we had on the show. A good show for you tonight, our only show of the week because of

I still feel it. I wish I could tell you it felt like my left line, but it doesn't. But I feel really good in a good spot to be able to go out there and compete and perform at what I feel capable of. I do think I'm going to be getting a lot of treatments and taping for at least probably till I think we have it in our head, probably till the All Star break. I would assume it's just hard because you're on your feet all

Do you have any concern about the footwork around the bag? Is that?

So Tomorrow I am going obviously I'm not playing, but it's gonna be a full baseball date and then I'm gonna do like PLOS, so there'll be a lot of jumping tomorrow. I think that's the last one. It's more of the high throw in coming and landing back down.

But I like to play.

You know, I knew I was good enough and felt good in my ankle to play today, So show his dhing tomorrow, then I can DH Saturday. I was trying to kick him out Sunday, but they're gonna let him DH Sunday, so I'm gonna I'm shooting for Sunday to play to see how I can respond on Monday with the day off.

Freddy wants to be out there every day, so for him to start to concede that he may not play day games after night games, that's significant. And for him to say that the Dodgers and Freddie are going to have to continue to have aggressive treatment all the way up to the All Star break, I feel like that's going to be something to keep an eye on as well. Who plays first base if Freddie cannot. They got Miguel Rojas. They got keythy A Hernandez to be able to play

And how can you ignore that, you know.

Maybe a day game after night game in the first couple of weeks. I do get it, but I will still fight for myself to be in that line up as long as I'm feeling good.

I get two. It's a game can fringing out line up. That's how I view it. When you go to the grocery store, do people start chanting that?

Yeah, it's not that the people come up, no, So yeah, it's kind of everywhere we go David.

I'm not sure how many times Freddy Freeman ever went to the grocery store, even before hitting that walk off Grand Slam in Game one, So I thought that was really cool and I wanted to share it with you. And it's great seeing all the fans at all these stadiums that are showing up for the Dodgers. I enjoy

Play in this game today.

Even Jared told me this morning before we left for Scottsdale that he knew the schedule and it wasn't going to line up for him to face his brother Kyle, because Kyle Carros is also in big league camp, but he was not in the starting lineup today, And Jared told me that Kyle was very aware of the fact that he wasn't going to come into the game until later, and Jared was going to start the game, and Jared was going to come in in the early.

Part of the game.

So it just never was going to materialize that head to head matchup of the brothers Caros. In today's game, Eric Carros, the all time LA Dodger home run king, was in attendance, not sitting, because he has made it quite known that he's very nervous whenever his son pitches or Kyle's playing, So he was standing on the concourse and Sportsnet LA caught him out there just basically having the nerves do somersaults in his stomach.

But Jared Carroll's pitch well today.

Kyle Carros struck out when he faced Anthony Bunda in the eighth innings, so that was cool to see. Great to see Eric Carross be able to enjoy both his

I think for me, it's been all positive. I think the players seem to like it, you know.

I don't see really any downside.

I think the time to kind of turn it around and make a decision, I think is quick enough. And ultimately you're trying to get calls right, so it puts the you know, gives players an opportunity to challenge if there's a big situation or account.

I think it's great.

Have you had an opportunity or has there been any exchange with umpires before during games about just how it's on for them?

You know.

I think, like most things, it's a mixed bag. I think some umpires feel that it's a good thing. Some umpires really don't care for it. But I think it's going to be. It's coming, and so I think we all got a wrapperheads around that.

Did Barnes look back at you when he struck out that he wanted to challenge.

That he did?

We had two, We used to have two on the table. So I said, if it was a leverage count, you know, and if you felt that you were that confident, But he just didn't seem as confident on that one.

Yeah, Austin Barnes actually struck out on three pitches. The third one was way inside and he was looking back at Dave Roberts wondering if he should challenge it. But yeah, Barnes had a very interesting game when it came to the challenges and was right on all three even though he pulled the trigger on two as the catcher for the Dodgers. So those were my takeaways from the game today. It was an eventful game today even though the score

We are not carrying that game Tomorrow.

Night because of Clippers basketball, but we will carry both Saturday and Sunday games right here at noon or twelve oh five. Our pregame coverage beginning at eleven thirty on Saturday and Sunday So that's the schedule coming up for Dodger Baseball a little bit in the next three days and next week. We only have one Dodger talk show next Thursday, and I'll keep you updated on when we will be carrying the Dodger games next week after Saturday and Sunday. You can follow me on Twitter at the

The Yankees are falling apart.

John Carlos Stanton now has left the team with personal issues, Juan Soto is now a met They're gonna have to do it with pitching and defense. And I don't see Father Time all of a sudden saying bye bye to Paul Goldschmidt. Father Time caught up to Paul Goldschmidt last year.

In twenty twenty five.

David Vassay from spring training with you until eight o'clock on a five to seventy LA Sports, your Home of the World champion Dodgers.

Nestor Cortes, and.

We're we join right now by maybe the busiest man in all a Dodger camp, and that is the one and only pitching coach entering his sixth season in this role for the Dodgers, that is Mark Pryor.

Mark. Thanks a lot for the time, appreciate.

It, No problem anytime.

Let's just get everything out of the way that we need to get out of the way. Blake's now go ahead. You could roast me for that if you want, and then we'll get on. We'll move on with the interview.

No bike, bike's Bike's been great.

H he's been He's been enjoyed to having camp and it's nice to have him on our side.

Finally, all right.

The other thing that's been burning in my skull the entire offseason was getting your first hand account of Walker Buehler going out to the bullpen kind of on his own and then coming in in Game five of the World Series to close it out. Can you take us through those events?

Yeah, I mean I can take you through.

I mean I can confirm, I can confirm what he said, uh on some other platforms is pretty much true. I was unaware of a lot of those conversations that had happened throughout the course of the day, and right around the fourth fish maybe fifth inning, I got a tap on the shoulder saying, hey, Walker's walking down to the bullpen. And I was kind of like okay and called him,

Okay, I'll call you later.

And and then obviously it got you know, got crazy, and uh called down again and said where are you at? And he's like, I'll let you know here in a minute, which for me was code of yeah, okay, has no idea.

He hasn't thrown yet. So knew where he was at.

I mean I knew that, you know, if he was down there, he could pity obviously to to what extent. You know, those are always the you know, those questions of like is it is it ten pitches? Can he go twenty pitches? You know, you don't know. Fortunately we didn't need that many sou but he was yeah, it's all I mean, that's what it is. It was all true, Like he had conversations. That's what Walker does. And uh, you know worked out well for everybody.

I'm just curious from your standpoint. You're the pitching coach. You're not privy to whatever he told Andrew and Gomes on the bus. You hang up the phone to the bullpen after talking to him. What's going through your mind at that point in time in the game, do you what did you tell Dave Roberts just because of where the game was at after Jack didn't go very deep.

Yeah, I mean I basically told Doc like he's you know, he's down there. He says he's available to pitch, and you know, I think we all were under the assumption it was probably you know one, you know, you had one shot basically, whether that was one clean inning or just at the ending clean or if we had to bring.

Him in the middle of an inning.

It wasn't gonna be a situation where he sat back down and probably went back out. So we just had to kind of see where we're at, and you know, Blake is what Blake did got us to the point where we could use him in that situation. I think if if Blake doesn't get as deep as he did, you know, then we're making a decision on reusing you know, Walker potentially in the eighth, and then you know, we're pretty short at that point, so I'm not really sure

Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up. I've mentioned this to Dave a few times. I'm a firm believer that one of the great moments of that World Series run was Dave going out there without having his mind made up on whether he was going to take Trinon out of that game at that point in time. What did you think when Dave left the dugout and went out there to just check the temperature.

Yeah, I mean it's one of those things where it's it's not an easy decision for a manager, any manager, And honestly, and you know, some of those decisions are easier than others when it's June second, you know, on a Tuesday night, but you know, playoff baseball, they're.

Not easy decisions.

You're making a decision on what you're looking at, what he how he's been throwing, the baseball knowing your bullpen is down there with the guys who are on fumes, especially that late in October. But you know, Ben and obviously just pitched Landon probably wasn't in a position to pitch. You have Walker who had pitched two days before that,

Have you gone back to watch game five? I know your son Matthew is around the team a lot. He loves the team, he loves the game. Have you gone back to watch any of the games?

Uh? I would you know?

He's he's watched them.

I've watched bits and pieces.

Obviously, I watch it through a little bit of a different lens because I'm trying to remember, you know, what I was thinking in the moment. Yeah, I mean, you know, you watch parts of it, you watch highlights. You know, you can't get enough of watching Freddie's you know, Homer, you know. So yeah, I've watched. I don't think I've

So I've watched I've watched highlights.

I guess Mark pryor the player, the pitcher, came close to getting the opportunity to play in the World Series, and now you win the World Series as a pitching coach. How rewarding was that between being a player and being a coach and winning the World Series?

I mean, you know, obviously, you know, winning as a player is everything you dream about, you know, growing up and being a part of it and celebrating on the field.

Coaching is is the same.

I mean, you you always you do this because you obviously everybody wants to win a championship. You do it from a coaching standpoint because you want to try to help people, you know, go out there and perform and you want to be, you know, be a part of it. There's nothing better than winning, you know, no matter how you slice it, you know, and having a chance, you know, to win it last year and twenty it's just a different it's a different perspective, but it doesn't change like

You know, more rewarding than the actual results.

But when you get both, it's it's a great it's a great feeling.

Before I let you go. And Mark Pryor, Dodgers pitching coach, is our guest. The bullpen unprecedented, the way they kind of carried you guys through with limited amount of starters. What's it like in spring training now? The residual effect of pitching longer and deeper than they ever have before and being leaned upon.

Yeah, yeah, no, I mean they're all those are all real things, you know. I think that's why there's always a uh, I guess, a championship hangover in all sports. You know, you're playing longer, guys are banged up when you're trying to win the thing. You know, we got some guys obviously they are still kind of nursing back from some of their injuries. You're trying to manage a little bit of rest and then a short offseason even shorter going to Japan.

You know, I think our guys are in a good spot, you know right now.

You know, we've got them going, you know, at.

A normal pace.

I think we'll monitor kind of their workload through spring training and through maybe the first week or two of the season. But they're all extremely professional. They know what they you know, they know what they're at, you know, they know how to prepare. But what they did last year was again, it was unprecedented, and we knew we needed some we needed performance is like that from individuals and then the staff collectively to put us in.

A position to strike.

And we knew we were gonna take some take some lumps along the way, and fortunately we had some guys step up in those games that allowed us to.

Do what we needed to do with our bullpenper.

Strike hard strike first.

Yeah.

Mark Pryor, Dodgers pitching coach, is our guest show.

Heyo Tani. Mark is starting to experiment with pitching out of the wind up. Where did that all come from?

I mean that's something that he was looking to do. And like I said, I think he's mentioned he's always trying to get better and do some things, and he wanted to feel some energy. Wasn't something that you know necessarily, you know, I brought to the table something that he did, and I like it. I mean, I always like guys and deliveries. Sometimes you move guys to stretch only to simplify things, but I like when guys have some athleticism and some rhythm in the in their in their delivery.

Do you believe part of the equation is to try to take some stress off the elbow or the arm.

I think it can help with guys is sequencing and timing that ultimately will take some, hopefully some stress off an arm. To say that pitching out the wind up is less stressful than pitching out the stretches, No, but it's it's again, it's all about getting into certain.

Positions for that individual.

Some guys do it better with the help of the wind up and the timing. Some guys don't. So it's you know, it's unique to that person. But again, I think for him right now, you know, trying to get a little bit more rhythm in than diming and so it's not so choppy so to speak, and make sure he's not in kind of rehab mode and he's in more of like I'm getting ready to pitch and compete in games.

Thanks a lot for the time, Mark, congratulations on being a two time World Series champion as the Dodgers pitching coach, and we look forward to what this staff has to bring for us.

Yeah, it's gonna be another fun year and we're all looking forward to it.

There he goes the Dodgers two time World Series champion pitching coach Mark Pryor. When we continue from Salt River Fields here on Dodger Talk, we will check in with my guy, Jose Mota spring debut in twenty twenty five, and also you'll hear my conversation with keyk Hernandez on how his leadership translated into Yama Moto being as dominant as he was in October last year. Don't go away more Dodger Talk until eight o'clock with David Vasse on

Gotta love a good big three way trade.

You gotta love it. You and Austin Barnes are still here.

Still here, survived a lot of things.

Yeah, when you look back at your journey and where you're at right now and the reputation that you've built for yourself, do you have time to reflect on that or are you still so much in the moment.

There's time just to think about stuff, but.

You just want to be in the moment, because this career can be really long, but it feels so short. It feels like yesterday that I got here, and here I am ten years later, been acquired four different times by this organization, and you know, it's it's been an honor to to wear this uniform for this long and to really to to be able to play.

In so many big games.

I feel like this has been a blessing for my career too, you know, to be in the postseason every single year, that's what we play the game. Yeah we're making money, but but at the end of the day, you play the game to win. And uh, that's something that we've done here for a very long time and I hope to keep doing.

You had such a big part in the Dodgers championship run last year. It felt like when Key K got into the starting lineup is when the.

Dodgers really took off.

Have you had a chance to go back and watch any of those games or is that something you don't do.

I started doing it.

I watched every game against the Padres, and then and then life happened and I wasn't able to continue. I was I was gonna plan and watch the whole postseason, but I I haven't really gotten to watch too much of the Mets and the Yankees. Uh, they were playing highlights earlier, and there was just a lot of things that I couldn't remember that happened.

But uh, but yeah, man, it was. It was a special run.

It was kind of.

Weird in the sense that it felt like it lasted another season, but at the same time, it flew by, So you know, just you're so in the moment that it's kind of like you're blacked out for nine innings and you know, you're so mentally exhausted and in that entire month that there's no really much time to think about stuff.

But uh, yeah, I'm.

Glad that Uh, I'm glad that I was able to be a big part of it.

You know, I won. We won in twenty and I didn't.

Have as meaning role as I did last year, and I get it to when you win, there's nothing like it, but you know, just to be being able to do it both ways, it added a little more special special ness to this one, just considering the fact that I started every game after a Game four against at Padres.

Yeah you did. No coincidence. The Dodgers took off after that, and Keik Hernandez, who missed out on the ring ceremony in twenty twenty one, is going to be on that third baseline wearing a Dodger uniform. And I'm as excited for you as anybody to be able to be showered by the fans that day.

Absolutely last time I was, I knew that I was leaving, so it didn't matter if we won or didn't win. It was going to be a fact that I was gonna, you know, go go on a different journey.

And I was totally fine with it. I accepted it all.

And then when that day came, I I felt left out and I felt like I wanted to be a part of that just for that one day, but obviously that didn't happen. And to get to come back this time and where that gold uniform and get that ring in front of my in front of that home home crowd instead of getting it in a box in the mail.

Delivered to Fenway Park is a little different.

Oh that's how you got the ring.

Yeah, that's how I got the ring. We weren't going to play the Dodgers.

So the team wanted to wait until we played the Angels in late July to come bring it to me. And I was like, look, guys, I don't really want to wait this long to get my ring. And if I was playing at Dodger Stadium, I get it. But to do it in a private room and Anaheim ain't it. So I would much rather get my ring asap, even if it's in the mail. And I think this time is going to be a little more special.

Kei k A.

Andrew Friedman said last week that he was so impressed by your leadership and the growth and just specifically last year, how you really were one of the leaders for the Dodgers. Can you describe what he was talking about? Was it leading by example? Did you have to pick the team up in the clubhouse? What was that leadership that he was describing.

For the most part, I I am a leader back sample I think just because of the personality. Guys know that I like to keep keep things light. But then at the same time, I'm very I'm a very intense person and uh, when it's uh, when it's nut nutcrunched time and things aren't going your way, it's very easy to you know, to to to let the noise, the

I just decided, you know what, I'm just I'm.

Gonna do this, and if guys don't like it, whatever, but we need to this.

I feel like this is what we need right now as a team. And that's kind of what I did.

That's like a no regret situation, right, Yeah.

I mean, I've got ten plus years in the league. I've you know, I feel like guys, you know, guys would understand where I was coming from. And at that time, we needed somebody to do it, and I was glad to do it.

And you know, it worked. Could have gone either way, but it worked.

It worked, and Key k Hernandez works not only in October but during the entire regular season.

Great to have you here early this spring.

Yeah, good to have a full spring. It's gonna be nice. I appreciate those kind words. It means a lot. But at the same time, I know you're saying all this because you're really happy that your best friend and all the baseball Blake Snell is on this side. And you don't have to get all jittery when we go to San fran or they come into us. You get Blake for one hundred and sixty two plus games, so I know you're gonna be in a great boot all year.

Oh, he's gonna be jealous when he sees the relationships I have with Key K.

Hello, Sorry, snell Zilla.

I don't know if he's gonna be that because you're gonna be all over him regardless.

So we'll be together in Tokyo, me, you and snell Zilla.

Let's do a sushi time.

Yeah, key K, thanks a lot. I know everybody in LA is so happy you're back. And we'll see you when games start here in Cactus League.

Play all right, I see you on Friday.

How about that very interesting stuff from Kei k Hernandez, Very candid stuff from Key k Hernandez about his leadership role during October. It wasn't a big speech, a big toast. It was him having one on one interactions with certain teammates he felt needed that confidence boost, like Yoshi Yamamoto. So I love hearing from Kei k love that he's going to be part of the ring ceremony when the Dodgers were turned back from Tokyo, Japan and opening up

All right, Jose, great to have you back.

What's been your first impressions on the vibe at Dodger Camp.

It's been great, David, My first impression has been then nobody wants to even talk about twenty twenty four, and to me, that's great. I think when Mooki got here and they put that microphone and the foot over him, he's like, guys, that's over with. And I talked to Dave Roberts about this. He goes, I didn't say anything about that. Is they they want to do it, That's the way they want it. And I think David is important to know that you can't wrestle all your laurels.

All right, Buster only put me on the spot on his podcast, so I'm gonna put you on the spot with this one. He asked me, what's the biggest key for the Dodgers' success this year?

And you can't use injuries. It's gonna be consistency of the starting pitching.

You know what we saw and you witness and you were a part of last year with a bullpen in the postseason.

That doesn't happen again. That is not gonna happen again.

So in that case, starting pitching, like Dodger Baseball has been through the years and generations is gonna be again. The thing that they addressed was gonna carry them. The offense will be the offense, but they got to stay on pace and have six or seven dependable starters because you can't go through five anymore and.

Just you know, through a whole season.

Hey, we know how good O'tani can be when he pitches, but he pitches once a week. So would you say Glass, now, Snell, and Yamamoto are the three big his keys to consistency.

Because as you know obviously with show, Hey, it's it's gonna be how he responds. Can you put him on every five days? You know, meaning with the six starters and you don't know his Boddy's gonna respond after he took such a beating last year too, right, And then on the offensive side, I think the Dodgers will use a similar strategy that we saw with Joe Madden when Joe said, hey, you can play as much as you want, but just let me know where your body needs to

Yeah, and he's an October pitcher. We've seen that in the past. But here's my bold prediction. You mentioned Cy Young's. Here's my bold prediction for this season. Yamamoto wins the cy Young I.

Like that too.

I know that you probably based it on things that you've seen now with Yamamoto and how much more confidence.

The confidence is there. You know what.

There's there's something about a player just having been there before where it's like I've done it now. Remember I always keep this in mind if he did it in Japan, different circumstances, I know, But that's in you, okay. You know what it is A pitching from forty five thousand people fifty thousand people. You know what it's like to come back and help your team out. But Dave, what he went through in October is the one thing that's going to carry him.

So I'm gonna be there right there with you.

Jose you mentioned to me earlier today that you spoke to one of his trainers. What did you take away from that that makes you believe that maybe.

My could come true?

Number One, his training methods, which he says he varies pretty much every week.

They don't use weights.

Talk to mister Osama and he said, I work on of his on two things, his nervous system on field and his nervous system on the insights to use his strength.

So and he's driven, he goes.

I'm the sense he's the one that I go to him and talk about the day, about being respectful to the game, about making every day different, and about perhaps having cloudy and perspective. But I think it was clear when I was talking to him today that he's in a good spot man mentally and physically, and then again having gone through the fire putting that shoulder injury behind him, he's up for big things right now.

Do you feel like there's a good spirited competition between Yamamoto and Sazaki. Do you feel like Yamamoto is motivated he doesn't want this young kid to try to outdo him.

Maybe, but I.

Think he feels more like I want to be that pillow, you know, the cushion for Sasaki. Sasaki, I always said, is not a standalone guy. That's what always those confidence that he's going to be a dodger. He needs somebody to lean on. And to me that was yama motive, not so much sho Hey, because Yamamotive's gone through this and he's a young kid that's gone through a lot himself, even mentally in Japan, and I think you have Moota

There's been some mixed reviews about Sasaki. It seems like he's in the same spot Yamamota was last year at this time, still trying to get comfortable and find his confidence here.

In terms of stuff, it's people say electric. It sometimes looks unhittable, but he's been pretty hittable so far.

In the back fields. He's getting a.

Feel for everything that's going through right now in terms of adjustments member the mound, the dirt, the baseball, everything not as tacky, all those things.

He has bigger hands than Yamamoto for the.

Splitter, But overall I would say that yama Moto was ahead of them because Yamoda had won so many things already in Japan, had gone through more fires Asasaki, and he was maybe not as proven. Psycha is not as proven as demo motive was when it came down to carrying a team, them motives down before in Japan. And you know those awards that he has, you can erase that. So I think that more than anything, he's an inspiration to say, how'd you do it? What's to travel?

Like?

What do I need to adjugt and turns my bullpen? How do you pitch hitters? And remember hiding the baseball, which was a case last year. Three different gloves, different ways of holding the glove. For Yamamulta, all those things that he can pass along to socycut and said, this is why I went through and be ready, because they do pick up stuff here in the big leagues.

Ose Mota is our guest, all right. Jose headed to Tokyo here in the next couple of weeks. You are a veteran of Tokyo, Japan, So do you have any tips for me on how to handle myself or any sort of scouting report in Tokyo for me?

Copy them? They are generous, They are very clean.

I'm not calling you on clean now, Dave, but man, it is the cleanest city I've ever seen.

They're sore, cordial, so respectful.

What I would say is, don't sleep in, get out and get the experience because and then here's the other thing.

About like the food.

You don't have to have the most expensive stuff, but everything you have is gonna be great.

All right, I'll let you know how it goes. If you have any specific spots, send them my way.

Are you sure you're gonna read my text? I will? Okay, promise, got it.

Thanks to Jose Motive for taking time out earlier today. I had a great day spending time with Jose with the Dodgers and Rockies here at Salt River Field.

David Vasse Dodger Talk.

We're winding things down here as we get closer to the top of the hour, but there are a few different questions that people are asking I mentioned a jose that I believe, and I'm going out on the limb here to say the Dodgers leading say Young Award winner this year will be Yoshi Yamamoto. There's just something about what I've seen in his bullpen sessions, his swagger around

And let's not forget Yamamoto.

Came over to Major League Baseball a very decorated pitcher, winning the Triple Crown in that league before he signed with the Dodgers, so he's not a stranger to winning awards and having dominant seasons. If he stays healthy, I feel like Yamamoto could be the National League cy Young Award winner. As far as Roki Sazaki goes, we all have to reserve judgment when it comes to Suzaki. He's twenty three years old. He doesn't seem very confident right now.

Right now, if.

Chris Taylor is on this team, he's going to be on the roster as a bench player, which means the Dodgers are going to have to decide between Andy Paez and hey Son Kim. Is Kim going to make the team and if he does, how does Pahz fit in? Right now, Kim has been overmatched offensively. The Dodgers have completely redone a whole makeover on his swing, and that's

Field.

If Chris Taylor is on this roster now, I still feel like he will be on Opening Day, but his spring training has not looked any better than it did all last year, and that's going to be a crossroads at some point in time during the season for the Dodgers.

All right.

That'll do it for us on Dodger Talk tonight. Thanks to Mark Pryor, thanks to Keith Key Hernandez, thanks to Jose Mota, and thanks to you for listening. In case you missed any of the show, you can find it on the iHeartRadio app and this weekend, both Saturday and Sunday, the Dodgers will be right here on five seventy LA Sports in those games. And don't forget tomorrow night show.

See ya,