And now your host of Dodger Talk, David Vasse.
We are live at Angels Stadium after the Halos walk it off on a Taylor Ward base head to beat the Dodgers five to four in the middle game of the Practice Freeways series. We have phone lines open at eight six, six, nine eighty seven, two five seventy. I actually met a caller that ambushed me in the radio booth earlier today before the game, Wayne ran Dazzo brought an over zealous Angel fan into the press box that just wanted to call scoreboard on me and dunk on
my face. And that was Angels fan Breezy. A Breezy apparently called Durango Tani's final year with the Angels to tell me that he was sunning with the Dodgers because he usually doesn't take batting practice on the field, and I guess he did that day at Dodgers Stadium. And she said I blew her off when when she told me that, but she turned out to be right. I'm not sure it's because he took betting practice on the
field or not that day at Dodgers Stadium. There are some reports out there that Otani came back to the Angels and asked if they would match the sweetheart deal he gave the Dodgers, and they passed on it. So the Angels, in a lot of different ways, missed on the six years that Otani was here, because what the Dodgers are doing maximizing Otani globally is something you never saw six years in Anaheim. But Breezy, it was great meeting you, and you can call any time. Any friend
of Wayne is a friend of mine. Eight sixty six, nine eighty seven, two five seventy is the phone number. We're with you until ten o'clock. You will hear from Tyler Glass now. But we want to get to the Dodgers Big two of Mookie Bets and Freddie Freeman. These two guys at the top of the Dodger lineup supporting Otani are huge for the Dodgers. I know the Dodgers won both games in Tokyo without them, but that's not something that you want to test out for a long
period of time. Freddie Freeman in the Dodgers starting lineup for the second straight night is a sight for sore eyes. You don't have to hold your breath, or at least
I don't anymore. Now that Freddie has basically passed the test of Fringan's swinging freely and not holding anything back two nights in a row, and we caught up with Freddie before tonight's game just to talk to him after not really speaking to him in Tokyo, And this is the first time Freddie has spoken on the record about what was going on, what he was feeling, and how he's able to move forward.
Yeah, So came in today filming pretty good and didn't feel anything on swings or anything like that. So it seems like to be a scar tissue. So that's a good thing, not with how much progress I made and that they could. I tried to fight play game two because I was feeling pretty good, but it was ultimately a smart decision. But feel good today playing back to back and I'll play again tomorrow, so hopefully be a afterthought by Thursday.
In that situation, you don't know if one swing is going to reaggrevate.
It exactly exactly. That's why we kind of played on the cautionary side of it, just because I was able to hit on the in the cage and do whatever I wanted to on games. On the day of game two, but I just didn't know of game speed, if it would make it come up again. So I thought we ultimately did the right decision. Unfortunately I caved, but I feel good. So missing two games over the course and could have missed six weeks probably the best decision. It's amazing.
That club was amazing. Yeah, it was like a little teaz yesterday. I wanted. I was hoping we could just play all the games there, play all on you know, it's amazing. It's fun that they did an amazing job. Just starting to think they can do those renovations in four months. It took my wine cellar at about eight months to do. I'm kind of confused about it. Yeah, I know, twenty four hours a day. No, but the clothous was incredible. It's it's I still haven't really seen
it all. I don't think there's because I heard their sleep rooms. I didn't even seen those yet. So really, gonna take a couple of days. Yeah, there's a couple of days it's gonna take to really take it all in. But it's amazing than you care about the most of the bat the two cages. Yeah, it's I liked I like that. That's yeah. No, the I mean we made it work with one cage, but having two cages obviously you can get so much more that guys can work
at the same same time. And uh they went in the same area as the weight room, so it is a long walk. It's there's a lot of room now down there, so uh no, it's good. Now we'll be able to change schedules because like I always said after MOOKI on certain game days, so now we can kind of mix and match. So uh no, more more space, more resources means hopefully better things.
I know it was only an exhibition game last night, but you know obviously the way the crowd reacted in Tokyo to Otani, I had my own vass a crowd meter last night. You got the loudest ovation in your first at bat last night.
How did that make you feel?
It feels good.
I'm really looking for more to Thursday and getting the packed house again. But come out on an exhibition game like they did yesterday on a Sunday, that was pretty cool to see.
Hey, Otani is a tremendous player, the best player in the game. But Freddie Freeman hit a walk off grand Slam in game one of the world series that is going to give you the loudest ovation at Dodger Stadium, and he got it.
Last night, no joke.
Otani got loud ovations, but I would say on the vast say crowd meter noise meter, Freddie's was a couple of des bowls higher than Ota. So it's gonna be tremendous on Thursday, the ovations. Not only Freddy Freeman's going to get and Otani's going to get, but the entire twenty twenty four World champions when they received their rings on Friday, and the twenty twenty five Dodgers when they're
announced on opening day on Thursday afternoon. So great news that Freddy Freeman's on track for Thursday, and also even better news because Mookie Betts has turned the corner miraculously after sounding so defeated last night. When we shared that with you, Dave Roberts said, Mookie Betts went to Dodgers Stadium today to work out. He actually ate solid food and did not vomit. That's a big win for Mookie Bets since he hasn't been able to do that for two weeks.
So he's expected to be.
Here in Anaheim tomorrow and Dave Roberts said he's expected to have Mookie Betts in the starting lineup in the final game of the Free series, But when I asked Dave whether or not he would go as far as to say that Moki would be in the starting lineup on Thursday, he would have to wait to see how Mooky comes out of it tomorrow. And let's not forget Mookie Betts was in the starting lineup yesterday but was a late scratch. So let's see where things end up tomorrow for Mooki Bets.
But it would be nice to see.
Him play one game and hopefully Thursday be ready for the home opener. Eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy is the phone number Dodger talked from Angel Stadium tonight as the Dodgers fall five to four, But more importantly, got a really good start for Tyler Glass now who went five innings, had nine strikeouts and now
on the spring has nineteen strikeouts. Yeah, Tyler Glass now this spring has been dominant, And it's not so much about the start for Tyler Glass now, it's about the finish. Can he make it through a full season? He continues to trend in that direction. After last year making a career high twenty two starts, but obviously not available the
second half of the season. But for Tyler Glass now nineteen strikeouts in eleven innings this spring, and he told us after his first start his mindset was to be more athletic and not try to focus on the perfect mechanics every single pitch. Here's what he said after he came out of the game tonight. As far as that goes, yeah.
This spring offecially like the last couple. I've been feeling pretty good. I think just working on the stuff in practice and then kind of forgetting about it and trying to just go be athletic has been good for me the spring.
Do you feel like that's.
Also going to help you just stay healthy and whatever plagued you the second half.
Of last year?
Is that all connected?
I think so. Yeah.
I think anytime you can kind of repeat your mechanics and not have that like conscious thought where everything's changing each pitch, I think it'll put me in a much better place, more like external focus. I guess it's like if I'm trying to bury a slider, I'm like, all right, I need to go bury as opposed to being like, how did.
That last one?
I felt a little rotational and like it's like I'm trying to align everything correctly, and I think if it doesn't line up well in practice, it kind of leaks into the game. And I think if I can get good reps and like think about what I need to in practice and then get my body in a good spot, it's easier to not think about it. So it's not like it's every time it's going to happen. I think every starting pitcher has times where they have to kind
of grind and figure it out on the mound. But yeah, I think it's just as long as I can have like an external focus on the zone as opposed to me thinking about all my body parts, that usually goes a lot better for me.
Tyler, you could probably be the opening day starter for twenty eight, twenty nine other teams. That is it not lost upon you that the Dodgers don't need you until the third series of the season.
I think it's great. Like if I'm a number five or four or whatever, like that means there's a lot of really good pictures on our team. So however lines up, it lines up. But I'm I'm I'm happy where I am. It's all good.
Yeah.
Do you feel like you guys will feed off each other in a team competition competitive way?
I thought maybe. I think we all just want each other to do well, and like everyone's so competitive individually, Like you just want to go on pitch well. Like I don't know if everyone's worried about what everyone else is doing. I think it's just go out, win a ton of games as a team, pitch well, and then everything kind of takes care of itself.
All right.
There's Tyler Glass now, who had his final tune up of spring training and is getting set for his first start of the regular season this year a week from
tonight at Dodgers Stadium against the Atlanta Braves. The way the Dodgers' rotation stacks up to begin the season, Blake Snell, Yamamoto Sazaki will be the first three against the Tigers, and then you'll have Tyler Glass now Dustin May starting the first two games of the series against Atlanta, and then you'll have Blake Snell come back and finish out
the first home stand of the year. Not to mention Kershaw and Otani and Tony Gonsolin waiting in the wings if need be, I mean Kershaw is coming back, I would venture to say Kershaw's in this rotation by June. Otani feels like he's not going to be back until the second half of the year pitching. And you know, if all things are equal as they stand right now, the Dodgers don't need Otani in the first half of the season the pitch.
They need Otani to.
Be a weapon in the postseason, and the way he can do that is ramping up for eight or ten starts the second half of the year.
So that's just my personal opinion.
I don't feel like the Dodgers really need Otani the first half of the year to pitch. They need that bat, that fifty to fifty MVP bat in the lineup. Eight six, six, nine eighty seven, two five seventy is the phone number. We're gonna take a time out here on Dodger Talk Live from the Big A and we'll check in with
Jose Mota when we continue. As the Dodgers and Angels will close out the Freeway Series tomorrow night Tonight, the Halos win it walk off fashion thanks to a tailor Ward base it in the ninth five to four on the World Chain champion Los Angeles Dodgers Audio Network.
On air at AM five seventy, online at AM five seventy LA sports dot com, and available by podcast on the iHeartRadio app.
This is Dodger Talk.
With David masson two two pitch swang on hit well the left, going back to his Taylor Ward.
He's at the track to the wall. It has gone an taskar.
Hernanders bucks it under the Dodger both Ben and times the game at one. As Jerry Harrison likes to say on sports net LA, Teo Teo, teo, why don't you hypnotize me?
Ta Oscar Hernandez with a home run. Getting ready to.
Resume the regular season as the Dodgers faull tonight to the Angels in a practice practice game.
Five to four the final score.
As the Dodgers are getting ready to resume the regular season on Thursday against the Tigers in Always a Beautiful Day at Dodger Stadium, the home opener Daniels Jewelers presents the home run forecast. Go to AM five seventy LA sports dot com and use the keyword home run for your chance to win a fifty dollars Daniels Jewelers gift card predicting the number of home runs in the next game.
Daniels Jewelers Own the Dream.
All right, let's get to our guy, Jose Moda.
It's time to go around the horn with Jose Mota.
Jose Mota back at the Big A and Jose before we get to Tyler Glass. Now before the game, a few of the Dodger trainers that have known Luis Cruz for a while, we're trying to tell me that he never stops talking.
You're with him a lot. Does he ever stop talking?
You know what the best part is about lous Cruz That he's getting paid to talk.
That's what I say. I talked to him, right, That's what we do.
How are you getting that report from from the Dodgers athletic trainers. That's quite interesting to me.
Hey, they were around number forty seven for a few years. They know what Louis.
Louis welcome to the show. I remember that when I first got my first broadcast gig back in nineteen ninety seven one the Fox, my wife is like, what you're gonna get.
You don't talk.
I'm like, well, now I'm gonna get paid to talk. It's much different. It's going to work.
Yeah, you came out of your shell, that's for sure.
Jose Mota is joining us on Dodgery Talk as we're getting set to end the practice games tomorrow night. And for me, Jose, the story of the game was not only Freddie playing again, but also the way Tyler Glass now closed out spring training.
He looked dominant tonight, no matter what.
And you asked me this question in the interview we did over at Salt Ripper and Arizona. Cheto the Dodgers, this season is going to you starting pitching, and they have tremendous offense. You know, the bullpen is stacked, but man, the tradition that we want to see is get back to those guys on the mound carrying the load for you as starting pitchers. And it's so encouraging to see the way that Tyler kind of reassess himself and reevaluated some things he was, you know, having issues with why.
You know, there's a lot of whys in the off season from him. As I was talking to him, and obviously he want to stay healthy. He found some things that are not very complicated at all, but it's being athletic as he mentioned, and that's important. Now he's a strike at all, he's a power pitcher. They can go out there and dominate and get your fourteen punch outs with under one hundred pitches. He did it last year
in Minnesota. But also at the same time, I love the mentality of practice as much as he want, but didn't when the game starts. Just let it be natural. And that is what we're seeing right now, and hopefully he'll carry this into the regular season. At one point I want to make to that I'm glad you brought up David him congratulates Austin Barnes and saying thank you.
Let me tell you that that relationship between pitches and catchers goes beyond balls and strikes and catching and calling a pitch, and it goes understanding that what a guy that glassed out from six to eight goes out there, and barriers that you break involved, that your body is aligned well enough to block it, and that you're not gonna be blocking his brick ball the way you would say it couldn't curse ow curveball, and all those things just go in live with being a smart catcher, being
in tune with your guy, knowing who he is. All those things play a part in him being out there and dominating and being comfortable whoever's behind the plate.
You know, it feels like you always talk about hitters not thinking too much at the plate. It feels like for Tyler Glass now he can't overthink things on the mound or he's going to get in trouble and start to feel like he's out of sync.
That when comes on to pitch sequences and what to throw and how to set up a hitter. But more than anything is let it fly and just trust that you're well enough, you're prepared enough, you're strong enough, you're you're well trained enough to go out there and just allow the ball to do what it's gonna do because you are naturally a guy that's gonna field his own. One pitch that I think is going to be key for him. He implemented it last years, that two seamer.
We saw a lot of it here tonight at ninety seven, ninety sixth movement for Tyler. You know, at times it comes down to not trying to just power by guys. But he's got enough for that two seamer too. With two strikes, surprise the right ended hitters in the outer half, and number two is when the situation calls were being economical. Go out there and he's a two seamer, gonna ground
ball and keep your defense looking for you. So he has so many weapons, and I think he's kind of discovering himself a little bit more as a pitcher because he's surrounded by that. It's only, you know, an upswing that I see in his career, and of course as a Dodger.
All right, Jose Moto, what's your guess if Mookie Betts does show up in Anaheim tomorrow and does play three or four innings, do you expect him to be in the starting lineup on Thursday against the Tigers.
Oh my gosh, I would say if Dave Roberts have to see, what will he have to see to say, yes, you're in the lineup on Thursday. That first of all, he's not too weak. That there's stamina, but you know how, I'm going to measure stamina in three or four innings, So you can't do that because now you're going to be playing against Trek's scoobl and the Tigers A you're
gonna have to play nine anything. So I hope the dogers is they know very well can go out there and just be on the safe side because it takes a lot. And we mentioned it today, we talk about Betts, the igression soft tissue that that causes problems with Maybe tomorrow just a little Twitter to see where he is, but do not force the issue. There's no need to.
Hey, if you're facing trek scooble, maybe the stomach problems are going to come back, right, scooble itis.
No me, come on, no, But I really do hope they that the safe.
Oh see, Jose got schooble itis. I just mentioned schooble and Jose's phone gave out. All right, Jose, we'll see you out here tomorrow night. Thanks a lot for checking in. And yes, come on, Mookie. Betts is not backing down from anybody. But I'll say this, Goooble's the best pitcher in baseball. And what I was trying to say is that he will make anybody's stomach feel upset because he's that good. Eight six six nine eight seven two five
seventy is the phone number. Hey, it's a rare Sunday day off for the Dodgers because of this weird schedule since they came back from Tokyo, Japan. The Dodgers are opening up on Thursday, so it's a three game series against the Tigers Thursday, Friday, Saturday. The Dodgers have Sunday off. But it's a great opportunity to meet our beloved ta Oscar Hernandez on this Sunday at the Citadel specifically the Polo Ralph Lawrence store at the State Outlets for the
Polo Ralph Lawrence Family Baseball Fan Experience. I will be there with ta Oscar from one to three. It's not an autograph session at casual. Ta Oscar is not signing autographs. He will meet you, he will greet you, he'll even take photos with you with that great smile, but it is not an autograph session. But we want to see you out there, test your fast pitch, win prizes, and we'll have a lot of fun together with ta Oscar Hernandez one to three o'clock this Sunday at the Citadel Outlets,
specifically the Rouph Polo Ralph Laurence Stores. So we'll look forward to seeing you this Sunday with ta Oscar Hernandez. And speaking of ta Oscar, he went deep tonight and sports Net LA got a boost in ratings. Dino Ebol, the Dodgers third base coach, was miked up for the seventh straight Freeway Series.
They always do it for one of these games.
And Dino was miked up tonight, and he knew that sound of the bat. He had heard it many times from a lot of great players in this ballpark. Here's how it sounded with Dino on the field on sports net LA when Tao went deep, that ball's gone.
They Oscar Hernandez high flat ball le field toward the bullpen and under the bullpen, so Tayo, it ties things up. Dino knew it right off the bat.
Good like Carol.
I'd wait to get him.
He's got some kind of pop.
Boy.
Hey, I heard Dino carried Eric Carros and Steven Nelson tonight on sports net LA. Those two guys should give their paychecks over to Dino for carrying their broadcast tonight, especially Caros. I mean, come on, a great job by Dino Ebl. As always, he went viral on that on that home run, calling it as soon as he heard it. So it's always great to get that inside feel to the game. And Dino was gracious enough again to be miked up for Sports Net LA, even in a setting
like this Freeway Series exhibition game. Awesome stuff, great idea to have him. So hopefully the Dodgers continue to keep things rolling and Dino Ebel has those kind of feelings a lot this season. I have no doubt that's going to happen. The Dodger offense is the best in baseball. I mean, there is nowhere to come up for air. We talk about Tyler Glass now being a guy that could start on opening Day for twenty eight other teams out there. How about Michael Conforto hitting seventh for the Dodgers?
Are you kidding me?
Michael Conforto could probably hit higher in the lineup of at least twenty five teams out there.
So the Dodgers are stacked.
They've been very judicious with who they've traded for who they've signed, and it's worked out the right way for them as they are in position to at least go back to the World Series, let alone try to win it for a back to back situation. The first time in twenty five years a major League team would have won back to back World Series, the Yankees, the Gita Yankees did it twenty five years ago. That'll do it
for us on Dodger Talk tonight. Thanks to Dwayne McDonald out here at the Big A, thanks to Colin Ee back at our Burbank studios, and thanks to you for listening. In case you missed any of the show or our pregame conversation with two time world champion Chris Taylor, you can find.
It on the iHeartRadio app.
Tomorrow night, Dustin May will close out the exhibition Freeway series for the Dodgers Morongo Casino. Dodgers on Deck begins at five o'clock with first pitch at six oh seven from the Big A with Rick Monday and Tim Neverett once again.
The final score.
Tonight from Anaheim, the Angels defeat the Dodgers five to four. Have a great rest of your night. We'll see you tomorrow or we'll talk to you.
See it on the second self. They just te