One thing about this gem is the invisible and tangibles that they have. This team is really becoming a family.
Let's not play one on Tom.
Let's wind it.
I love letting you guys after the show.
Just thank you, give me all your attention, your fires.
This this is world champion, Dodgers, world champion thing for the small song time they get at people what they want to die to.
In a row two is special.
I'm like, yeah, it's not a headache's one of a con.
This ball's gone. You ready to go? He go to the South.
Grab your phone to get in on the show called eight six six nine eighty seven two five seven. I'll come to the show and now your host of Dodger Talk, David Basse.
We are live at Dodgers Stadium.
After the Pirates and in particular Paul Schemes shut out the Dodgers tonight by a final score of three to nothing. We are with you until eleven fifteen tonight at eight sixty six nine eight seven two five seventy. Jose Mota will check in before eleven o'clock.
We'll hear from Paul Skins.
In a moment, and we do have phone lines open at eight six, six, nine, eight, seven, two five seventy. I mentioned this during the Club Out show, but I'll mention it again. Jordan Lorenz, the head ground screwkeeper here at Dodger Stadium and his crew have rolled out the tarp.
They have covered the infield at Dodger Stadium, towing in the tarp from the seventy six gas station and have the infield covered because rain is in the forecast overnight and possibly into the early afternoon tomorrow, so hopefully there are no rain delays tomorrow night, a rare rain delay at Dodger Stadium, but they are doing the responsible thing, unlike the Orioles ground screw a couple of years ago, where on the East Coast in August, with the humidity
at nearly one hundred percent, neglected to cover the infield and the Dodgers and Orioles were standing around for an extra forty minutes while they try to fix the infield after not covering it overnight. But here in La Jordan Lorenz and his crew have a lot of due diligence and even though it may be a light rain, they have the tarp covered or the infield covered with the tarp, so a rare side of here at Dodgers Stadium in the wee hours of the evening on a Friday night
that La is sad. Not only did the Dodgers get shut out by Paul Skeins, the Lakers lost in Minnesota, and the Kings lost to the Edmonton Oilers in their playoffs series. So a sad night in LA. But really, I know fans are frustrated with the Dodger offense. And yes, it's frustrating when you haven't scored in your last twelve innings and you have guys like Otani, Betts and freemen four to zero month see Tommy Edmund Tascar, Hernandez. But Paul Skeens had a lot to say about tonight. You know,
it wasn't Colin Ray. I mean, you're talking about Paul Skeens, one of the top three pitchers in Major League Baseball, and he rose to the occasion tonight. He knew this was a big stage for him, and he came and was you know, I saw some photos of him walking in. He was locked in from the moment he got off the team bus tonight to be ready to do what he did. Six and a third scoreless sinnings throws a career high one hundred and eight pitches, has nine strikeouts,
and the Dodgers just were overwhelmed tonight. They had no answers for Paul Skeens tonight. And you know, it reminds me of when guys like Dwight Gooden used to come to Dodgers Stadium and shut out the Dodgers.
He was good.
Paul Skeens is that good. He's like Dwight Gooden in nineteen eighty five. That's how good he is. And you at times have to might be tough, and you always want to look at your own team and say, we could have done this better, or they we could have you know, got to base it or bunt it.
Yeah, maybe, but Paul Skeens was really good tonight.
I guess the only glaring offensive shortcoming tonight against Skeens was in the fourth inning when Freddie Freeman doubled and got to third on a poor defensive play by Brian Reynolds in right field, who, by the way, I can't believe how bad of a right fielder Brian Reynolds is. He was having a real issues out there tonight. But nonetheless, Freddie at third when nobody out and the Dodgers can't
get him in. That has a lot to do with Paul Skeen's no doubt about it, But it also has to do a lot with the Dodgers trying to do too much, and that was to me the only glaring thing that you could say the Dodgers failed at show. Hey, Otani, he is human, He is proving that he is just one for his last fifteen the Dodgers are zerover fifteen with men on base now, So just a really frustrating
night for the Dodger offense. All in all, eleven strikeouts and we're seeing way too many nights where the Dodgers have double digit strikeouts and not really taking their walks. They had eleven strikeouts tonight and only walked once. Again, a lot of that had to do with Paul Skans, who really showed a lot tonight going out in the seventh inning with one hundred and three pitch count at that point in time and try to finish the seventh but was taken out after getting one out and finishes
six and a third scoreless tonight. So really a great performance from the kid from Eltora High School. Let's go downstairs right now, to the Pirates Clubhouse to hear from Paul Skeens.
It was cool.
I mean just really just about executing. And you know, sometimes there's a you know, two or three in the in the run column when you execute, but today was zero, So it felt good.
I glad would pulled it out.
You've faced this lineup before, but it is elite. What did you buy comparison? Feel you did better tonight?
Executed better? I mean they.
I mean you saw it today with a lot of the hits that they got. Like, even when you execute your pitches, they're still gonna they're still gonna find ways to get on.
And uh, that's not.
Exactly like I definitely executed better today than I did the other two times that I've faced them, But that's just kind of the nature of it. They're they're they're, you know, really good hitters and just you know, find ways to to get you know, through innings.
I know you threw sixteen curve balls. I believe it was tonight. How pleased you with how that pitch worked?
Yeah? Felt good? Definitely, Yeah, I did.
Did you know, good job kind of resetting their eyes and a couple of things of misses in there at times. But yeah, I mean, you kind of got to do different things when when you face guys like that.
So I was pleased with.
It wasn't one of those games where it just felt like everything was working.
For you at times.
Early my heater command was pretty pretty poor, I thought. I actually, to an extent, I thought it was pretty poor throughout the game, but kind of had it when I needed it. We knew what pitches we could go to, you know, to get outs, to get weak contact, and we went to them and we needed to. So the bullpen before the game was good. But that's a little misleading sometimes. So it felt good, it wasn't it wasn't you know, there were there were some big misses in there too, So it wasn't.
Like everything was, you know, firing.
And also and there's just kind of when I needed to execute, I executed.
All right, There's Paul Schemes And thanks to Sportsnet Pittsburgh for bringing us tonight's winning pitcher and one of the best pitchers in baseball, young Paul Skeens, who by the way, had thirty five friends and families at Friends and Family at Dodgers Stadium tonight. In a suite he had his parents here, his aunts, his uncles, a lot of friends. So the Orange County native out at El Toro High School had a lot of people supporting him here tonight
at Dodger Stadium. It was the third time, by the way, and just a little over a year that Paul Skeeness has faced the Dodgers. He first faced them last year at PNC Park where he dominated them there. The Dodgers got him for four runs at Dodgers Stadium last last August, and then tonight. Obviously it goes to Skiens. So Skeens has won two out of the three against the Dodgers in his young career. Eight six six nine, eight seven
two five seventy is the phone number. I guess the bigger, big picture issue for the Dodgers is they're not getting a lot of production from key guys that are not named betts O'tani Freeman, Taoscar Edmund will Smith, and I'm talking about two guys in particular, that's Michael Conforto and Max Munsey. Confordo going into that road trip that took the Dodgers to Washington, d C.
And Philly.
Going into that road trip, he led the Dodgers with the highest ops. His OPS was at eleven hundred going into that road trip, and all of a sudden, now it's taken a huge downturn. Michael Conforto, oh for for tonight with three strikeouts, he's sitting a buck eighty seven with an OPS of six point fifty. In spring training, Dave Roberts was trying to reinforce to him think opposite field, and right now not a lot of Dodgers are thinking
opposite field and having a shorter swing. But Conforto looks really lost out there after being locked in to begin the year, and Max, he looks like a player that's just not playing with a lot of confidence.
Right now.
It feels like his confidence is at an all time low. It feels like he's looking at the scoreboard and he's seen zero home runs and he's chasing that. It feels like his swing is more violent than it needs to be. His UH batting average is that one seventy one, is on base is that two seventy three, and his OPS is that five ten. You know, I this doesn't look like the Maximunsey that we have known over the course of his Dodger career. And I know it's easy to
use him as a punching bag. And yeah, I saw that video that was circulating on social media that was that was uncalled for two and you know it's it's it's one thing to come to a ballpark and boo a guy in the stadium, but then to wait for a guy outside of Wrigley Field and start yelling profanities at him. I mean, that's overstepping a little bit in my opinion. But nonetheless, uh Unsei's thirteen for seventy six to start the year, that's just uncharacteristic of Max Muncy.
And you know it's he's just a guy.
Right now that doesn't have a lot of confidence, and I'm not sure how he gets that confidence back. He had a throwing error tonight, so you know that confidence I'm not just talking about at the plate. It's kind of bleeding over into his defense. So he's got to figure it out point blank, or you know, Dave Roberts has got to consider using a combination of Miguel Rojas and Keyky Hernandez until Munsey gets his confidence back. Eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy is the
phone number. We're gonna take a time out here on Dodger Talk. When we come back, we'll check in with Jose Mota. Also, i'll get you an update on Blake Snell and Tony Gonsolin. Gonsolin maybe starting here sooner than you realize, so we'll get to that news as we continue live from Dodgers Stadium. After Paul Skeen's and the Pirates shut out the Dodgers tonight three to nothing on a five to seventy LA Sports.
On air at AM five to seventy, online at amfive seventy LA sports dot com, and available by podcast on the iHeartRadio app. This is Dodger Talk with David Best said.
It was all Paul Skeens tonight, as Skiing's in the Pirates shut out the Dodgers by a final score of three to nothing.
Skeens with his third win of the year. He's now three and two.
Yamamoto three and two, David Bednar with his second save of the year. Yama Moto just his worst start of the season, and it wasn't even that bad.
That's how good he's been all year long.
It just wasn't enough when the offense was shut out by Paul Skeens Yamamoto in the first three innings of tonight's game gave up a leadoff walk, and all three of those first innings, so three of the five of the innings he he surrendered a walk a free pass, and that's not a way to live and that's not Yamamoto esque. Five innings tonight, five hits, four walks, one earned run, eight six six seven two five seventy is
the phone number. Let's go out to Long Beach. Will you're on Dodger Talk with David vasse Hi.
Will, Hey, what's up?
Man?
Hey, check us out.
I've been on hold so longer for Governor.
I was gonna ask you, but Hey, you took kind of touches on it.
You know.
The eras was like monsty pages.
And all these guys, you know, they're not really.
They're not getting it yet.
But you know what, if this would have been last year and they hadn't won the championship, we'll be having a different conversation.
But I think they get a pass.
What do you think? Hey?
Will, thanks a lot for the phone call.
Yes, Andy, PAHs, yes, and their batting averages and not their e R yes or not where you would want it to be.
Pa has Tonight three for three with two.
Doubles and his home run on Wednesday's game at Wrigley Field in the sixth inning was the last time the Dodger offense scored a run. So he's starting to come around and we'll see where it goes. The Dodgers are not going to pull the plug on Andy Poz after just one month and twenty five games or so. Let's go out to alta Dina, Greg, You're on Dodger Talk.
How you doing?
Greg?
Hey, that's say I don't know how I follow up that call. I don't know where that was going.
I don't know either. Sounded like the guy that was streaming at months at Wrigley Field.
Yeah, and if you play it back later and you don't have any time for that, I think he calls you Max and what's up Mad?
So I was like, oh no, this is this is going to go off the rails fast.
But on that subject, two things, right. I think this is the first year I can say every like, I don't know. The first three innings were always playing from behind, and I don't know if that's eating into these guys taking these hacks. I think Otani missed one of the splinkers today, and I'm like, I don't know how he doesn't flip at this with how hard he swings and he missed and he whipped, and it's one of those things like that's going to be on schemes, is like
highlight reel. So there's that. Maybe they're pressing because of that. But with Munsey, you hit it on the head and I called in to talk about this, but you kind of already did it that his defense, Like Freddie Freeman deserves a Gold Glove every year or at least consideration for having to put up with that left side of the infield and it's bleeding into the plate, and if the plate's bleeding to the field, he doesn't have options. Right, He's thirty four?
How long?
And I know I love him, right, so I can't believe I'm saying this. How long does this go before there's an il stint? He can't move to first, right, Freddie's not going to learn a new position. He's not fleet of foot to play the outfield. How long do you think long?
Remember we saw this two years ago, I believe, where the Dodgers sent him to the minor leagues on kind of an Iel stint. But he wasn't really that hur Aaron Bates, one of the Dodger hitting coaches, went to the minor leagues with him. That's when they came up with that backfoot step back and Tony Larusa walked the bases loaded ahead of month. See, and he hit a home run when he first came back. So we've seen months he go through struggles like this, and the Dodgers
have found a way to give him a reset. Maybe that's coming soon if he can't find his way out of it, but right now, he's a player with no confidence.
And if you don't have confidence.
Whether it's little league, college, high school, or the major leagues, it's tough to perform.
Right Yeah, and I'll end on this, Dave. You coined this two years ago and they were doing it, and then Game five when they quinched the World Series pass in the baton. I haven't seen any of that since the Ji Japan series. Right, these guys are all three true outcome. It feels like one through nine it's either a home runner or bust or Today Freddie hits an
extra base, he gets an extra base. The third, we can't even move a runner home right now, So hopefully they get back to playing with one another, not playing home run derby. It'd be nice to see the old Dodgers back.
Okay, Greg, thanks a lot for the phone call. And when I interviewed Andrew Friedman in Washington, d C. He said the same thing. Even at that time two weeks ago, he was concerned the Dodgers were scoring too many of their runs with home runs. And home runs are great. He's constructed a slugging team, but he's the guy that coined that phrase. And the players actually coined that phrase back when Adrian Gonzalez and Justin Turner were on the team.
They talked about passing the baton and that's when the Dodgers are at their best, taking walks, taking getting base hits, and really breaking that picture. They were at that best passing the baton in twenty seventeen, and that's when they started to coin that phrase, and that became the identity of every Dodger team. And we saw that a lot last year. We just haven't seen it consistently this year. Eight six six nine, eight seven two five seventy is
the phone number. Paul Skens pitches six and a third scoreless innings tonight and the Pirates shut the Dodgers out.
Three to nothing.
Now, I told you I'd give you a Blake Snell and Tony Gonsolin update. Tony Gonsolin pitched his last rehab start for the Oklahoma City Comets last week, which puts them online to make his first major league start in a couple of years this Tuesday against the Marlins, and the Dodgers need Tony Gonsolin, and it feels like he is itching and ready to go. He's still got a shaved bald head courtesy of Miguel Rojas and Anthony Banda, So there's a very good chance you see Tony Gonsolin
make the start Tuesday against the Marlins. Now, as far as Blake Snell goes, Dave Roberts said today they are shutting him down for the time being. They plan on in acting giving him a quarterzone injection, and that's to basically get the inflammation out of his left shoulder that has been tight and not cooperating since the last couple of weeks of spring training. He tried to pitch through it the first start two starts of the regular season, and when I spoke to Snell, he's in a good headspace.
And the Dodgers don't want to rush him when he comes back, and when he's activated off the IL, the Dodgers want him to not look back with his shoulders. So that's the reason why they're not rushing him. And he's in a good spot with it. And I would imagine that he will be back sometime before the All Star break, but he's basically going to have to restart his throwing program. Eight sixty six nine eight seven two five seventy is the phone number Daniels Jewelers presents the
home run Forecast. Go to AM five to seventy LA sports dot Com use the keyword home run for your chance to win a fifty dollars Daniels Jeweler's gift card predicting the number of home runs in the next game. Daniels Jewelers owned the Dream.
It's tough to go around the horn with Hosean Mota.
All right, jose Mota.
I know everybody wants to freak out over the Dodger offense, and yeah, it hasn't been good, But Paul Skens was on the mound tonight.
He was on the mountain on and he was on a mission. This kid really is is pitching like he's a ten year veteran who understands what modern based on what modern hitters are all about. When you talk about a guy that implemented his curveball today more frequently than the past. And also his word just expressed stay so much respect for that lineup. He did not take one pitch for granted. But also at the same time, every pitch has a purpose. He's okay, well, he's not a thrower.
This guy's a complete pitcher and he how your hands full. So that's what with a minimum opportunities, you have to take advantage of it, like you did against the ground recently. And the Dodgers, I mean, they've digging up a big hole because now against a guy like Skien s Dave, you cannot be chasing basis and it seems like collectively they're chasing basis and con forgetting about the process.
Yeah, no doubt about it. What was up? I mean, Paul Skeens is amazing, isn't he?
Jose he kind of he doesn't pitch the same way that Dwight Gooden did or some of these young guys like de Grom when he first came up. But man, he really he's only twenty two years old, and you feel like he's been in the league for seven years the way he has such great mound presence.
And then you know the ability to go out there and go for one hundred miles an hour he averages ninety eight coming into tonight to down to eighty three with that curve ball. I mean for a hitter who has respect first of all, his angle, which is even lower than last year, okay, at twenty degrees, and his vertical moving along with horizontal, it's just hard to square
something up. And if you're not disciplined enough and quite enough, and in fact, talking to hitting coaches, the pass guys like this, if you don't take a two strike approach, Ertie, you're going to find yourself in a lot of trouble, which is what Fred did today. Hit a nice two strike approach, even early in counts, to go out there to maximize those whatever mistakes he made, which were not a whole lot of them.
Have you seen Otani in this type of slump. It's not one for thirty, but certainly one for his last fifteen, and just his swings and the way that he's not really seen pitches.
How does he get out of this.
Yes, I've seen it. The worst I saw Tony was in the twenty twenty season and when, as we said, he was hitting on skates. But show Hey right now needs to go back to watch the first week of spring training where has happened to show Hey and those balls he hits the other way so well, that's what gets him back on track. His sona is too big. He's trying to weigh too much for a guy as strong as he is. And he understands his game. When he's going well, he's going to really minimize everything for
movement to the way he takes pitches. In fact, the way he takes pitches and a lot of Dodger players today I saw it's pretty much dictating the way they're swinging the bat. And it's not ideal on your approach if your hands are moving forward, if you're not staying back, if you're not cutting down on your swing and seeing the ball. But for show Hey, he's got to go out there and not try to beat the zone in through different zones. He's got to beat one spot, sit out.
It doesn't matter for fall behind on one. But you've got to be more selective in the way you approach your swing and what you're trying to cover, because you cannot cover those seventeen inches against a guy that throws the way he does and not like this.
Jose Mota is joining us after the Dodgers are shut out by the Pirates three to nothing. We've been talking about Max Muncy, and look, the Dodgers' offensive woes don't lay at his doorstep alone. But it's hard to ignore the fact that he's homerless to start the year. And it just seems to me, Jose, he seems like he's playing with no confidence right now.
Yeah, and I know that talk about conference being a high for a player when things are going well, but with Max, he is very emotional. And Max is a guy that wants to do so well so badly that you know, he puts all that weight on his shoulders and it is noticeable. You're absolutely right, it will not be a bad idea to go out there and get a key in there. And you brought us some opportunities and you're not sitting down or benching. Max might as well just say hey. And Dave Roberts obys is very
good about this. The Dollons organization communicates solo with players. When you have a plan about weight trying to implement and get the most out of them, just sit them down and say, listen, let's watch a game from the bench for two or three games. It's still your spot, but just allow yourself to think through it. Get more luck hopefully when he hits. Guys don't get out of suns by sitting, but it does help to just bring the game back a little bit, slow it down, study
a little bit more. Don't have the pressure of going, Okay, here we go again. I'm going to be hitting in six batters. I'm going to be hitting in seven batters, and then big opportunities find you. So doggiars do have options, have death to at least for now absorbed just not having money in there for now every single day. But just allow him a chance to watch again from afar
and know that Tom he's going to come around. I mean, if you look at the chase rates or high eggs of Veloski is not all that far from us from what we did last year, but it's certainly the approach right now is just one where he's almost in between Dave. And when you're in between and your thoughts. You ended up missing your pitch and you end up chasing more because you're just undecided on what's the swing at and not able to know what has worked for you in the past or recently.
And sometimes you take that out to the field right you're thinking so much about offense.
It does and guys say no, but it does happen a lot. Will you find yourself And Mookie talked about this last year. He's like, I'm taking my approach and to in right field. Nobody could see it, but I can't do it a short stop when I'm like working on my stands and things like that. But yeah, and the ball's gonna find you. That's the other thing too. So you want to keep that balance and know that
it is big league baseball. It is tough, and you have to be mentally tough to understand and separate those things. But man, when when it's just on you constantly and you're not getting hits and hitting the ball you know on one O three, one oh five and is not falling, it gets a little bit tough to even be out there in constary defensive signs.
All right, Jose, the good news is there's a game tomorrow. Hopefully it doesn't rain too much.
The tarp.
I'm staring out at Dodgers Stadium right now, and the tarp is on the infield right now.
Jose.
They were more than ready, man. I saw it come in, and I think they were on their game day. If they listened to you, no doubt.
They're more on their game than the ground screw in Baltimore. I'll tell you that.
Oh that's for another show, all with Cleveland. Remember Cleveland two years ago?
Oh yeah, Cleveland. Always quick with the trigger, always.
Quick with the tri Oh yeah, oh yeah.
But uh hey, no game tomorrow. Got to pick up, got to pick it up.
Love it, Jose, We'll talk to you tomorrow.
You got it.
There, he goes.
Jose Mota, part of the Dodgers Spanish radio broadcast. As the Dodgers fall to the Pirates tonight, three to nothing. Let's take one more phone call before we say goodnight. Brian calling all the way from Florida tonight. Hi, Brian, you're on Dodger Talk.
Hey, what's up guys? Hello?
How you doing? Yep? Good?
How you doing?
I'm doing great? Calling all the way from Florida.
Good Man, calling all the way from South Florida one time Brooken Dodgers saying back in the day, but schemes work us tonight. Yeah, you know, yeah, of course I love baseball.
Thank you, Brian, appreciate it. Late night there in Florida. I know I shouldn't have taken that one last call. You shouldn't have taken that one last call. Sometimes you gotta let the game come to you before we say goodnight. Just want to echo everything that we started with with the pregame show. During the game Dodger Stadium celebrated it.
Just want to recognize our guy Rick Monday once again for doing what not a lot of people could say they would do, react as quickly as he did in center field on this date in nineteen seventy six, forty nine years ago. No, not for a fly ball, but for saving the American flag out there from being burned from as Vin Scully described, two animals out there in
centerfield trying to set fire to the American flag. Rick Monday, playing center field for the Chicago Cubs back on April twenty fifth, nineteen seventy six, reacted quickly enough where those guys could not burn the American flag, and certainly will always be remembered in baseball history and even American history. Rick told the story that George W. Bush invited he and his wife Barbara Lee to the White House and asked if they could bring the flag that he saved.
So it'll go down in baseball history and American history for what he did. How much this country means to him as well. But yeah, Rick Monday was playing center field for the Cubs that day April twenty fifth, nineteen seventy six, and the very next season he was or during the offseason was traded to the Dodgers and was in the Dodgers Opening Days starting lineup in nineteen seventy seven.
Hit one of the biggest home runs in Dodger postseason history in Game five of the NLCS in nineteen eighty one, part of the eighty one World champion Dodgers who got redemption against the New York Yankees. So a big day in American history today, forty nine years ago, Rick Monday, as they wrote on the scoreboard that day in analog, he made a great play and it'll go down in
history forever. All right, tomorrow, Rookie Sazaki will be on the mound for the Dodgers looking for his first major League win, going up against Mitch Keller, who was one and two with an ERA of four to eighteen. Morongo Casino. Dodgers on Deck begins at five o'clock tomorrow, with first pitch at six'. Ten thanks To Calling ye back at Our burbank, studios thanks To dwayne McDonald out here At Dodgers,
stadium and thanks to you for. Listening in case you missed any of the show or our pregame conversation With Tyler. Glass now you can find it on The iHeartRadio app once. Again the final score tonight From Dodgers. Stadium The pirates shut out The dodgers three to. Nothing have a great rest of Your. Friday see y