One thing about this gene is the invisible and tangibles that they have.
This team is really becoming a family.
Let's not play one on Tom, Let's win this. I love listening to these guys after the show.
So just thank you, give me all your attention, your fire, and not a pisson.
This is world champion, Dodger world championing for a.
Small soft time they get a people what they want to die to in a row two is special. I'm like, yeah, it's not a headache. One of the con This ball's gone. You ready to go?
Hell time, go to the su grab your phone to get in on the show called eight six six nine eighty seven two five seven and go to the show. And now your host of Dodger Talk, David Vasse.
Welcome to Dodger Talk. David Vasse with you until two thirty this afternoon. Then we'll hand it over to the overworked Rogan and Rodney and then Petros the Money take over for a full four hours right here on Dodgers Radio and five to seventy LA Sports. We have three lines open at eight six six nine, eight seven two five seventy. The Dodgers Fault today in Cleveland seven to
four to the Guardians. They had a golden opportunity to sweep the Guardians and come back on a winning road trip that started with them losing two out of three to the Mets. Instead, they come back five hundred, but obviously wanting more because they had this game, and unfortunately Tanner Scott and Alex Vesia cannot get them to the finish line, in particular Tanner Scott, who has now blown five saves after blowing just two all of last season.
And it's funny right already. The spin is out there with some tweets where it was a seeing eye single through the left side of the infield by Nolan Jones to beat Tanner Scott to tie the game with a two run single. That's not completely true. I mean that is where the ball went. But here's my question. And Tanner Scott, we saw him last year. He was overpowering at times last year. That's the reason why the Dodgers gave him the richest contract of any reliever this past offseason.
What we saw from Tanner Scott and what we have seen from Tanner Scott is not the same guy that we saw last year. Where's the guy that dominated Otani? Last year right one for ten, he owns Otani because he overpowered him with his fastball. Instead, he's thrown ninety six and he's casting his slider this year. I mean, when you look at this play, this pitch sequencing from Tanner Scott, he's got Nolan Jones, the leadoff hitter of the Guardians, down one two, He's got two strikes on
him with one out and the bases loaded. You would think he would want to try to get swing and miss and not put the ball in play. Number one. Number two, if he and Will Smith have decided on a slider, is why I'm so I just can't believe this. That's the reason why. I mean, I'm it's incomprehensible to me that the Dodger defense was shaded to pull Nolan Jones when Tanner Scott and Will Smith and remember there's a pitch com right, so everybody in their hats here
what pitch is coming? So number one, why is Tanner Scott and Will Smith not coming up and end to try to strike out Nolan Jones? Number two? Why are they throwing a slider away from the left handed hitting Jones with the infield shaded for Jones to pull Mookie Betts was behind the bag. Why are you throwing that pitch? Why is the defense aligned that way? The defense should be aligned with the pitch. Is not everybody on the same page here, So you know this is on Tanner Scott.
I don't want to hear about how this ball was seeing guy through the left side of the infield. No, it was a poor pitch call. It was bad alignment by the defense and whoever's aligning them. They were not on the same page. That's the inside of the inside of baseball that wins or loses games late and the Dodgers obviously were not on the same page. And Tanner Scott obviously has not been the same Tanner Scott from
a year ago. It's utterly frustrating. And if you're Tanner Scott and you're the closer and you're making more than anybody else in that bullpen, you should be standing at your locker after the game today. You know. Kenley Jansen used to get criticized early in his closing career after he blew saves rare saves by the way with the Dodgers that he wasn't at his locker to be accountable. Where was Tanner Scott. Today he did not speak to the media. You've got to be there. It shouldn't be
just Alex Vessia. Sorry, Alex Vesia had to try to clean up a mess. Alex Vessi is a two time World Series champion. He has credibility with this fan base. Tanner Scott, you don't eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy is the phone number. Let's go back to Cleveland to the only stand up reliever speaking to the media after he gave up the go ahead three run home run to Unhel Martinez. Alex Vesia, I.
Mean tried to throw him, obviously, two change ups and they were not very good. So and then say fast balls right down the middles. Gotta be better in those situations. Obviously, Yeah, the.
Little them are hard contact than usual for you. What do you think is leading to that right now?
Just misses have been bad. It's pretty much it's gotta gotta keep going and uh, executing pitches a little bit better. Is it more mechanical pen that you're kind of working through or it's just like a bunch of other on sources. How it's going right now? Made mechanically? I feel fine, So it's I don't think it's anything regarding that.
I think it's just.
Making bad pitches.
Much just with kind of the workload the bullpen's taken on lately, Like how tough has it been as a group just to kind of keep bouncing back, and I.
Mean bullpens, the bullpen, man, I mean it's I feel like we go through it every year. So it's, uh, you know, we're a bunch of tough guys down there, and I'll bet on anybody, so at the end of the day, I gotta do a better job.
All right. There's the stand up Alex Vesia, the two time Series champion, Alex Vesia answering the questions in front of his locker. Unlike Tanner Scott by the way, Alex Vesia, I mean, he hasn't been the same guy as far as keeping the ball in the ballpark. That's been a problem for him and the rest of the Dodger bullpen this year. They have allowed thirty three home runs this year. That's the second most in Baseball of any bullpen two the Angels, who have given up one more thirty four
home runs. The Dodgers and Red Sox have blown the same amount of saves this year twelve blown saves to lead Major League Baseball. The Dodger bullpen gives up five runs today to blow what would have been Clayton Kershaw's first win of the year. He had a gutsy performance. He competed his butt off for five innings to put the Dodgers in position along with their offense to get
this win. But it wasn't meant to be. Eight six, six, nine, eight seven, two five seventy is the phone number, David Vasse with you until two thirty today here on a five seventy LA Sports. After the Guardians score five in the eighth and beat the Dodgers seven to four, let's go out to riverside. Michael lead us off on Dodger Talk. Hi Michael, Hi Dave, how are you doing. I've been better, Michael.
I'm a little frustrated with way things have gone for the Dodger bullpen and for this team, and certainly from you know, honestly a disappointing start by Tanner Scott.
Well, I wouldn't just say disappointing for Tanner Scott. There's a lot of pitches on this staff that he just whipped himself in the mirror and take take Payton Kershaw's leads on not only competing, but not not just throwing, but learning how pitch against some of these Major League Baseball lineups. You know, you know, I've been a lifelong Dodgers fan. I grew up in the late seventies going to the Dodger games when they were playing Yankees in
the playoffs, and I was looking up do that. I think we've been lucky enough as a fan base to have some broadcasts over the years. Not only been, of course, but Rick Monday, as you mentioned yesterday, how his baseball IQ and just his knowledge of the game is second to none. And we're not only lucky enough to have him,
but Jose Mota as the second one. You know, he's got an amazing insight as well, and uh you know, uh, it's it's it's refreshing to to to get their takes on a day and a day off basis not only there but yours as well. One thing I will mention, uh in conclusion of the broadcasting, Uh, he made comments with regard to I believe it was Wayne Rendozo a few days ago on the Apple broadcast or what have you, and how much of a homer. He is for a
team that he doesn't even represent anymore. But uh, you know, I I do understand broadcasts are homers to a certain extent for the teams that they actually are employed by.
Well, I'm not a big believer in homers. That's not what we're accustomed to in La, Michael. I mean, if you grew up in La, we had the best of the best, and we all knew they obviously wanted their teams to win, but they always called it down the middle, some more than others. Chick hern Ward on his sleeve a lot, but Vince Scully, Bob Miller, even Dick Emberg
back in the day. And look, my only gripe with Wayne Randazzo that night was that he was basically calling the umpire stupid when that broadcast booth that had no idea about the rule as far as what it is to tag up when a ball is being babbled. That was my only gripe is it's fine if you don't know the rule, but you're basically calling everybody else the idiot when they had the call right, and honestly, even Brian Gorman in New York, I mean, yeah, he had it right. They went to him, and that was a
good thing to have that tool at their disposal. Look, I'm not in the business of criticizing broadcasters or play by play guys. They're like in the cockpit flying a plane. It looks a lot easier than what it is. It's not that easy. So I'm not in the business of criticizing play by play guys. Let's go out to Eric in the two one three. You're on Dodger Talk. How you doing Eric?
You doing good? Dave Man. I love your passion, man, I love the fire in you because it tells me that you care and I care too. You know a few things really quickly, Man, Why is Kim not playing? Man? He started?
That's not the reason why they lost today. Kim's a role playing I know that, of course.
No, No, hold on, hold on, I know that. I'm just I'm just trying to get my points out. I'm just saying, but.
Why would you call about hay Song Kim when the Dodger bullpen gave up five runs in the eighth inning. It has nothing to do with today's game, because.
You're not letting me finish my take, man, Okay, well finish it. I'm calling about it. I'm calling about it because he started off hot, then you benched him. It's all, you know, Roberts Freeman being cute. And it leads me to my next take, which is putting in Tanner Scott right in the seventh inning, Like, what is there like something that I don't know in terms of the splits? Is he doing something different? You know, baseball players are creatures of habits.
Man.
I noticed because I used to be a baseball player myself. It's very routine.
Orient Well, here's a memo for you, Eric. It doesn't matter if it's been the ninth inning, the eighth inning, or the seventh inning. Tanner Scott has not been the same guy. And Dave Roberts put him in to face a weak part of the lineup, maybe to help him get his confidence back, and he still couldn't get the outs.
And guess what this leads me to. My next take is Freedman giving the contracts to the wrong guys. Why are you know?
Look, okay, hold on, hold on, let me ask you a question. Were you celebrating in the streets when he signed Tanner Scott Because the rest of the baseball world was they couldn't believe they signed him, and everybody thought, Okay, that's it. So you know, be honest with me. When they signed Tanner Scott, were you excited?
And and snell.
I asked you a question, Eric, I asked you a question.
No, I'm saying what am I saying, David? I'm saying that I was happy because when he signed, snell I was happy to blast. Now when he signed Glass Now the year before, I was happy too. So here's here's my question. This is my question. Okay, is it are we signing the wrong guys and they're getting injured or is there something more going on in terms of the pitching staff, the workload, what we're doing with these pictures that are leading to these injuries.
Man, all right, well you're going all over You're going all over the place with that question. You're talking about Tanner Scott, who's healthy, You're talking about the off season signings. You're all over the place on that, Eric. So I can only answer the questions that I can answer. The pitching injuries is one thing. Signing the wrong guys is another. The Dodger signed what everybody thought were the right guys, but they just haven't performed. Snell got hurt, Tanner Scott
hasn't performed, Michael Confordo hasn't performed, Kirby Yates has been. Okay, so every off season signing hasn't panned out the way everybody thought it would, not just in the Dodger front office, but across LA and across Major League Baseball.
Okay, but here's my question. Are you here, Dave?
You have a lot of questions that are not connecting. You went from Hay Song Kim to Tanner Scott to pitch your internet. I gotta move on. Sorry, Sorry, you were bouncing all around like a Plinko board on prices right. I'm very happy to answer all these questions. But Hay Song Kim and bringing in Tanner Scott in the seventh inning have nothing to do with each other. They are mutually exclusive. And Hay Song Kim not playing today had nothing to do with Tanner Scott and Alex Vesia giving
up the game in the eighth inning. Sorry, let's go to Walnut.
Jay.
You're on Dodger Talk. Wow, j My head have to get my head back on straight after that call.
Yeah, most definitely, so as I see it, for the Dodger pitching, we are terrible and the amount of contracts they just gave out to terrible pitchers like Blake Snell, Tanner Scott for example.
Were they terrible though? Isn't there a reason why other teams were trying to sign them? And you know they they were coveted as much as they were. I don't feel like they are terrible. And when Blake Snell gets back, I don't think I.
Think he'll be when it comes to actually doing their part of the job.
Oh, right now, they haven't done their job. You're right, Jay, it hasn't been a good start for those guys. So what's your solution?
Work with somebody like that and you can't get any wins or you can't get the job done. It's like, I don't know how the team must feel having a ride with those guys on the bus, on the plane. It's it's terrible, man. It's making everybody upset.
And in the.
Offseason when they signed all these guys, I didn't think it was a great idea.
Oh really, there's.
Much better pitching out there.
That Really, who did you want the Dodgers to sign? Why don't you tell me what your shopping list was and what you could have done better instead of Tanner Scott, the best closer on the market, and Blake Snell along with Max Free, the two best starters on the market. The only argument you would have, Jay, that would hold credibility at this point was the Dodgers maybe should have signed Max Freed instead of Blake Snell. And even that is a huge armchair quarterback call.
Yeah, but se that's that's that's a problem. Are either the pitching coaches are not.
Oh yeah, it's the pitching coach's fault that a two time Cy Young winner decided to pitch through a shoulder issue that they could have nipped in the bud if he was just honest with them. Sorry, Jay, apologize. That's not on the pitching coaches. It's not on Andrew Friedman. Blake Snell is our pregame guest two Saturdays ago and even took responsibility for that. So here's my thing. Here are guys that have signed big contracts, Michael CONFORDO even
for one year, big contract, Blake Snell, Tanner Scott. At some point you have to acknowledge, especially early in the year, We've seen this time and time again. We're seeing it in New York with Wan Soa and the Mets. These guys try too hard to impress to justify their contracts, and then they settle into it. I fully expect that to happen with Blake Snell. I hope that happens with Tanner Scott. Like I said today, that was a groundball
to shortstop. If Mookie Betts is positioned where he needed to be on a slider away from a left hander, it makes no sense why the Dodgers infield was positioned to pull on a left handed hitter like Nolan Jones when there's two strikes on him, and Tanner Scott and Will Smith on the pitch com are saying they're going away with a slider. Where's the strikeout pitch? By the way, as well, how about don't leave it to chance and strike them out, throw a fastball up and in tie
him up and move on with the bases loaded. Eight six, six, nine eighty seven two five seventy is the phone number Dodgers blow their twelfth save of the season. That's the most in baseball. With the Boston Red Sox as the Guardians a void, a three game sweep seven to four. Let's go out to see me Valley Sam you're on Dodger Talk.
How you doing, Sam, I'm doing pretty good. This whole Tanner Scott situation brings back memories of Tom Devency or when he gave a home up. I'm not home runs up in the in a playoff game or a World series and they end up losing the series.
Yeah, that was the NLCS in nineteen eighty five. He gave up a home run to Ozzie Smith and Game five and then gave up a go ahead home run to Jack Clark, and it's completely different. So go ahead with your call.
Well, yeah, I just and then he came back to next year and then just Temyer didn't perform at all.
Yeah, he was old.
But I do what yeh, what I do like is or your point that you said that they brought him in in the Panner Scott in the bottom of the order to try to build up his confidence. I didn't even think about that. And that was that was I really I thought that was a really good point you brought up.
Hey, thank you. Do you know what the batting averages of the players he faced were. We're talking about a one fifty hitter, We're talking about a two sixteen hitter. We're talking about a two forty six hitter. We're talking about a catcher that probably is one of the worst hitting catchers in baseball the last two years. Austin Hedges batting a Buck thirteen. I mean, those are the guys we're talking about.
Yeah, and it should be easy out see and get the.
Ball, and get the ball to Alex Vesia, who would have came in in a clean inning to face the top of the order. That was the thinking behind Dave Roberts' strategy. Appreciate the phone call, and thank you again for bringing up the most traumatizing moments of my childhood watching the Dodgers, Tom Needon Fure giving up home runs
to the Cardinals in the eighty five NLCS. I don't know if you know this, but after he gave up that home run to Jack Clark in Game six, in the ninth inning of the eighty five NLCS, there was a picture, black and white picture in the Herald Examiner, the old Great Sports section, of Tommy Lasorda in his office with both hands over his head, buried in his desk. I cut that picture out and put it on my bedroom door until spring training the next year, and the
reason why Tom Needon Fure was in that game. Steve Jaeger Rick Monday have explained this to me. He was overworked that year because I'm fortunately Steve House demons caught up with him in the beginning of the year. So Tom needing Fewer was the best reliever and was overworked by the time they got there in the NLCS. So thank you very much for bringing up that great memory of Tom needing Fewer and the Dodgers. All right, let's go out to Huntington Beach. Paul, enough of David vasse
traumatization as a Dodger fan. How you doing, Paul.
I'm good man, I loved, I loved, fired up David pass I appreciate you today, dude, and I'm with you. I don't know why we're comparing a loss in May to giving up an NLCS on an over the hill pitcher who's over worked compared to a guy that's.
Six weeks into a season.
But that's beside the point. Yes, book man, I'm as frustrated as anybody. The Bullton has been unwatchable. Twelve blown saves is unexcusable. But let's be honest, dude, I mean, we got at least four guys down there in the pen that aren't even on this team. If we're healthy, and if the nuts right, I mean, we're not healthy. So it is what it is. But this team is doing very well considering everything they're dealing with. And by the way, we went through something really similar last year,
except it was on the physician player side. Let's we forget. We were running an infield out there of Nick Ahmed and Cavin Bizzio and Chris Taylor on the regular and we and we weathered that storm. We're gonna weather this storm and it's gonna be okay. I mean, if this team were five games under five hundred, we can hit
the panic button. Otherwise, we have a road trip against two really good teams and we come out of it three and three in the midst of a dogfight of a schedule at this point in the season.
So yes, it sucks.
Yes we get frustrated, but let's not compare anyone to Tom mean feor let's take a deep breath. It's not even freaking June first. All right, dude, I'm fired up too.
I'll talk to you later on Hey Paul and Hintim Beach the voice of re right there. I'm sure he was at HQ Gastropub making that phone call, but he's right. And I've used that comparison to last year as well. Coming out of the All Star break, the Dodgers were banged up for a variety of different reasons with their position players and had to run out those guys and
it was a rough patch. But the biggest difference is there is nothing more demoralizing to a team than giving up leads in the ninth inning or in the eighth inning, when you think you have the game sewed up and you have your closer coming into the seventh inning and then into the eighth inning. There is nothing more demoralizing than a blown save. Trust me, the Three Red Sox can attest to that. The biggest difference for the Red Sox and four was not trading Nomar, it was getting
a real closer in Keith Folk. The Three Red Sox blew so many leads late in the game, and the Dodgers right now are in that category. They have lost twelve demoralizing leads they lead the league and blown saves twelve and we're only what eight weeks into the season.
There is nothing more demoralizing than that, and that's part of the reason why today, despite winning two out of three in Cleveland, was a gut punch to lose this game today, and even more concerning, like our guy, the Voice of Reason in Huntington Beach, Paul said, the Dodgers are banged up in their bullpen. Hopefully they get Kirby Yates back on this upcoming homestand hopefully Michael Kopek is not that far behind. But you're not gonna be able to go to those guys back to back games or
three out of four. Keep that in mind as well. Eight six, six, nine eighty seven, two five seventy is the phone number Dodgers fall to the Guardians today, seven to four. Let's go out to David in Century City. You're on Dodger Talk. How you doing, David?
Hey, David, I'm too in fine. I called you last year and said you were my Dodgers therapist. I think you need a Dodgers therapist today.
Yeah, we need a leather cap.
But you're doing a great job. I was thinking about your idea the other day about Bobby Miller coming in in a relief position, and I actually thought about there's a comp in Dodger history for someone like that, almost the identical situation, and that was Eric Ganie. Yeah, he came in as a starter, he kind of scuffled for a couple of years, and then he was the most dominant closer for three consecutive years.
Great comparison.
I think maybe Bobby could could fill that kind of role.
And Danye was a fastball change up guy, and Bobby Miller could be a fastball change up guy.
Maybe you can arrange a meeting.
I would love to. Danye is my guy. I gave him a tour of Dodger Stadium and the Speakeasy a couple of opening days ago. But hey, that's a great call, David. That's a great comparison of a success story. Obviously, I hate to say this, Pegagne. He had a little help to be the guy that he was, but nonetheless he was a better closer than he was a starter.
He has a streak that I don't think I'll ever be broken.
Eighty four eighty four yeah days, yeah, eighty four consecutive saves. All right, and I'm with you, Bobby Bullpen, We're all in.
So just to light in the mood, where was I when Freeman hit Oh see.
I love that on the eve of the World Series rematch. All right, David, I said this at the beginning of the year. I don't care the situation the blown saves. I want to hear where you were when Freddy hit his slam.
So you know, I was on pins and needles with my whole family in front of the TV, just thinking, you know, the most negative thoughts about, oh my god, we're about to go down, you know, one game to nothing against the dreaded Yankees, and then all of a sudden, he hits that home run and he holds that bat up like a saber, and it was just a glorious moment, and I think something that every Dodger fan will remember for the rest of their lives.
Are you gonna make it to any of the three games this weekend? David, I will not.
The prices are way too.
High, are they. I haven't checked.
Oh one more thing, one more thing. I was at the Rick Monday game when he saved the American flag.
Wow, I mean you've seen a lot.
Where was I moment?
You sound young. I like your voice. You sound like a very spry seventy years old.
We'll not quite said, I'm not quite sixty yet, but I was was actually there with you were a kid, was there with a group of friends. Yeah, we were there all together for a Sunday game, and we all saw it together and it was you know.
Well, I take it back. You're right on point. You do sound like a sixty year old, no doubt.
All right, Well, thank you so much, Dave. Keep doing a great job.
All right, call back anytime. Thanks for the phone call. Sorry about that, I said seventy. I thought maybe you were twenty or something when Rick saved that flag in seventy six. I apologize. Sixty years old. All right. We're gonna take a time out here on Dodger Talk. When we come back, we'll check in with Jose Mota. We'll hear from Clayton Kershaw, who pitched very well today and
deserve to win. Unfortunately, the Dodgers give up five runs in the eighth inning and lose to the Guardians today seven to four on A five to seventy LA Sports.
On air at AM five to seventy, online at AM five seventy LA sports dot com, and available by podcast on the iHeartRadio app.
This is Dodger Talk with David Bassen, no highlight, no highlight, No on hell Martinez go ahead, three run, home run highlight. The Dodgers fall to the Guardians today, seven to four. They end their six game road trip five hundred three wins, three losses. They lost two out of three in New York and win two out of three in Cleveland, but obviously a downer on the flight home they thought they
had a sweep. Unfortunately they did not, as they had seven four runs on seven hits, while the Guardians seven runs, fifteen hits and scored five runs in that eighth inning. David vass with you until the bottom of the hour. Well check in with Jose Mota in a moment. Also a very entertaining day in Dodger history. And we also want to send out our birthday wishes to Kirk Gibson. Happy birthday, Gibbie, and also happy birthday to mister clutch
Jerry West, who he lost in the last year. Incredibly, I had a tighter relationship with Jerry West than I do with Kirk Gibson, so I missed Jerry West a lot. We would have a yearly dinner myself and Doug gricoryan with Jerry West. One of the dinners that we went to recently before he passed away was at the Dalray.
We went there and that was an awesome dinner Phil trainees obviously, and the last time we had dinner together with Jerry West was a couple of years ago before the game of a Clipper game at Staples Center because they had a home game and we made a way to meet him there. He invited us there and got us tickets and obviously Duck recording and Jerry West go
a long ways away. When Doug was covering him with the Herald Examiner, I got to know Jerry threw the great Duck recording and my one of my mentors, Joe McDonald. They included me and those dinners and some of the best basketball stories you would ever hear, and one of the great guys you will ever meet, Jerry West. So Karen West and Ryan and the rest of the family were thinking about you, and of course Number forty four
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. The Dodgers lost today, but Clayton Kershawn, making his third start of the year, pitched really well. He went five innings today and there's an argument to be made he could
have gone six innings today. Let's head back to Cleveland to here from the future Hall of Famer.
Yeah, I mean the first sitting was pretty rough.
Uh.
You know, I think Andy making that throw, getting that guy out a second was huge for me. Limited the damage. And you know, I'm fighting some stuff mechanically and different things. I was able to make a few pitches here and there to get through five, but obviously wasn't pitching good enough to be able to stay in the game, which you know makes the Bowl been after more innings, and
you know, sometimes stuff like this happens. So you know, frustrating for sure, but you know, I think at the same time, there's some there's some progress, still more reps and you know, overall, to only give up one run and pitch that bad is a good thing, so just on to the next one. So it's that kind of like what you're hitting on last start, like you just need to kind of need the reps at this point just to kind of yeah, there's just some stuff I
need to just hammer down. I think I've created some bad habits and you know, and just with with not feeling my best, I think I created some bad habits last year, so and then I haven't pitched a while. You know, I haven't pitched a long time, So there's just some growing pains. I think with the first you and you know, physically feel great, just gotta keep throwing and figuring it out.
Where do you see that translates or just when the command gets a little inconsistent or kind of executing.
I mean, I think at the end of the day, you just you know, when you're going good, you throw a bad pitch, you can make the adjustment on the next one. And right now the adjustment's just not happening fast enough. So it just comes with time and reps and I hope and we'll just keep doing that, all right.
There's Clayton Kershaw. After five innings, he competed his way through that allowed just one earned run and you heard him say, yes, Andy pat has made a couple of strong throws. Ta Oscar Hernandez also some strong throws. So Andy Pa has quietly has become a guy for the Dodgers, a dude, as they say, hitting two seventy now with an ops of seven sixty seven. He drove in a run today and certainly has played really good outfield since
the beginning of the season. He has put in the work and he has seen the fruits of that labor. And Kershaw corrects me, he didn't feel like he deserved to go back out there. He feels like he had a very fortunate five innings. But he's going to be harder on himself than anybody else. And he's right. He hasn't pitched an over a year. This was only really his second start of the year because of the rain in New York, where he only got to go two innings.
So this will be a gradual build up and hopefully the next time out he can go six innings at the very least. I know that's what he expects. He doesn't really celebrate five innings. In case you're wondering, he did have three strikeouts today, so he's just twenty six away from three thousand in his career. Seven two, five seventy is the phone number. We'll get back to your calls in a moment, but first.
It's tough to go around the horn with Hoseane Mota.
All right, jose Mota, you just heard from Clayton Kershaw. What did you think about his outing and do you believe that it is a work in progress?
Oh, it is a work in progress. But I'll tell you what, man, he stands up like a man and faces really reality and where he is on the things that he wanted to do better. And that's his picture credibility and accountability right there to say, hey, I know that there's some things that I missed with there's a couple of pictures early that he got squeezed with. He just got the ball and right back auld work, and
I think I truly admire that. And you know, even though the Dodgers starting pictures have been scuffling, getting you through six or seven innings, we've got to take it one step at a time with him, his execution got better as a game progressed. So I know he demands a lot of out of himself. But you know what,
kurse last seven innings right now? He is allowed one earn run and I'll take that any single time, and his leadership should sort of well in the clubhouse in that right now, not just by what he brings, what he carries, but also the way he acts and how much he demands of himself every single time out.
All right, let's fast forward to the eighth inning. Jose, I've talked about this and Tanner Scott not getting many strikeouts, and I just couldn't figure out why the Dodger defense was not on the same page, or why Tanner Scott was not on the same page with his defense. With the pitch choice with two strikes on Nolan Jones.
I mean, it really comes down to execution, and he used it out execute. I went back and looked at spray charts on Nolan Jones, I went back and looked at locations on Tanner Scott, and it really comes down to Tanner Scott not making a pitch. Now, I did share with you the high view, high home view of the defense, and with a guy that throws that hard, usually you want to see an adjustment up the middle
with your middle infielder. Because if you notice that chart and what I said to that graph, the outfielders are playing opposite field and I mean they're shaded way over the left field, but the middle is not. The infield is not. And in that case, it's gonna come down with Mookie Betts as he learns a position more and more to adjust on the fly. David, I'm telling you is it doesn't come overnight. But those are things that
you have to do better at. Considering that the slaughter is not a put away pitch right now for Tanner Scott and the fact that if you stop the bat on contact, it was just that location. But I do want to see with two strikes on the leftild throws out hard. Two things. Number one, this guy Lola Jones says one a ten against fastballs, and I know we made that suggestions, which is a very good one one
at against fastballs. Number two is the white pout pitch is not there right now and lefties are hitting three fifty seven against you know, Tanner Scotts. There are so many things to look at. But on the defensive side, I do agree with you that you have to read the swings and go out there and protect the outer half opposite field because a LEFTYBD like that, who's not considered a power guy, just gives you more of a chance to find holes, and he did.
The consensus is Tanner Scott's finding too much of the plate, whether it's a slider or a fastball, no doubt. How does he get back to the Tanner Scott that the Dodgers signed.
He's got to work down Dave. I also went back and looked at some of the things they did last year. Where he lived, you know, we say where he lived, the heat map. Everything's above right now, everything is you know, above the knees and at the waist and bigley. Hitters are not going to be full by ninety seven ninety eight if you're living upstairs now. To make that fast more more effective obviously is to vary the eyes of
the hitters. And he's not doing it right now. The slider is not a wipeout pitch right now because he's thrown it too high. As you talked about, he's casting it, he's not ripping it as Kershow does and did so well today a couple of times, and that is constantly, and hitters can smell that righty's lefty. That doesn't matter.
Now.
You see when he pitch down on hedges. What happened and certainly that was good execution, but he's not their consistent basis and very unpredictable to see exactly where it's going to go. But he definitely has to work down in the zone a little bit more to get more chases and even walk around with guys swinging around the
edges a little bit more. But I just don't see it happening, and maybe he needs to adjust a little bit more on the way he thinking with one mile hour lesson last year that he perhaps thinks need to be adjusted for him.
Jose Mota is joining us after the Dodgers fall to the Guardians today seven of four. Jose, let's talk about something good. And the Dodger outfield has gotten a lot of bet a lot better with Taoscar Hernandez getting more reps in right field getting comfortable there, and Andy pie is putting in so much work with Dino Ebel today it kind of helped kershaw last five innings.
You go back to just three weeks ago, and so let me go back to the first week of the season. You and I were talking about this and you're like, do you think this outfre is going to be challenging going first a third? And yeah, the first couple of weeks. Yes, that's changed now. Guys are attacking the ball. Now, guys are taking better routs of the ball. Andy Piez is a difference maker in the affield by the way he goes after balls with his angles and how he throws
a baseball. But it really saved curse today. But these guys going out there and knowing that you got to cut down the distance to see that third base coach hold their arms up. Even if you're just charging hard, you got to just have a reaction from a coach or a player to say, I can't go right there. And the guys are making very accurate So you know,
kudos Toadino and all the works he's put in. But certainly I do admy the fact that even going back to the first second week of the season, things have changed drastically in just the outfield play and how many more runs they're saving nowadays.
All right, they'll need all that defense. That was the difference in the World Series last year, along with Freddie Freeman being on another planet. Can't wait to see you at Dodgers Stadium on Friday for Dodgers Yankees again.
Jose, All right, my friend, keep doing a good job, thank.
You, thank you. There he goes Jose mode. I can't stand too many compliments. Seated Jose eight six six nine eighty seven two five seventy is the phone number. Dodgers fall to the Guardians seven to four. They are still still going to be in first place. At the end of today, they're thirty four and twenty two, tied in the lost column with the San Diego Padres. Let's go out to Jim in Torrance, who also wants to flash back to nineteen eighty five. Hi, Jim, you're on Dodger Talk.
Hey Dave, let me tell you something. Today was tough to watch, but I'll tell you in eighty five that was a killer. I'm the guy that took the picture of Tommy Lesorda after the loss that you were talking about a little earlier, And I'll tell were you really were.
You were the guy that night. I had your photo on my bedroom door for a whole year.
You did that makes me happy and sad because it was a sad picture.
Yeah it was. I was depressed. Even eleven year old kid knew not to pitch to Jack Clark.
Well, I'll tell you Tommy was great when they won great for pictures, but in a case like this, when when the Dodgers lost or it was really tough, he.
Was a frightening guy.
I went into it to his office and I was hiding behind a guy named Alan Malamud.
You might know him.
Yeah, that was a good guy to hide behind. He was pretty big.
Well, he's a good guy to be behind. Corecoryan was in there, and there was only.
Why would you pitch to Jack Clark Why.
They were a little more subdued, but only three reporters had the guts to go in there and talk to him because he could be tough, and knowing that, I literally snuck in behind him, had my camera ready. I was behind Malamud and I was watching and watching, and when his hands went up over his face, I shot one frame and I'm telling Dave, I ran out the door and survived.
Hey, that picture said one thousand words, And uh, that's awesome, Jim, thank you for calling. That's a full circle moment for me. One of the most traumatizing sports moments in my life. That and the Lakers losing in Game seven of the eighty four Finals.
Yeah, that was another one, Dave. I appreciate that and if you lit up my day when you mentioned a.
Picture I shot.
Hey, you lit up my day years ago. I know, I know, I wish. Oh man. Let's let's leave it right there, Jim. Okay, let's not go down any further. All right, thank you, Jim. I appreciate the phone call. Those were two great columnists in Tommy's office, that's for sure, Doug Grecreyn and the great Alan Malamode. Malamud eight six six nine eighty seven two five seventy is the phone number. Let's stay in the OC. Well, let's go down to the OC. Sorry, I know Torrence is the South Bay.
I apologize, Orange County. Steve, you're on Dodger Talk.
How you doing, Hey, I'm great, Thank you, Dave. You know, the guy from Hunting to Beach was very uplifting what he had to say. My take so far is that our starting pitchers are not giving us the innings that we need. We're almost like it's almost like every game is an opener. Kurse did a great job today. Our bullpen is just tired. Too many innings. I don't fault fetch you for his mistake today. They happened the a bullpen. Guys,
They're not allowed to have a bad day. They have to be perfect every time they go out, and we all know people aren't perfect. I think Tanner Scott needs to sit down for five days. He needs to get his act together. And I'm going to be controversial here. The Dodgers have had a non group come out and be a pregame.
Come on, Steve, you're gonna go that route.
No, no, no, hang on, And that was a real debacle. But I'll tell you who's the starting pitcher right now, who come in and pitch for a thousand bucks, who's worth one game shot? And that's Trevor Bauer, who could come in and give us innings. I know he's not like there. I know he's controversial, but you lay it on the line for this guy, say, look, you got one game, you're gonna get a thousand bucks. Give us this six innings and we'll see.
What treating it like a Sunday Beer League. They're not just bringing in a guy for one thousand dollars in a major league game. Steve, thank you for the phone call. Eight six six nine seven two five seventy is the phone number. Look, that's that phone call started out really well. And then it evolved. So I'm sorry, but I thought maybe the best suggestion was our guy David in Century City.
Going with what I suggested the other day, the Dodgers should consider Bobby Miller coming out of the bullpen, at least for the short term and see where it goes from there, because right now they need some help in that bullpen. And like you said, I thought it was a great pull. Eric Gangne was He's a middling starter, And actually the Dodgers gave the Blue Jays the option of either Luke Procopec or Eric Ganne in an offseason
trade for Jason Worth. The Blue Jays chose Procopec, and Ganie got wind of it and obviously got a wake up call when the Dodgers told him you're going to the bullpen. And he became the most dominant closer of his generation. Eighty four consecutive saves, and he did it with ninety nine miles an hour, and he did it with a bugs Bunny changeup, and we got a glimpse of what could be for Bobby bullpen if the Dodgers
decided to have Miller become a relief pitcher. Ninety nine to one, Soto eighty six change down in a way. That's all he needs as a late inning reliever. Here's another suggestion. Ben Casparius has been so valuable in so many different ways. Right He's come in, he's opened, he's pitched three innings, he's pitched one batter. I feel like at this point in time, the Dodgers can find a Lou Trevine or a Matt Sower to be a guy
that can cover two or three innings. They need Ben Casparius right now to be a high leverage reliever in the seventh, eighth, or even ninth inning. Ben Casparius is a big time weapon. And I know he's a starter. He could even start if they decided to go that route. But they need him as a high leverage reliever, and he would do it. He's embraced everything the Dodgers have asked him to do. It's time to consider Ben Casparius as a high leverage reliever in the eighth inning, a
four out type of guy. Whether it's a closer on certain nights or a guy that bridges from the seventh inning to the eighth inning. It's time for Ben Casparius to be a high leverage reliever. Let's take one more phone call before we share one of the most memorable entertaining situations in recent Dodger history. Let's go out to Oceanside. Paul, you're on Dodger Talk. How you doing, Paul, I'm doing well, Dave.
Thank you. You've had some funny callers today.
Yeah, you're not gonna suggest bringing back Yassi ol Puigue.
Are you get to pitch? Yeah?
No, But I would like to expand a little bit, Dave, if you would please on this. I'm gonna piggyback the uh Eric Guignier thing and the Bobby Miller thing. If you could maybe enlighten us on when the Dodgers have like these really good starting pitchers in triple A, do they not want to use them as short term relievers because of the development of the picture or why do you know why we wouldn't bring up a couple of these guys justice do some spot eighth, seventh, eight things
like we could have used today? Yeah?
Number one, it has a lot to do with development. They don't want to stunt the young man's development as a starting pitcher, and a lot of times you're kind of playing with their career, right, Paul, Because they're a starting pitcher, all of a sudden, you're going to make them a relief pitcher. I think the Dodgers want to give some of these guys more of an opportunity to prove that they can start. But for whatever reason, it
hasn't clicked with Bobby Miller. The Dodgers have to consider and Bobby quite honestly, would have to embrace this role if he wants to be in the big leagues this year and help the Dodgers make a run for his second World Championship, that would be the best role for him to be a relief pitcher in some form or fashion. And who knows, you know, closers I e. Tanner Scott make a lot of money being a really good relief pitcher. So it's up to the team obviously to make that
decision with the player. But the players has got to want to embrace that role.
Great, Thank you, Dave. Yeah, I thought it might be development wise, could stunt them, but really appreciate your work and keep.
Up the good job, all right, Paul, thanks a lot for the phone call. Appreciate it. Yeah, you know, I could say Bobby Miller and the Dodgers could believe Bobby Miller could help them out of the bullpen. But unless Bobby Miller believes it and embraces it, it's not going to work. So we'll see. I don't know where his head's at, where the Dodgers head's at right now, but
certainly it could work. It can work, and Ben Casparius may be needed as a high leverage reliever considering Evan Phillips has no timetable on his return, Blake Trinin not expected to come back until the final months of the season. So it's not the craziest idea of Ben Casparius becoming a high leverage reliever and using somebody else to be the bulk long man for the Dodgers. Ben has been outstanding in so many different ways. All right. I want
to share this with you. And it's not an on this date in Dodger history that goes back to Brooklyn. This happened back in twenty sixteen and I lived it. We all lived it. Remember, during the twenty fifteen NLDS, Chase Utley at City Field slid into second base hard Ruben Tahada broke his leg not because of Utley's slide, but because Tahada in my opinion, was completely out of position.
His back was to home play, trying to do some circus type of a play at second base, and Utley, as he has done, goes in hard and all of a sudden, Joe Tory freaked out. A lot of pressure from the New York media, New York and Major League Baseball. They changed the rule. It's kind of dumb now where guys can't go into second base like they used to.
But nonetheless, fast forward to the following year, first time the Dodgers were back in city field, Noah Cindagard, yes you know where I'm going, was on the mound facing Chase Utley in the first inning of that game, the first time Chase Utley had returned to New York since the twenty fifteen NLDS and the whole Ruben Tahada brew Haha. Harry Terry, Terry, Terry, Terry, Terry, Terry, get.
A handle, come on, let's call, come on, let me talk.
To talk to me. Then you talk to me about it. You look, you gotta give us a shot. You know what, you give us shot. Listen to me and let me hear what I'm saying.
Okay, you get your son you had your son right there in the situation.
Why the hell the situation? Why shut that doesn't that makes one?
Terry?
That makes it?
I know nothing.
I got nothingday that that I I told that, Harry.
I can't told that.
You know as well as I You know where I stand. I'm hold but that's you know that, Harry. Listen, I'm telling you our ass is in the.
Jackpot now, Okay, okay, that's I'm just telling you.
You know what.
That's that's what you got.
You got it, you don't get it, you got everything out.
Hey, my ass was in the jackpot today too. That's Tom Hallie and Terry Collins. And we all know now that Noah Sindergard was on the Dodgers. He did not have the heart to hit Chase Sutley. That's the reason why he threw behind him. And Terry Collins overreacting. I mean, come on, you had your chance, tell your second basement or shortstop to play the position correctly and he wouldn't
have gotten that hurt. Thank you very much. Joe Torri, who I respect very much, overreacted and caved in and made an overwhelming rules change that still lives in infamy all right, that'll do it for us. On Dodger Talk today Tomorrow off day Dodger Talk. Andre Ethier has begged me to come on the show. So I'll be a charitable guy and put Ethier on the show tomorrow night. On an off day Friday.
Night, Dodgers Yankees with Ensino's own MaTx Freed returning to La as a Yankee. He is the best starter in baseball, undefeated in eleven starts this year, seven to zero with an ERA of one twenty nine, going up against Petros's favorite Tony Gonsolin, who is tune in one with an.
ERA of four to sixty eight. Morongo Casino Dodgers on Deck begins at six o'clock. First pitch at seven to ten, naked a simulcast because it's on Apple on Friday Night. Thanks to Colin you for all his help, Thanks to Dwayne McDonald in Cleveland. Thanks to Petros and Money and Tim Kates for their morals support, and thanks to you for listening.
Rogan and Rodney, Yes, a big half hour right around the corner, Petros and Money coming up for our big four.
At three o'clock once again. The final score in Cleveland, The Guardians beat the Dodgers seven to four. We'll talk to you tomorrow. Rogan and Rodney next see them