Dodger Talk (5-6-25)

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 wind it.

I love writing me these guys after the show. So just thank you, give me are your attention, your fire and not a pisson.

This is world champion, Dodger, world champion.

Put a small soft time they get up people what they want to die to in a row two is special. I'm like, yeah, it's not a headache. One of a con. This ball's gone. You ready to go?

Hell time go to the sun. Grab your phone to get in on the show called eight six six nine eighty seven two five seven. I'll go to the show and now your host of Dodger Talk, David Vasse.

We are live in Miami after the Dodgers fall to the Marlins tonight in ten innings by a final score of five to four. Welcome the Dodger Talk. David Vasse with you until eight tonight. We have phone lines open. We actually have three lines open right now at eight six six nine, eight seven two five seventy. Coming up later in the show, you'll hear from five time world champion David Cone. One of the most underrated pitchers when we look back at history. But certainly one thing that

Ninety eight ninety nine two.

Thousand was when they repeated and we're the last team in baseball history to repeat his champions something the Dodgers are determined to try to do for the first time in twenty five years. So we'll hear from David Cone on what it takes to repeat his champions.

But just about this game.

Look, I'm not going to overreact to this game because it's one on one sixty two. I you know, I loved the Dodgers competitive spirit that we saw in the eighth inning as Anthony Banda was able to get an inning ending double play, not a conventional double play, a hard hit ground ball to Max Muncy.

He threw home for one.

Will Smith threw the first four the third out of the game or the inning, excuse me, And they all showed a lot of emotion. They were pumped up to get out of that jam and to have a chance to win the game in the ninth inning. It just didn't happen. And a big reason why is the Dodgers really didn't put the ball in play when they needed to. They struck out eleven times tonight and walked just five times.

And I thought Jose Mona brought.

Up a great point the bullpen game yesterday kind of handcuffs what you're able to do bullpen wise in this game because the Dodgers are playing ten straight games and you you can't overtax that bullpen that already has been taxed quite a bit. So that was a great point by Jose on what the Dodgers couldn't couldn't do with their pitching staff.

So, you know, one of those nights, But big.

Picture wise, I feel like the Dodgers are looking at a couple of different things here, especially with the loss of ti Oscar Hernandez. In case you missed it before the game, the Dodgers placed Hernandez on the injured list with a left groin strain, and Dave Roberts said it's an adductor issue and he's going to be out weeks, hopefully not months, just weeks. It's a grade one strain. I saw Ti Oscar before the game today. He was

League Baseball, as far as players that.

May be available, there's really not that many better options than Max Munsey.

Max Munsey is a really good.

Option, and you know, there are certain years where you're not the same guy that you were in your previous careers in your previous career, and look, I don't believe the Dodgers need to give up on Max Munsey. He's a really good October player, and he's a really good player with a really good resume since twenty eighteen. But if he doesn't get things going in June and the

It was it was good early. I thought, you know, as the pitch count crap up, I thought he was getting a little fatigue. There wasn't as much miss but he gave us all he had. I mean, I thought that it's the most amount of pitches he's thrown since he's been back in two starts, and unfortunately, you know, it wasn't enough. But I thought he did a nice job.

With Luis Garcia.

Just what did you see was kind of missing for him tonight that allowed them to get in.

Well, I thought he had good stuff. They hit some good pitches, some sliders when you had count leverage, and you know, the first set bat, the first pitch gets double and then I think he had norby one to two, and then a slider it just didn't get down enough and he put a good swing on it, and then obviously the base hit I think off Myer's bat, But you know, it's gonna happen.

And I'm just kind of an example of just how many bulls you guys have taken that there's going to be a cost kind.

Of absolutely, we had a few guys that were down, and so that's kind of the cost of you know, you know when yeah, that's just kind of the cost of using your pen and starters that are on you know, that don't go that haven't gone as deep, our pitch counts go up, and you know, you can't get into the sixth seventh inning. That's just kind of the cost of it.

Yeah, do you want to leave the Major's bullpen?

And absolutely not, absolutely not. You know, it just seems like you know, just certain guys, and you know, I could go back on each starter, but you're still trying to manage their health and managed mindful of the innings that the bullpen's taking on and trying to stagger as much you can and manage leverage and all that stuff. So to your question, yeah, absolutely not. We want to lead the league in bullpen innings.

All right.

There's manager Dave Roberts answering the question about how much he's had to use his bullpen this year, and let's face it, a lot of that comes from Tyler glass now starts where he.

Had to come out of the game early for three different reasons in three different starts.

So that's part of why they have so many innings. Glass now has come out of games after one inning, after three innings, so that's part of it. And also the fact that when the Dodgers called up Justin Robleski and Bobby Miller and now Landon Knack for a third start, they really haven't delivered. And given the Dodgers the option of using them more and more, they've had to go to bullpen games in place of those options early in

Most in baseball.

The second most are the Marlins at one hundred and forty eight. Compare that to how many innings their starters have thrown. It's it's shocking, it really is, considering how much talk about the Dodger rotation, and I wasn't buying into that, at least to start the year, and especially now with Glass now and Blake Snell on the IL. I was never buying into this great Dodger starting rotation to start the year because I knew there was no Kershaw,

You're on Dodger Talk live from Miami. How you doing, Tyson?

Pretty good? I wanted to talk about Michael Conforto. It kind of reminds me of when the Dodgers signed Aj Pollock and it just never seemed like he really belonged or clicked. Kind of felt kind of weird and kind of felt like Pollock was maybe pressing a little bit. I know he was pretty good at the end there, like twenty twenty one ish, but I remember that first season.

Yeah, he signed a bigger contract than what Michael Confordo did, but you're right, the first year was early on he was trying to do too much, and that was twenty nineteen. But he did hit two sixty six and he did hit fifteen home runs that year. And you're right, in twenty one he got a lot better. By twenty one he got a lot better. He had a lot of injuries. So yeah, that's not a stretch of a comparison, Tyson.

I'm just from thinking of Pollock. I don't know his regular seam stats. Remember the playoffs he went like, oh for with like majority stroke.

Oh yeah, yeah, he was not a playoff player by any stretch of the imagination. You're right, but he was a pretty good regular season player, big time, all right, Tyson, Thanks for the phone call, appreciated. Yeah, you know, like I said, that's not a stretch of a comparison. With the Dodgers were thinking with Confordo a one year contract. They're hitting coaches him being out of San Francisco because that ballpark is not conducive, especially to left handed hitters.

Because if you look at what Confordo did away.

From that ballpark in San Francisco, his offensive numbers were considerably better. Slugging percentage was well over five hundred. We just haven't seen it since the first couple of weeks of the season and asking around not a lot of answers. Nobody can figure it out why Michael Confordo is struggling as much as he is. But at this point in time, it's more mental than physical.

Let's go out to the OC. Richard. You're on Dodger Talk with David vasse Hi. Richard Off, how's it going?

How's it going?

I just wanted to say, you know, it's because the Dodgers are We're always trying to buy stars.

Can we bring them?

Can we bring them up from our farm team?

Are we always that week that we don't have anyone to bring up? Stop buying all the stars, and that's bringing up our farm team to place a good ball team, a good ball club that could win, that we.

Can win away. Don't you don't like Freddy Freeman?

You know what, I'm tired of buying all the stars? Where I got to hear it from everyone saying all the.

Time the World Series last year. You didn't like winning the World Series last year?

Don't you want to?

I want to?

I want to.

I want to I want to win the World Series. I like winning. I like winning. Richard, then become a Marlins fan.

If you want to talk about the farm system and playing young players.

Tommy and the Porter said this, we don't. We don't go free agent.

We go for our farm team.

I guess that's over with.

I wouldn't say it's over with.

The Dodgers are are grooming a lot of players in the minor leagues, but right now the expectations are high. You don't have an opportunity like the Marlins to give a young player time to grow into becoming a major league player.

I'm always getting beat up about because the Dodgers, by everyone, they're buying All Star team.

I don't know at the OC, but they must be angel fans just to just remember who won the World Series.

Remind them that, Richard.

Well, let me say this. I'm just getting beat up because all my friends say, all, all right, we.

Heard you, we heard you. Don't worry about it.

I mean, that's ridiculous, Sophomore, thank you for the phone call, Richard. Look, would the Dodgers love to have handed the job in left field or uh somewhere else to Dalton Rushing. Sure, but the expectations are really high for the Dodgers, and they have a lot of veteran players that want to win now, and rightfully so they are built to win now, and they don't have the time to wait five six months for a player to get his feet wet. That's why if they do incorporate a young player, they do it.

There's a need. Now he's going to start playing.

So whoever says the Dodgers are just buying their championships. Yeah, they're spending on really good players, but a lot of teams spend on a lot of teams spend on players, but they're.

Not the right players.

And look, the Dodgers are not going to apologize for the fact that the Red Sox decided to make one of the worst decisions in their franchise's history to trade Mookie Betts. The Dodgers are not going to apologize that the Angels couldn't capitalize on having six years of show he Otani and he decided to leave and go to a team that has the infrastructure to win a World

Hi, Bill, Hi, thanks for taking my call. Why didn't Dave let Goslin pitch the sixth inning? I know that he had the number of pitches you mentioned in the postgame show, but they had a lead and then Garcia gave it up.

Yeah, well, I agree with you, Bill, I wouldn't have been opposed to that, But we have to take into account the fact that Tony Gonsolin has not pitched in the major leagues in almost two years.

So it's a gradual build up with a guy like that. Maybe a time he.

Goes out and is able to throw ninety pitches, but obviously there were some restrictions on how far Dave could go.

With him, right. But also he did give up the two run home run to Hicks, who's a ninth place hitter, Right.

He did, and Andy Paie has rob Hicks of what would.

Have been two home runs tonight, right, So it's just one of those nights. Yeah, it's not going to happen a lot with the number nine hitter gets a home run. So there's a couple of quirks at about tonight's game.

Yeah, number nine hitter for the Marlins. Especially thanks for the phone call bill. We have two lines open now that we've taken some phone calls at eight sixty six nine eight seven two five seventy.

When we continue here from Miami, we'll get more of your phone calls in. We'll let you know which former Dodger retired officially on social media. I guess that's how you announce your retirement these days. And you also hear from David Cohne on what it takes to repeat as world champions and whether or not Cone believes show how

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 dand Bassi.

Sho Heltani leads off against leftand or Anthony Veneziano.

He comes out of the bullpen to take over for Cal Quantrill on the top of the sixth and Otani hammers.

One a ton that is an offer deck monster shot from the first pitch against the Marlins reliever, and he ties the game of two.

Rick Monday Tim Nevert on the call tonight as the Rogers fall to the Marlins in ten innings, five to four, despite home runs from sho Hey Otani and Freddie Freeman. Freeman's home run, by the way, his forty second against the Marlins in his career. That's the most home runs any player has hit against the Marlins as long as the franchise has been around since nineteen ninety three. Freeman's first home run against the Marlins came when they were

He was traded by then.

But congratulations Ross Strippling on a great career, and certainly the Dodgers will always remember you being a part of the franchise's history during this period of sustained success eight sixty six nine eight seven two five seventy is the oh number. Let's go out to Ash and Sherman Oaks. Ash, did you know Ross Strippling retired or you already.

Saw it on?

Actually I did, Dave, because if you followed some social media. Even though I just left work from just like yourself, I've been working all day, but I did.

Want to work at the Woodman.

No, I'm a I'm a dentist. I pulled teeth all day. My friend.

A job.

And yeah, but you are my favorite Dodger non player.

Of course, thank you, Ash.

I appreciate we all.

I think we all appreciate you know how much time you spend from morning till nighttime to give us all the updates the news. This is not going to be a fun conversation with you because I know Max Munsey is your son's favorite player.

But that's son's favorite player, that's Petros.

Yes, well then you know then I don't feel bad so I can be even more comfortable talking to you about this. But my friends, at some point, how many years can we handle a sub two hundred hitter. I love Max Muncy as well. My son's name is Maddix, so it's a you know, close but not close enough, but it's not enough. It's either walks or home runs. We need players that can hit the ball and get

You don't even have to go far back where you could talk about Kershaw. You don't have to go that far.

Kersha is still you know, he's still within the team. He hasn't pitched, and we're going to use him when we need him the most. But I'm really tired of you know, and you would just alternative.

It's fine that you you feel like you need to make a move.

You the man, well Arnado's name. I'm tired of reading.

I'm tired of hearing about Nolan Aeronado. I'm tired of hearing that.

I feel like at this point, if somebody says, bring trade for Nolan Aeronado, it's the most lazy take out there. Anybody could say that. That's why I came up with a very creative solution. Ash Alex Freeland is a really good player in the minor leagues for the Dodgers.

Now, is he going to be a really good Major leaguer.

We don't know, but I would love to see him get the opportunity because he's a guy that I was really impressed with in spring training. He's sitting three hundred for Oklahoma City. He's a baseball player, he's a baseball rat. I love guys like that, and Hayesan Kim told me he loves Alex Freeland as well, guys I have heard he is a great teammates. So it might be Alex Freeland and Dalton rushing time if Munsey and CONFORDO don't get on track soon.

I don't with you. I didn't call you know. You know much better than all of us because you're in the the thick and thin, as they say. But at some point, I think every Dodger fan, none of us have anything bad to say as far as Max Munsey personally, but at some point.

He loves being a Dodger. He cares, He cares a lot. You could tell me he.

Bleeds he bleeds blue, and that's the only reason that he's still with the team, I believe, because he bleeds blue and he would ticket back seat with someone coming in front of him and doing better, and he can't take it backseat and be not an everyday player.

But I don't care if Max Munci or Otani. If you're hitting and playing every day and it's either a strikeout or nothing, you're doing harm. And I love you, brother, man. I love listening to you. Sometimes I'm listening to you more than the game because the game is three hours and I don't got that time pulling out sets, okay, and doing surgery. But I'm been a Dodger fan since I came to California in nineteen eighty eight, and I bleed blue and nothing else. And I just want the

We need to be a I hear you, I hear you, Ash, I hear you, and I appreciate the love and you you could podcast. Why don't you replay the show for your patients? They have nothing to say about it in your doctor's office?

Moving forward?

How about that, Sinatra? As I'm pulling out their teeth so they can't be.

A little more probable.

But I.

Want to get off the phone sec and listen to everyone talking, and I appreciate everything that you do. And people don't realize, brother man, how much time you spend away from your family to be and report to us. You're like, you're like seventy eleven for Dodgers.

Thank you.

I appreciate that. And my wife is a saint. I wouldn't be able to do this without her support. So she's home with the kids while I'm in Miami and on this ten game, ten day road trip. But yeah, I appreciate that, and my wife is a I remember Vince Scully always praising his wife, Sandy, and I always thought it was just, you know, him giving his wife some shine, right, But doing this now for my fourteenth year,

So every day I pinched myself that I'm doing this.

And as far as Max months, he goes, look, I know It's frustrating at times to watch him, but this is who he was day one. He's a three true outcome player, slug, strikeout, or walk.

That's who he is.

And it's only thirty six games in. He did do something to try to see if it works. He went to go see doctor Alex lou Out in Rolling Heights. He's the same eye doctor that diagnosed keyk Hernandez with astigmatism and same thing with Munsey. So now you're seeing him wear some goggles. Those are prescription and it feels like he's having better at bats. And when I talked to him before he hit his first home run of the year, he told me he felt like May was going to be the month that things click.

And I gotta be honest with you. The bats are better.

He's hitting the ball harder, So I'm not ready to pull the plug on Max Munsey. Resume track record means a lot to me. We're thirty six games into the season, he's playing better defense. I'm just saying, if we're into game ninety and things are not clicking for him on all cylinders, then I believe the best option for the Dodgers is either more Key k Hernandez or to consider

Same thing with Dalton Rushing. I think it's really.

I believe it's really interesting that after saying they were not going to use Rushing in left field in the minor leagues, that all of a sudden, now in the last week he has started twice in left field, and by the way, tonight he started at first base. Obviously, the Dodgers have a pretty good first baseman in Freddie Freeman, who, oh, by the way, homeward again tonight he has eight home runs. Freddie Freeman is hitting three forty four with an ops

He's not flashy.

He's not trying to, you know, make it rain when he hits a home run or he does something spectacular on the field. He's just consistent. And the biggest thing that people fail to realize, the biggest part of being a part player on this level is being a guy that you can count on. And Freddie Freeman's not only great that he plays and he hits, but he's out there every day, even on a bad ankle. Still playing every day says a lot about him. He's a Hall of Famer. He's one of a kind, and I hope

David, sorry, door shut. Everything he just said is accurate. I love Freddy. I mean, he's a man's man. He does everything right, shows up every day. The main reason I was calling was the gentleman who called about buying a team, and he gets all the slacks from his buddies.

Yeah.

I have a bunch of Brewers. Yeah, I have a bunch of Brewers fans that are my friends. And they're always talking smack to me too. But I'm like, look, call the Braves, call the Red Sox, call whoever you want. They gave up Mookie, they gave up Freddy. You know we're talking about billionaires here. Every every owner of every team is a billionaire. If they want to spend, they'll spend, and Dodgers just go after what's the best. I mean, I'm not I'm not hating on it.

Ask your Brewer fans. Ask your Brewer fans.

What took place in twenty eighteen and what took place in bas around at twenty.

Twenty Dodgers and Dodgers owned the Brewers. And I reminded Justin Turner when I saw him in Chicago he hit a home run in betting practice at Wrigley Field down the left field line. I said, oh, there it is. There's that Jeremy Jeffers home run.

Remember Jeremy Jeffers was talking all that smack about the Dodgers during the NLCS, and Justin Turner shoved it right where you know it belongs.

Colin.

Oh absolutely, And I was, Me and my son were in the stands in twenty eighteen when Monthy hit the walkoff homer first the Red Sox. So I mean, I can never say a bad word about that man. He'll turn it up, he'll turn it on. Monthy always comes alive. I love him, Lucky number thirteen.

And all right, call him, thank you for the phone call. No doubt.

Look there's something to be said about a track record. I know, guys get older and maybe bat speed decline, skills decline. This is Max Munsey's last year on his contract. He's very well aware of it. Maybe put a little bit too much pressure on himself to start the year. I know everybody talks about his condition, his weight. Well, he lost a lot of weight during the off season, and a lot of times when a player loses a lot of weight, depending on how they did it, it's

Hey, what's up, Dave Man. Thanks for taking the call. First of all, I just wanted to kind of go on what Ash was saying to earlier. Man. Thanks for everything you do, like literally appreciate it. Like I have a long commute for San Diego purposes, but I listen to you guys all day and you always filled me

Yeah, well, number one or Joy, that's one thing you could put players out there. But for me, the biggest concern is not that the Dodgers can find somebody to play center and right. Pajez is going to play a lot of right. But for me, who's going to step

They have to give Will a day off. So that's my biggest concern.

Yeah, no, I completely agree. I think defensively, especially with how Pa has has come along with his work with Evil, it's definitely not that. But it's like Will.

Play right field. That's no problem. They could get Key g and center.

They could When Edmund comes back, he'll play some center. Kim can play some center. But who's gonna hit five through nine? Who's gonna be who's gonna help move the line six through nine?

Do you think it's time to give CT three and some of those extra that I'm all in.

I'm all in with CT three. I think it's hard for him. You feel like what, I'm.

Sorry to cut you off. Yeah, I feel like his approach has been better in the minimal you know that's that he has had and I don't know about it.

Well, it's hard, it's hard only playing, it's hard only playing and starting once every two weeks. But that's where he's at right now. And I'm you know, he has a trek record too. Why not give him a few more opportunities? Thanks for the phone call, appreciated. Eight six six seven two five seventy is the phone number. Marlins beat the Dodgers tonight five to four and ten innings.

He was part of the last.

Team in baseball to repeat his champions that was the two thousand Yankees. And I wanted to tap into David Cone because he was such a fierce competitor about the mentality you have to have to try to do something that only the Yankees have done in the last twenty five years.

How motivated are you to be great? How motivated are you to have a legacy? How motivated are you to sort of be remembered.

As a dynasty? And that's what you got going on here.

Historically speaking, you're going to have ten twenty years from now, you're going to look back on this air and said that was the dynasty And did we do all we could to make sure.

That it happened?

How did David Cone and the Yankees twenty five years ago stay motivated not when it got to October, but during the marathon.

Of the season. It was the same thing.

It was a relentless professionalism. It was just a never too high and never too low kind of a mentality of you know, you forget the losses, you forget the tough games. You're ready for today, You're ready for the next game, and you really do just stay in the present. That's where that mentality comes through, is when you just think about we play today, We win today today's game. That is all that matters. I'm not worried about tomorrow. I'm not worried about yesterday.

That makes sense.

David Khane is our guest before I let you go. Everybody from Barry Bonds to David Vase has shared their opinion on whether or not Shoheyo Tani should pitch again.

Where do you fall on that. I let him do what he wants to do. He's earned it. Yes, he should pitch again.

He absolutely should pitch again, especially when you think that the Dodgers and the type of games are going to play in September and down the stretch run and potential postseason. Absolutely he should pitch again. Everybody wants to see that is their risk involved. Of course, there's always risk involved, but you know that's what he wants, and that's why he signed here because he was guaranteed that he would be able to do both. So if he's game, I'm game.

Let show hey do what he wants.

All right, there's David Khane and to hear that full interview before Sunday Night Baseball, you can find it on the iHeartRadio app.

I love tapping into him.

I think he was one of the best pitchers from nineteen eighty eight until two thousand through a perfect game with the Yankees, a five time World Series champion. Think about that, he won five World Series championships. How many players pitchers can say that he was a winner. And for a period of time there he was being traded to teams to get them over the hump at the deadline to win a World Series, in particular the Blue Jays, and they did. They went back to back World Series

See just done.