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Dodgers lose again. They fall to the Brewers six to four, a game in which the Dodgers battled back from a three to nothing deficit, took the lead, only to have the bullpen give it up with a three run eighth inning by the Milwaukee offense against Daniel Hudson, and the Dodgers fall to the Brewers six to four. Hi, Welcome to Dodger Talk here on this Thursday afternoon. Tim Kate's with you here for the next thirty minutes until we
hand things over to the Petrols. Some money show. Eight six six ninet eighty seven two five seventy eight six six nine eighty seven two five seventy. The Dodgers at one point had a five game winning streak. They won the first two games of this series in Milwaukee. A first place Milwaukee Brewers team, by the way, and a really good team that's very good late in games, and that is more obvious than the last two days where
they've come back and beat the Dodgers. Today. They do it with three runs in the eighth inning against Daniel Hudson as the Dodgers fall apart late and lose today six to four. They split the four game series with the Brewers, but when they split games, they're losing in
the standings. As the lead is getting smaller and smaller, as the Dodgers now have a two game lead over both the Diamondbacks and the Padres in the NL West, the Dodgers said at seventy one and fifty one, the Diamondbacks and Padres are both sixty nine and fifty three, two games back in the loss column, two games back in the win column. As the Dodgers played today, the Diamondbacks and Padres are both idle. So the Dodgers just lose a half game. So a two game lead now
in the division and down the stretch they come. And if you're a Dodger fan, buckle up because it is going to be an interesting run for the Dodgers the rest of August September and going into postseason play, as the Dodgers right now find themselves with some question marks, and I think the biggest question mark the Dodgers have is the bullpen, and I bring it up for this reason. Daniel Hudson's got a lot of innings underneath him right now.
And today Daniel Hudson gave up three runs. And it's not reacting in the moment, oh no, But look at his numbers. Fifty one innings now or fifty innings pitched for Daniel Hudson. Last year he had twenty seven to third combined with the year before. Because he's been hurt for the last year and a half leg issues. In twenty twenty one, Daniel Hudson pitched to combine fifty two innings. He's gotten to that point now where he matched twenty
twenty one already here on June or August fifteenth. The Dodgers need to find more arms down there in the bullpen. And you look at what's coming. Maybe Bruce Dargradole, Ryan Brazier certainly is going to be added to this bullpen this weekend in the Saint Louis series. Blake Trining again. A lot of miles on that arm and that body. It's been taxed this year. He's on the injured list right now. But the Dodgers look at this bullpen and They've had a lot of arms being used and a
lot of miles put on these arms this season. And the reason is starting pitching has just not gotten deep. Starting pitching has failed to go deep into games on a consistent basis. When you've got starters going three innings, four innings, pitching into the fifth and asking your bullpen to get twelve outs, to get fifteen outs, to get seventeen outs in a game, and do it on a daily basis, You're asking these guys to pitch a lot
out of the bullpen. Accountability for the starting pitching, yes, and it's taxed the bullpen, And that to me is a problem because it's August fifteenth, and I see a lot of veterans down that bullpen that have got a lot of innings underneath their belt, and I look at what's coming to help this Dodgers team. Is it going
to be enough? I think the biggest answer to this problem, and I think it really is the Dodgers' biggest problem right now their bullpen and having enough guys with arms left to get him down the stretch and into the postseason. The Dodgers are gonna need to get more out of these starting pitchers. They're gonna have to get more effort in innings out of every single starter moving forward. Jack
Flaherty today, ninety three pitches through five innings. You could have maybe thrown them back out there in the sixth to face the heart of the lineup. Mitchell Contreras adamis for Milwaukee. Maybe he gets them out, Maybe he can get three more outs for the bullpen and make it a little easier for them. But they need more starting pitchers to get at least five, I mean minimum five now moving forward, because this bullpen to me looks tired. This bull bullpen to me, I mean look at Evan
Phillips as an example. Evan Phillips, the slider doesn't have the bite anymore, as daunting as he was out there on the mountain late in a game, and how tough he was for hitters with that sweeper. He just does not look like the same Evan Phillips. These guys are getting older, and more innings put on these arms because of the lack of ability of starting pitchers to go deep has run this Dodger bullpen into the ground. It just has. And the Dodgers are a first place team,
They're a team clinging on the division right now. Seventy one wins is fantastic, But I look at this team if they were if they were a car, they'd be almost running out of gas with their bullpen. Are they going to have enough to get through the stretch run and two October? The starting pitching is gonna have to be better. And with River Ryan going down, the Dodgers now need to find another starter tomorrow. Is it Justin Robleski who's gonna go out and pitch for the Dodge?
It can't be a bullpen game. There's no way they can go a bullpen game tomorrow, not after the bullpen had to pitch the last two games. Land and Next saved their rear end by pitching four innings the other day in Milwaukee and not having to go to anybody out of the bullpen. But now back to back games, you're asking the relievers to get a lot of outs. Four and a third innings yesterday they had to pitch combined today the Dodgers' bullpen had to come in and
pitch the final four innings. Eventually, you can look down to the bullpen and say, man, we just don't have the arms they've had to piece it together with different players that they've picked up. Honeywell, they picked off of waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates to pitch against the Tigers right before the All Star break. Brent Honeywell wasn't on anybody radar, and all of a sudden he's come in and been a much needed arm out of that bullpen
to help out the relievers on the back end. But today you saw I tire Daniel Hudson, to my opinion, Daniel Hudson that just didn't have the bite, didn't have the control. And they're gonna need to get better starting pitching moving forward. Eight sixty six nine eight seven two five seventy. No Mookie Bets in the starting lineup today. It looks different, It certainly does. And and Mookie, you know, knowing that is gonna have to play every day moving forward.
I know he missed what forty some odd games, and Dave Roberts wanted to get him off his feet today and not play four days in a row and get him ready for the next the next series in Saint Louis. I don't know his body, I don't know what the situation is, but you're in a dogfight and I need my best guys out there, not second guessing him. But you know, maybe Mookie gets out there and plays today, and I know he's he's still coming back, but Mookie
is a freak athlete. Mookie bets can do anything. And to me, Mookie Betts's got to be in the lineup every day, and I think moving forward, he will be in the lineup every day. Today a day off to start the game, and the Dodgers lineup just looked different. It did show. Hey, o Tani one for five today, put the ball in play, only one strikeout. But don't look now, he's now hitting closer to two ninety than he is three hundred. That slug starting to come down.
The Dodgers today put the ball in play, but hit it right at guys. They had ten hits out hitting Milwaukee again for the second straight game, but for the second straight game, can't hang on to a lead. Yesterday it was the defense getting away. Today it was Daniel Hudson in the bullpen letting them down. The Dodgers going forward are going to have to get better outings from their starters, deeper outings from their starters, because the bullpen,
to me, looks taxed five seven. It's goad to the phones. Let's start things off with Garrett and Portway Niemi check it in here on Dodger Talk on this Thursday afternoon. After a rough one, Dodgers lose six to four to the Brewers. What's up, Garrett, mister Tim, how are you?
I'm gonna assume could be better?
Yes, you're correct, Yeah, all.
Right, okay, so I'll get right to it. The eighth inning, I think you know, I'm usually the one on the other end of the Dave Roberts is the breezing Vollbar problems saying guys that players got to play the game. But just to your opinion, case that eighth inning, you know, he couldn't find the strike zone, so he walks the first two guys. That's no big deal, But there was nobody up in the bullpen n till he'd already given up a run. And to your point you just made, we
need to give these relievers a break. And we're typically the ones that don't let the starters work through your problems, but we let the relievers give the game away. And I don't want to be hysterical, but I think you got the statup yesterday. I listen to the last Yesterday show too, three and forty going into the eighth inning with with losing or being in the eighth inning.
That was three and forty two. Now one day he had that number.
Yeah, that's why I'm calling, right, I have vacillated, not even calling. I'm like, this is one game, but it's not one game anymore. We we have given away so many games in the eighth and ninth inning, and I think it was fascinating and fought back on some callers a few weeks back when someone says we don't have a closer, I think we'd start very evident. We have him, we just do not use him as one Michael Kobek, we traded for him. What are we doing? We need
some stability in that eighth and ninth inning. We just don't have it. And as much as I love Daniel Hudson man He's had a career, he just doesn't have He doesn't have that outpitch every game. And it's we should have had someone backing him up when we saw he didn't have it in the first three in the first three batters, is my point. I don't think I really had a point calling, and I think I just meant to say, like, you brought up a good point yesterday and today it read it's over ahead again.
Yeah, I appreciate it, Garrett, thanks for that. Uh, Dodgers three and forty two when trailing after the eighth inning, it's not that they're blowing games and the three forty two because of that, when trailing after the eighth inning, they are in the eighth inning on they are three and forty two. That's the number Rick Monday hat. So it's games late. They're just not able to come back and win it. It's not blowing leads per se.
Uh.
Yeah, the last two days haven't been good and they've letting leads get away from them. Today they give up three runs in the eighth inning. You talk about a great point you brought up. They don't let starters work through issues. And that's a baseball issue. That's not the Dodger issue. That's a baseball issue. They're so quick in baseball now to get to the bullpen the first sign
of trouble adversity. It's rare to see a starter be allowed to pitch through it, work himself out of a jam, try to you know, really find a gut check and see if he can get out of a jam with runners on or deepen account and pitch himself out of it. Teams are so quick to go to the bullpens. And with that being said, you're right today Alex Vessia pretty much had a long leash there in the seventh inning.
I know they started getting Daniel Hudson up, but back to back walks, an infield fly to Frelick and then they leave him into face or a tease, and he's still struggling to throw pitches and find the zone. And it was a three to two pitch that he got to pop out, and then terrain comes up and he falls behind three to one. I mean, Vessia had a pretty long leash there, falling behind in the count. Batter after batter after batter, after walking the first two that
he faced. If that were a starter the first two walks, managers would have came out and pulled the guy. But for some reason, Alex VESSI had a long leash today. Daniel Hudson did too. I all here from Dave Roberts coming up in a little bit. I don't know if he'll address it or not, but the Dodgers. Maybe he just didn't have the options today. Maybe guys were down and they couldn't go to him late in the game.
Now you bring up cope Michael Kopek, I think is your high leverage reliever right now with the freshest arm, And I think today was a good spot for him
in the sixth inning. And I questioned it at first, but Colling you and his baseball wisdom pointed out Dodgers with the four to three lead, it was the heart of the lineup coming up for the Brewers there in the sixth inning when Kopek took over after five innings of Jack Flaherty, Garrett Mitchell, Wilson Contreres, and Willia Damas, You've got the heart of the lineup right there for Milwaukee. And you bring in Copeck. You have a one run lead.
You need somebody in to put a zero up. You need a stopper right there for the heart of the lineup for Milwaukee. And he did exactly that line out, strikeout, fly ball boom. Copeck gets the heart of the Brewers lineup out and then you leave it up to the rest of the bullpen to face Sanchez, Hoskins, Frelick and the guys at the bottom of the lineup for Milwaukee. Turns out Bessia struggled held on to the lead, but Daniel Hudson just couldn't get it done in the eighth inning.
And again, the problem to me is, you've got a gassed bullpen and I don't I don't see it getting one hundred percent anytime soon. It's not like they have got days off coming. It's not like the All Star Break is coming. It's not like they've got a bunch of starters in a row that you can say, Okay, you know they're gonna give them six or seven and the bullpen's gonna get a little chance to catch his breath.
The way it is now, the Dodgers have got TBD tomorrow, Tyler Glasnell on Saturday, and you can probably pencil in at least six right for Tyler Glasna on Saturday, and then Clayton Kershaw on Sunday. Hey, roll the dice. We don't know what Clayton Kershaw we're gonna get moving forward. It's game to game? Is it the good one? Is it the Clayton Kershaw posts shoulder surgery? We just don't know because we don't have enough sample size yet. After a few starts since he's made his return eight six
six nine eighty seven two five seventy. JB Louisiana is next up here on Dodge Talk. Welcome, JB. Thanks for checking in. We got to JB. Go ahead, JB, go ahead. You're on the air, all right, Jabi, I'm gonna put you back on a hold. We appreciate you checking in from the Bayou. Let's go to Nick and San Diego is next up here on Dodger Talk. After the Dodgers blow a lead in Milwaukee.
How you doing?
Nick? Not too good. I'm not happy about the last two games. You know, I'm starting to call calling Roberts insteads the manager. I'm calling the mismanager. You know, I you know, I understand all the players love him. You know he's good with the media, and but I don't know. He's not a strategist, that's for sure. He leads to too long or not long enough. Either way, it is never the right way. You say you're talking about Copech
coming in, find a harder lineup. No, Kopex should be a closure period.
Yeah, but you got to hang on to that lead at that point, I appreciate the phone call. Nick. You got to hang on to that lead. In the sixth inning, it's four to three and you got the heart of the lineup coming in in a Milwaukee Brewers team that's top two in baseball and comeback wins. You need to put a zero up against the heart of the lineup in there in the sixth and if Dave Roberts is looking down the bullpen into what he got, Michael Copec's your best option if he goes to Vessia or he
goes to somebody else besides Michael Kopek. Everybody's calling right now and said, why don't you go to Copek when you got the heart of the Brewers lineup coming up? He did that. Kopek put up a zero. Then it's on Alex Vessi to come in and put up a zero. In the seventh inning, he walked the tightrope and did
not before walking the first two batters. And then it's given to Daniel Hudson who again starting to rack up those innings and put a lot of miles on that body that hasn't been out there for the lot pull out the greater part of the last two years because of injuries. Now I don't know who was shut down. We'll hear from Dave Roberts after our break here, but you know, the options may not been in there for Dave Roberts to go to eight sixty six, nine eighty seven,
two five seventy. Alex Vesia throws twenty seven pitches today Daniel Hudson blows the game and throws twenty pitches. Are Vessie and Hudson now down for Saint Louis series? They're not pitching tomorrow. Can they come back and pitch on Saturday? Or are they done until Sunday? So now you've got two less arms you can go to at least for the series open tomorrow in Saint Louis. We'll take a break, we'll come back, we'll get to your phone calls. We'll
hear from the manager. Dave Roberts. I'm just as frustrated with you, But I look at the Dodger bullpen and I'm starting to get a little worried. Aging arms and a lot of innings. A lot has been asked for this Dodger's bullfit because the starter's inabilities to go deep into games, and it's not just a Dodger problem. It's a baseball program a problem. And I got a story for you as well. Major League Baseball maybe coming up with a plan to fix this problem because starters just
don't go deep anymore. Eight six, nine, seven two five seventy Dodgers losing Milwaukee six for the final. They're leading. The division has shrunken down to two games. They're just two games up now on the Padres and the Diamondbacks. We'll get to your phone calls player from Dave Roberts next right here on NI seventy LA Sports Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio.
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Dodgers losing Milwaukee six to four. They were down three to nothing, tied, it took the lead, Daniel Hudson gave it away in the eighth India with three runs as the Brewers win. It's six to four. Coming up. We'll hear from Dave Roberts, so also gonna tell you what Major League Baseball is gonna maybe implement in a few years as far as starting pitching requirements. Let's go back out to the phones. Rudy and Baldon Park is next up on Dodger Talk. How you doing ruddy right?
Guys?
Do it?
Thanks for taking a call. Sure I hear some Congress calling and talking about the starting pitcher bitching. I know we don't have a lot of good I mean they don't go along like before, but the boopin the booping being weak for a while already. These are not the first or second time they do it. They do it in Detroit, they did it yesterday, They've done it other times. I mean, is it a bitching coach or do you think they warn or you think their bullpen is getting
too old? Because before we used to have a good bullpen.
What happened?
It's a lot of aging arms down there, appreciate it, and injuries have hit this Dodgers team. You're you're counting on trying in Brazier, Hudson, I mean, uh, Vesia, I mean, these guys aren't spring chickens. You know, they're all over the age of thirty. These are guys, a couple of them past the age of thirty five and have battled injuries the last couple of years and missed significant time, and now you're asking to come back and do a
full workload. It's tough. You're seeing guys hit walls. Alex Vessia did and seem to be pitching better the last week or so. Daniel Hudson, maybe he's hit that wall. I mentioned. He's over fifty innings now for the for the season. He didn't have fifty innings combined the last two years because of injuries. Jimmy and Santa Clarinas. Next up, you're on Dodge Talk. Jimmy, how you doing good?
Are you?
Tim?
Thanks again, I appreciate it. I just you know, we got we gotta get a hitting back. I mean, we need to score at least five or six runs a game. So, I mean the pitch has been all right. I mean, I say, check clarerty in Persian. But you know that dude slider got it's nasty. It's nasty.
Yeah, all right, appreciate it, Jimmy. They had ten hits today. They out hit the Milwaukee Brewers the last two nights. Defense threw it away for the Dodgers last night late and they lose to the Brewers. Today, the bullpen gives it up a bullpen that has gassed, the bullpen that is tired, and the bullpen that right now, I don't know who they call upon for help. The only help they're going to get is if starting pitching goes longer and Major League Baseball. Today ESPN a report that Major
League Baseball is considering a six inning minimum for starting pitchers. Now, before you get too excited or too upset about this, anytime there's a rule change, like the pitch clock or anything that they implement Baseball, they have to start it down the minor leagues. The robowump the computerized Baseball umpiring system, it's being used in the mind of these right now.
It's still another year away from being implemented, at least in Major League Baseball, so it has to kind of go through its trials and errors and test runs at independent ball in the minor leagues before it actually gets to the major leagues. So this would still be a few years away. But Major League Baseball's thinking is starters just don't go long anymore. It's very rare that you get a starting pitcher to go past the fifth inning.
The average is five and a third innings. So right now they would have it at mandate that a starter has to go six innings and the only ways you couldn't go six innings is if the pitcher got hurt, you give up more than four runs in a game. And what is the third rule. There's a third rule that major League Baseball four throw one hundred pitches, give up four more earned runs, or you get injured. Those are the only way a starting pitcher would be able
to come out before six innings. You get to one hundred innings, one hundred pitches, you give up four more un runs, or you get hurt. And the caveat is if you get hurt, you can't just say, oh, my guy's hurt, I'm taking them out of the no, no, no. The injury has to involve a stent on the il
to avoid a kind of manipulation of that rule. So this is what Baseball is thinking about, and if they did implement it have to be agreed with the Baseball Players Association, and it's still years down the road because that's how things work. Again. You have to roll it out slow, six eating minimum, throw one hundred pitches, give up more earned runs, or get injured. Are the only three ways and exceptions that a pitcher can come out
of a game. I kind of like it. Now, maybe you have to loosen up the pitch clock a little bit to help out with that, because now we're really just taxing starting pitchers and rushing them. But yeah, I kind of like the framework of where they're going. Maybe they'll tinker with it a little bit. Certainly the Players Association is going to push back, but I like the framework of that. I like the idea and thinking a Major League Baseball to implement a six inning minimum for
starting pitchers. Again, it's going to be down the road. You have to build up minor leaguers to do what you got test run. It's it's not just gonna roll out next year. So it's it's down the line. But something major League Baseball is kicking the tires on Ken in Newport Beach next up here on Dodger Talk. How you doing Ken?
Hey?
Tim? So you know, I've had issues with Roberts handling of pitchers for a long time, going only back to World Series in Kershaw leaving them too long. The last couple of years in playoffs a perfect example of Bueler gave up four runs, four walks, and four innings, and he has an era in the minor leagues of six point fifty and six. In the majors, he should have been out of there when you could see he didn't have any ability to throw strikes. Now I understand what
you're saying about Kopex. He is the single best guy that got out of the pen. The problem with using him in the six is that Dodgers are losing games in the eighth and ninth and they didn't have the beginning of the lineup in the eighth inning. But their pitchers are so bad these days coming out of the pen. I'd rather see Cope Prits be your closer so that you can then figure out how to use your other
guys in the regulatings. But unfortunately we gotta watch this thing because you look at what Arizona and San Diego is doing. They're scoring seven, eight to nine runs a game. Yeah, getting scary.
Can I don't think they're going to maintain that pace. I appreciate it, we've got to run, but I just don't think the Padres and the Diamondbacks keep up that offensive face. There's just no way they can do it. Daniels Jeweler is the official sponsor of the Trip around the Diamond Stop by any Danner's Jeweler's location and say home run for your free team bracelet and a fifty dollars gift card towards any purchase of ninety nine dollars
or more. Daniels Jewelers own the Dream. Let's hear from the manager, Dave Roberts and what he had to say postgame.
Dave, how do you process a game like this and specifically, how do you process the way the eighth inning went for you guys?
The eighth inning, obviously, I felt really good about having Huddy start the eighth and I think he just, you know, from the first hitter made a mistake with Cheurio and in a one run ball game, gave up the pull side double and then you're trying to manage that run. Then he gives up the unfortunate walked to Mitchell, and then even after that, he gets a ground ball that was a double play ball that just unfortunately hit him
and it was right at Gavin. It's a double play ball, and I think later on the inning another ball hit him, the black ball just to Keyk's left, so we couldn't turn to there and fortunate enough to get an out. So it just kind of went awry that inning. But you know, it's one of those things that happens, but very uncharacteristic of Huddy.
As far as the offense goes, they gifted you some runs with some poor defense. And how did you see the offense today?
I thought, offensively, I like the approach. I thought we hit to all fields. I don't know how many times we struck out, but it just seemed like we were taking good at bats. I've got some big hits, and so yeah, I liked it. I thought we had enough to win a ball game.
All right.
There's Dave Roberts talking about the eighth inning Daniel Hudson. Yeah, some tough look balls that go off the foot of Daniel Hudson, certainly, but you know, he wasn't getting swinging missus and he was struggling to get ahead in the count.
Alex Vesi in the seventh inning also struggle with his pitching and the Dodgers' bullpen falters, and the Dodgers give up their game in Milwaukee and they get the split, splitting those four games with the Brewers, who are at first placed team in the NL Central and who knows, Dodgers, they very well see them again come October. But the Dodgers got themselves a fight now, two game leading the division.
Padres and Diamondbacks both off today, so they are just now two games up when they started the day two and a half. They pick up a half game on the Dodgers, and the Dodgers now will get ready to go to Saint Louis for a three game series against the Cardinals. That's gonna do it for Dodger Talk. Coming up next, Petrows some money show. They got a big show until seven o'clock lined up for you. Great sports talk to launching pad Ryan Dempster on a football talking
as well. Take your mind off this tough one for the Dodgers. They blow a lead in Milwaukee, let this one get away, and they're leading out down in two in the division. Ryan Hudson the winning relie. Daniel Hudson the loss for the Dodgers in relief, Dodgers losing six to four. We're back at it tomorrow from Saint Louis Dodgers and Cardinals, first pitch at four o'clock. Come here
Brono Casino. Dodgers on deck at four o'clock. First pitch coming up X five to fifteen Until then Pet shrows some money show coming up next right here on an I seventy one eight Sports Live Everywhere on the I Heart Radio app