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We are live at the Oakland Collie CM for Dodger Talk until the bottom of the hour. Phone lines are open at eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy. Dodgers fall to the A's tonight. Six to five eight six six nine eighty seven two five seventy is the phone number we will get to your phone calls. We will hear from Dave Robert Show, Hey Otani, and Gavin Stone.
But the Dodgers are struggling right now with a lot of their players out, including Freddie Freeman, who is not going to rejoin the Dodgers here in Oakland obviously, bigger things going on with his family. And we're sending out our thoughts and prayers. I know all of Los Angeles is to little Max Free We're with you. We know you got this, Max, and you got a great mom and dad and grandpa Grandpa Freddie Freeman as well, So
we're thinking about you, Max. And good news that Chelsea Freeman tweeted out yesterday that Max is starting to get on the right track to recovery and handling this syndrome that unfortunately he's been hit with. So if I could, I don't dedicate shows to anybody, but if I could dedicate a show, it would be to Max Freeman, Freddie Freeman and the rest of their family, because that's bigger than baseball. So Freddie's out for this series, don't know
when he's coming back. Mookie Betts is out, Max Munsey is out, No, Miguel Rojas and the Dodgers are waiting on Tommy Edmond to get his right ankle straight for him to be a contributor to this roster after they traded for him. So you got guys like Kevin Bugey playing first base. You got Keithy Hernandez playing third base. Kevin Kiermeier got the start in center field tonight. He was zero for two in his Dodger debut. You got
Nick on med playing shortstop. I mean, Cavin Bigio, Kevin Kiermeyer and Nick amed were all designated for assignments by their teams, and they're in the starting lineup in the same lineup for the Dodgers. Jason Hayward is struggling. He's not hitting. I'm sure Jason is still feeling the effects of the different back injury that he suffered when he tried to rob Jock Peterson of a home run about
three weeks ago. He obviously was having some issues earlier in the season with it as well, So he just does not look like the same Jason Hayward that we saw the first part of spring training and the Jason Hayward we saw last year. You got Gavin Lux starting at second base and hitting third for the Dodgers. Gavin Lux right now is the Dodgers best hitter, make no mistake about her, or hottest hitter. You got Will Smith struggling. He's hitting two oh eight with an ops of seven
ten since May one. So you can judge and panic and freak out all you want, but I'm a big believer when the Dodgers get their guys back, they are going to have to start playing their best baseball of the season and are not going to have a lot of time to do it, because once they get whole, it's probably a month plus a month and ten days they probably have all their guys back. Not to mention their bullpen of Michael Grove, Bruce Star graderol Ryan Brazier.
They need those guys back, they need Yamamoto back. They're going to see what they got with Walker Buehler. I've said all season long, I'm not really I don't really have high expectations for a guy that's missed two years with Tommy John surgery and after or what we saw earlier in the season. I don't know how your expectations
could be any higher than that. Whatever he gives you or doesn't give you is kind of a neutral effect on this team because the Dodgers, I feel like, built this team to a certain extent, not expecting a lot out of Walker Buller, but hoping he could come back, and so far it just hasn't gone that way. And Bobby Miller taking a step back in his second season obviously was not something the Dodgers envisioned, and that's where
they're at right now. But right now, their lineup is a skeleton of what it will look like in the next two to three weeks because Mookie Bets, Max Munsey, and Tommy Edman are all expected to participate in a simulated game next week at Dodgers stadium. That's a consolation prize right now. The Dodgers have got to find out how to win games, and it starts with their starting pitching.
They have not gotten good starting pitching consistently. Tyler Glass. Now, when seven innings in his last start, that's probably the best start the Dodgers have gotten out of a starter since the beginning of July. Because since the beginning of July, only five innings separate how many innings the Dodgers starters have pitched compared to the relievers. That's just not going to get it done. Eight six, six, nine, seven, two,
five seventy is the phone number. Let's head downstairs right now to hear from the manager, Dave roberts Well.
I thought the ninth we took some good at beats, obviously got show hate to the plate, and I thought, tonight, you know, he just missed a couple homers early, took some good swings and squared one up in the ninth, which is good to see. Love the fight. We kept going, you know, strikeouts, you know, eleven strikeouts against a guy that really doesn't strike me any guys out, and we
just can't right now find ways to build innings. Get hits, and you know, it's hard when you're not getting hits and you're striking out at the clip where you are right now. And I thought Gavin was good early, and you know, you can just tell that Langeliers was hunting that change up that second at bat and get another home run on a high ball to Smith that he got him earlier, and then just kind of the doubles
started happening for me. I just felt we had to try to keep that getting close with Gavin tonight.
What are you even seeing from him? And what do you think is just been kind of leading to the long ball. It seems like that's been kind of the one thing that's been getting tenssively, you know.
I think tonight, I don't know if that Smith pitch was was a bad pitch. It was a fastball count. I think it was three to two and he put goodwood on it. The change I think just it was just elevated. I don't know, you know what the reason behind the propensity recently for the long ball. You know, he's a guy that's going to put the ball on the ground work efficiently gets strike one, and I thought he did that for three innings and then it just got away from pretty quickly.
Before the game.
He's gonna throw more innings securely.
Ever, has is that a factor in his last month end?
You know what it might be. It might be.
You know, he's been our most consistent starter as far as taking the baseball, giving us length. But I think if you look back at since that New York start, you know, it hasn't been what he was doing in the first, you know, a few months of the season. So I don't know if it's fatigue. You know, everything I hear from our guys, he still feels strong. And the fastball velocity at times during the inning during an outing is right where in line with where it has been,
So that's a good I thought. Commanding of the baseball tonight was good at times, and there are a couple of balls that were just elevating and they got to be able to, you know, move them forward. And you know even that the bledat double it just found, you know, got past Cavin right there. But you know, then there was a hanging breaking ball another double. So yeah, I don't know if it's a fatigue though, but it very well could be.
That's Dave Roberts on sports Net LA and look, Gavin Stone was not fooling anybody after the first couple of innings. They were hitting the ball really hard. And look, Gavin Stone's a rookie. He's in the second half of his rookie season. This should not all be on him. Unfortunately, that's where the Dodgers are in their season. But he's got to find a way to get a second win here down the stretch because he has been so good the first half of the season. And I fully expect that.
The one thing that Gavin Stone has is that he has that competitive to fight in him. He is not going to just wilter on the mound there, and that's what gives you hope that he'll find his way out of this. And this is a seven point fifteen era since his complete game shutout six starts ago on the South side of Chicago. Athletics beat the Dodgers tonight six to five, And I said coming into the game, I was on with Rogan and Rodney earlier Petro some money
pregame show. They needed a really good start for Gavin Stone, and Gavin Stone needed to keep the A's in the ballpark. He was not able to do that and Joe Kelly certainly was not able to do that. Joe Kelly, to me, gave up the biggest hit of the game. He came in to put out the fire and keep the game four to two. Instead, he gave up a monster home run to Brent Rooker made it six to two. That was the difference in the game. A's beat the Dodgers
six to five. Let's go out to Sam Pedro. Eddie, you're on Dodger Talk with David vasse Hi.
Eddie, Hey, David, thanks stake my call in. I was gonna say power and praise to the Freeman Front family. Also, you mentioned what I was going to talk about regarding Will Smith. He's also in that same timeframe from May to present. He's got twelve home runs and like thirty three RBIs so he's down there too. But my question really was do you think they should under the certain conditions they're in with the lineup move showhy back a couple spots so he can come up.
With a lot of show. Hey, Otani came up with a lot of runners on base tonight. He just has not been proficient with runners in scoring position. He came up with the bases loaded in the seventh inning with two outs, and it seemed like he was just trying to do too much. In the ninth inning, he seemed a lot more within himself. So no, I think Otani
is perfect where he's at. If you want to talk about lineup adjustments, the Dodgers just acquired Ahmed Rosario, who is hitting three hundred against righty's three hundred plus against lefties. He should be starting at shortstop. The Dodgers need offense, and Ahmed Rosario should be starting at shortstop.
Yeah, I agree with that.
All right, thanks for the phone call. Let's go out to Brad and Mission Viejo. How you doing, Brad.
Hi pretty good? A quick question and in a comment, how do you think copex and a figure in the bullpen moving forward? Even with the guys coming back? Is he going to be prominently featured?
He's going to be part of a very strong bullpen when Bruce Darr Graderol comes back and you give these guys like Daniel Hudson, Blake trin In and Evan Phillips some support in that bullpen to go along with Alex Vesi and Anthony Banda. When you get those guys back with Kopek, Brad, that's going to be a power armed bullpen. That'll be a great bullpen to have going into the postseason. If Kopek can throw strikes. When he throws strikes, he's a really good pitcher.
Yeah, and the other stinger is gonna say, was the a's or no stranger to offense? You know, they went to Philly and hit eight home runs. If you might have seen that in the paper. They they can, they can take it out of the park. There's no doubt about it.
No doubt. That's how they score runs. They slug and that's what they did tonight hitting three home runs and that was basically their six runs tonight eight six, six, seven, two five seventy is the phone number. Let's head back downstairs right now to here from Dodgers D eight show, Hey Otani, who hit a three run home run with two outs in the ninth inning tonight?
So hey, does when you look at your avats this evening, did it kind of feel like it was a build up for that home run late in the game?
Oh sha't see home you you much get amost mine on I go you on ah kanji like a home did the kanji Kanji is gonna.
Let's come on for those is sane Shorty k I don't know.
Jobe Skiple, Mmm.
Some of mine? That's ok, uh, Domins.
Just to be honest, the last several games, I haven't been too uh you know, feeling too great at the play and the previous at bat before that home run at that if I could have you know, uh, contributed a little bit more, I think we wouldn't have been in that spot late in the inning, uh the next inning.
So the emotions that you expressed, was that just reflection I guess of that feeling and that frustration.
Franustoration the home run. That's as kind it.
So it's not.
It's not good if you.
Uh, it's all.
Sort of mind William.
That's yeah.
Yeah, I thought I could have done a little bit more to help the team the last three at bats and just being able to you know, I just was very you know, I felt the urgency to be able to do something at that at that.
All right, there is showhil Tani with interpreter will Ireton on sports Net. La Otani obviously understands the situation the Dodgers need him to perform without Freddy Freeman. Without Mooki Bets, without Max Munsey. The list goes on and on, and before that ninth inning home run with two outs, Otani was old for his last fifteen eight six six eight seven two five seventy is the phone number. We're gonna
take a time out here on Dodger Talk. We have three lines open at eight six six nine eighty seven two five seventy. When we come back, more of your phone calls. Also an update on mouk Bets and the position he made play when he returns. And also we have a couple of highlights to share from around Major League Baseball. A couple of big things happen that we'll share with you. I'm sure you know one of them.
Snel Zilla throwing a no hitter. We'll let you hear the final call of the no hitter in Cincinnati after the Dodgers fall to the Athletics tonight six to five 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 Bassi.
Two down and the pitch fromestis to Hernandez swung on well, hits a left going back.
As Miguel ander Harn's.
At the track, he looks up and has gone hondre on a two runs shot for Taioscar Hernandez's twenty third and the Dodgers jump on the board first.
Is two to nothing. Things were looking good in Oakland early, a two out, two run home run by ta Oscar Hernandez to give the Dodgers an early two to nothing lead. Unfortunately, they gave it back and then some as Oakland scored four runs in the fourth inning off of Gavin Stone and Joe Kelly, and Oakland beats the Dodgers in Game one of this three game series six to five. Daniels Jewelers is the official sponsor of the Trip around the Diamond.
Stop by any Daniel's location and say home run for your free team bracelet and fifty dollars gift card toward any purchase of ninety nine dollars or more. Daniels Jewelers own the Dream eight six, six, nine to eighty seven two five seventy is the phone number you know for the last week ten days, I would say. Dave Roberts has been asked about where Mookie Betts is going to
play when he returns off the IL. And look, there are a lot of questions surrounding the Dodgers and how the pieces to their puzzle are going to fit when all these players come off the IL as they're expecting. But for anybody to think that it's a fore gone conclusion that Mookie Betts is going to be forced to go to right field, think again. I mean, look at Nick al Med right now. He's a really good defensive shortstop.
But if you're going to play Kevin Kiermeyer and Nick almd on the same day and you're gonna have them hitting eight to nine for defense, you're not going to score a lot of runs. I got news for you. So that's why I still earlier in the week, I thought, for sure, there's no chance Mooki plays shortstop when he comes back. But when you see this offense and you see the lack of production at shortstop, it makes you
give pause. And here was Dave Roberts in San Diego when he was asked, probably for the fiftieth time in the last six days, where Mookie Betts is going to play when he returns.
You know, right now, I talk to Mooki today. That's his intent, and I welcome that. I support that. As we get to the middle of August when we're expecting him back, I don't know if that's going to change. I really don't. I know that we have two gold Gloves shortstops, one guy that's won a couple of gold Gloves and another guy that probably could have on our roster. So and we got a second base and that's playing you know, his base his best baseball in the last
few years. So that shouldn't be lost on anyone. It's certainly not lost on me. And we got guys that can really defend on the offield. So I'm gonna have a conversation with Mooki and we'll figure out what's best for him.
As well as our ball club, you know, when the time comes. So I don't I can't even answer that old him.
There no doubt he cannot answer that. Right now. Jason Hayward is struggling at the plate. But if you bring back Tommy Edmond and he's part of your outfield dynamic, then where does Mookie Bets go? Does he stay in right field? There are a lot of moving parts, and look, Mookie Betts last year did a great job and had one of his actually his best offensive season with the Dodgers, moving from right field to second base a few different times,
sometimes in the same game. I can envision a situation in the postseason where Mookie Betts is not playing shortstop, where Miguel Rojas or Nick Ahmed is playing shortstop, depending on if Rojas can come back from his right forearm strain or tightness, whatever they're calling it. But if Rojas doesn't come back, let's just say Nick Ahmed is the shortstop. I would personally like to have a sure handed shortstop in the postseason. Now where does that leave Mookie Betts.
It leaves him in a spot to play right field because I am still believing in Gavin Lux doing what he's doing right now. He has turned the corner to his season, whether it's talking to his uncle during the All Star break, whether it's him trusting his right leg. Something has changed where he is a much more aggressive and powerful hitter that we saw than we saw in
the first half of the season. So second base is out of the question if Gavin Lux is playing the way he's playing right now, So it's either shortstop or right field, and in a critical postseason game, I'd rather have a goal glove shortstop than having Mookie Betts at shortstop. But all of that is still up in the air. I mean, we have seen so many guys get hurt or something pop up, and all of the Dodger plans
have gone sideways. So back to my initial point, you can't tell me where Mookie Bets is going to play, or you can't tell me Mookie Bets is not going to play shortstop when he comes back, especially when we're looking at an offense like this right now, and you're looking at an infield like this right now. But one thing is certain, second base is out of the question. Now. Mookie Bets is either playing shortstop or he's playing right field. And Gavin Lucks right now, how can you even think
about anybody else playing second base. You're finally getting the Gavin Lucks that you wanted. He's staying there. Eight six six ninety seven two five seventy is the phone number. The Dodgers now just four games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West. Arizona came back in Pittsburgh to beat the Pirates nine to eight. The Padres had their usual letdown after a Dodgers big series win for them.
They lose to the Rockies at Peco Park. So the Padres now four and a half games back of the Dodgers, while Arizona is in second place, four games back and getting their starting rotation healthy. Eduardo Rodriguez is coming back, Merrill Kelly is expected back, and don't look now, Corbyn Carroll offensively has gotten his season on track. Let's go out to downy Frank. You're on Dodger Talk. How you doing, Frank?
Pretty down, pretty down? I think we're taking a call. First of all, I just wanted to talk about the bottom of the lineup. I know, I know where Mickey, Mookie, Bett and Monty and Freeman is out right now. I think we're gonna be okay. But right now we have got a weather the storm at least for a couple of weeks at least to maintain that four or three or fight five game lead over the Pockets or the
Arizona dialing back. I just think that from one to four those are going to be our run and opposing pieces are looking at our lineup, then nothing but automatic out after Toccer Hernandez or Calvin looked all the way to the night hitter, and unfortunately the trading tail line came and left, and all we got was utility there when we needed a prejudice in that bottom of the lineup. Well that's all I got, man. But I think we'll be okay, man, Just give it a couple of frank.
I will say this. Everybody has complained over the last four or five years that the Dodgers kind of coast into the postseason. Well, it's starting to feel like twenty twenty one all over again, where the Dodgers are going to have to play through the finish line this year because Arizona is not going anywhere, the Padres are not going anywhere, and the Dodgers need to start playing their best baseball of the season going down the stretch. All right,
thanks for the phone call. Look, that's the silver lining in all this. I'm a big believer when the Dodgers get their team hole again that they will have to play their best baseball of the season. And to me and to a lot of the coaches and Dave Roberts and the players, they don't believe they played their best baseball yet, even with Mookie Bets and Freddie Freeman and
Max Muntsey in their lineup. So that's also, you know, the bright side of these of this stretch of time where the Dodgers are looking like a very average team and their lineup does not resemble anything that we saw on opening Day, whether it was in Korea or North America. Eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy is
the phone number before we say good night. I want to share some things around Major League Baseball, starting with the fourth no hitter pitched this season in Major League Baseball, Blake Snell in Cincinnati. He had never been allowed to pitch in the eighth inning. He had never been allowed, obviously to pitch in the ninth inning in his career. Bob Melvin allowed him to go for the no hitter, and he paid it off by being able to do it in one of the biggest hitter ballparks in all
of Major League Baseball. One hundred and thirteen pitches.
Ellie de la Cruz from the right side, first pitch is swang fly ball. Right center, moving over is Yastremsky.
He's there, He's got it, and Blake.
Snell has done it.
Snell has thrown a no hitter for the Giants tonight in Cincinnati, getting mop by his teammates in front of the pitchers bound, Blake Snell makes history.
The raining Cy Young Award winner with a performance for the Ages tonight here at Great American BALLPP, a no hitter is the Giants have won three nothing.
What a night for Blake Snell. Very happy for him, and he was very happy for himself and also trying to silence the critics that say he cannot pitch more than five or six innings. Well, it feels like he is turning those critics the other way. Eleven strikeouts in nine no hit innings for Snell Zilla tonight. And remember before the All Star Break he had pitched seven perfect innings in his last start before the All Star Break. Blake Snell since coming off the IL forty one strikeouts,
only eight hits and two earned runs. Twenty nine other teams could have signed this guy into spring training, deep into spring training, and the San Francisco Giants did it at the last minute. They rushed him. But now that he's back and healthy and straight, he is showing why he is the two times two time Cy Young Award winner. And what are they gonna say, now, right, what are they going to say?
Now?
Snell Zilla, There's no other critics. There's nothing else the critics can say about Blake Snell after what he has done in his career and what he has done this season. Also in the Pacific Northwest, former Dodger Justin Turner, recently traded from the Blue Jays to the Mariners, made the Philadelphia Phillies pay in a big way, in a grand way. I can throw. Here's a two to one.
There you go, Goes.
Buza. Justin Turner, in his third game for the Seattle Mariners, hits a grand slam in Seattle's tend to to win over the Phillies. Philadelphia also having their issues, just three and ten since the All Star Break, they have lost twelve of their last sixteen, and the Atlanta Braves are only five games back of Philadelphia in the NL East. So Justin Turner making himself feel at home in the Pacific Northwest and the Mariners and Justin Turner will be
at Dodger Stadium in the middle of August. It'll be the first time Justin Turner will play at Dodger Stadium since the twenty twenty two nlds. That'll do it for us on Dodger Talk Tonight. Coming up tomorrow, Harvard Westlake's own the Great one eight will be represented here in Oakland as Jack Flaherty will make his Dodger debut, going up against right hander Mitch Spence. Spence is seven and six with an ERA of four forty seven. Morongo Casino
Dodgers on Deck begins at five o'clock. First pitch with Rick Monday and Tim Neverett from Oakland at six oh seven. That'll do it for us tonight from the Oakland Coliseum. Thanks to dwayn McDonald, who was already packed up and ready to get on bart. Thanks for sticking around, Duane, thanks to calling me back at our Burbank studios, and thanks to you for listening. In case you missed any of the show, you can find it on the iHeartRadio app.
And that's also where you can hear our pregame conversation with new center fielder Kevin Kiermyer, who was zero for two in his Dodger debut tonight. Once again. The final score tonight from the Oakland Coliseum, the Athletics slam the Dodgers six to five. Have a great rest of your night. See you