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Dodgers finished off a great homestand with a win over the Baltimore Orioles. Hi, everybody, and welcome to Dodger Talk on this Thursday night. Thanks for staying up with us late, Thanks for being with us here on a five to seventy LA Sports Live Everywhere on the iHeartRadio app. Coming up, we'll get to your phone calls at eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy. If you're out at the game tonight heading home on this late Thursday night, if you listen to the game, you watch the game,
you want to talk about it. Eight six six nine eighty seven two five seventy. We're gonna hear from Bobby Miller. Coming up here on Dodger Talk. We'll also get the postgame thoughts of the manager, Dave Roberts as the Dodgers now pack up and head to the desert for a
four game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. And I'm telling you, I was just in Arizona for the last forty eight hours and there is a lot of buzz over in the deserts, not about the start of the NFL season, not about the start of Arizona State football, but about the Arizona Diamondbacks.
It's on all the.
TVs in Scottsdale and Phoenix and Tempe when.
The games are on.
It is the buzz right now about the Diamondbacks coming back and winning games. Corbyn Carolina Grand Slam the other night to help them come back and get a win over the Mets.
They are ready.
They are ready and waiting for the Dodgers to come to Phoenix for this four game series. Now, the Dodgers helped themselves out by getting the win tonight with the Diamondbacks losing, so they pick up a game. So they'll go into Chase Field this weekend with a four game lead.
In the division.
And this is big head to head of games against the Arizona Diamondbacks. They don't facing the rest of the year again. They'll get the Padres for three games later in September, but with the balance schedule, no more facing NL West opponents the final month of this season. No more nineteen head to head matchups against teams in your division. You play everybody in baseball. That means you only get thirteen regular season head to head meetings against everybody in
your division, Giants, Padres, Rockies, Diamondbacks. This is a huge four game series against Arizona. And I'll tell you why, because I don't have the numbers in front of me. Probably should have looked it up and had it ready for you. But just go off of the last two years, last year, in this year, what's the one team that you can think of that's really given the Dodgers fits. And it's not just because they beat him in the NLDS last year. It's been Arizona. Last year they rode
the momentum of Corbyn Carroll. And I remember being here on Dodger Talks, kept saying the first half of the year, Ah, they're gonna run out of pitching their first half team, they will flatten out. And then they come back after the All Star break and they picked up right where they left off, and I kept thinking, Nope, nope, nope, we tug calls here on Dodge and Talk. Nope, Arizona
doesn't have enough depth. Guys are gonna get it hurt, They're gonna get to innings limits and it's gonna be it and there's no way Corbyn Carroll and this Arizona team keeps it up.
And what did they do.
They rode that momentum to the playoffs. They rode that momentum beating the Dodgers in the NLDS all the way to a World Series appearance. This is an Arizona Diamonbacks team that when I think of teams in the NL West that have given the Dodgers fits, most recently Arizona.
The battles they've had already this year, head to head, last year's NLDS, last year's head to head series against each other, the Diamondbacks for whatever reason, and maybe it's because they play each other so many times, and guys are used to each other, and you know, they're used to facing the same pictures over and over again, so there's not a lot of difference. There, not a lot of secrecy you can keep against the team because you've
seen what they have. Maybe that's the case, but the Dodgers and Diamondbacks feels like the last two years have really been battling it back and forth. And this is gonna be no different a four game series in Arizona. They're waiting for the Dodgers to get to town. Clayton Kershaw left early, wasn't with the team tonight, flew to the desert to get a good night sleep because the Dodgers right now are packing up a Dodger Stadium and
hitting the road. And though it's not a long flight, I was just on one today, fifty four minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor to the Burbank Airport. It is a flight, nonetheless, and you gotta get on that flight. The Dodgers got to get to the airport. They got to get on a flight. They gotta fly there. They got unpacked, off the buses, get to the hotel. So they're probably looking at about two o'clock in the morning getting their head on a pillow to start a four game series tomorrow.
And two of those games Sunday and Monday are day games won ten first pitch, so Clayton Kershaw got a head start. But it is going to be a fun series. Four games against the Arizona Diamonbacks. But that's coming up. This three game series against the Baltimore Orioles. Don't just sneeze that like it's nothing, all right, This is a Baltimore Orioles team.
That, yes, they're struggling right now.
You know, they've fallen a game and a half back of the Yankees, but still a seventy seven win team. They're right there, and they're gonna go as a wild card or divisional winner if they can get hot here and catch the Yankees and surpass them the final month of the season. They're gonna be playing in October. And it's a good nucleus of players they've got there, young
stars that they have on that roster. They've been hit hard, harder than even the Dodgers, with losing starting pitchers to elbow injuries this year, and they still find themselves in the pennant race. And the Dodgers just happened to catch them in a good time, and they battled for three games. Not that the Dodgers swept them, it's that the Dodgers boat raced them in all three games. They were close games, and the Dodgers prevailed tonight with a six to three win.
And they get outings from two starters that they desperately needed innings from, and while they didn't get necessarily depth from Walker.
Bueler last night.
They didn't necessarily get a long outing from Bobby Miller tonight five innings, three runs, two hits. At one point he was working on a no no. By the way, they got enough to pass it to the bullpen and give it to the bullpen with leads, and tonight the Dodgers bullpen four shutout innings last night, four to third
shutout innings to help out Walker Buehler. But for the Dodgers going into that three game series against Baltimore, it proved big to have what Bobby Miller did tonight and what Walker Buehler did last night, because the Dodgers aren't just playing out the year and oh yeah, this is a Baltimore team, you know, we could see in the World Series, and it's a World Series preview possibly and you lose to a three Ah, it doesn't matter Dodgers nine games up in the division. No, because it's so
tight the Dodgers. These games are so important in the standings for the NL West. But certainly they're important for the Dodgers facing a Baltimore Oreals team that they could see in October and see some of those arms and see some of those young exciting bats like Gunnar Henderson and Nallie Rushman and crew. And you know, it's a fun Baltimore Orioles team that the Dodgers just took care of business with.
And this series.
Is homestand really important, really important to sweep Seattle, take care of business, to take two of three from Tampa, do what you're supposed to do, to take two or three from Baltimore. Absolutely what you're supposed to do. And now the Dodgers are the first team to eighty. I have to remind friends that keep saying, man, what's wrong with this Dodgers team?
And I said, what do you mean? What's wrong with them?
Oh?
And oh, Tyler Glass now has heard. You know, they just got hit by injuries all season long. And Freddie Freeman's finger now, and you know, Jason Hayward got DFA, they kept Chris Taylor, and you know all I hear is whining and complaining and what's wrong. Well, look at the standings, folks. The Dodgers had the best record in baseball and the first team to get to eighty wins. Pretty darn impressive for all that griping and whining that people keep coming to me about and what's wrong with
the Dodgers and why can't they do this? And why is this person struggling or why are they doing this at the order and why are so many guys hurt?
For all those whys, what's wrong? And what's wrong? And what's wrong?
They're an eighty win team and counting. They're in a pennant race, and they get guys produced on a different nightly basis. Tonight the bottom of the lineup. Seven of the fourteen hits come from the bottom four hitters in the lineup, Chris Taylor, Oh sorry, produce tonight, Austin Barnes. You can make a pretty good case Austin Barnes could be catching every day for this Dodgers team. You can make a serious case for that. For the struggles of
Will Smith, I mean, look at the Knight's lineup. No Will Smith in the lineup, no Maximunts in the lineup because the left hand are starting, and no Freddy Freeman because of the finger. That's three bats not in the lineup. And the Dodgers still pounded out fourteen hits, they scored six runs, and they beat.
A really good Orioles team. So for all.
Those who want to talk to me about and tweet at me. And every time I see somebody, what's wrong? Why is this? What's this that? The everything's wrong, everything's bad. Everything is the end of the world, the Dodgers. But yeah, they just keep on winning series, seven to two home stand and they had the best record in baseball eight six six nine seven two five seventy. Bobby Miller Tonight, Bobby Miller picks himself up, goes five innings, three runs,
two hits. Looked like he had a lower leg injury and knee injury. We'll find out more about that. In fact, let's go back out the Dodger Stadium. Bobby Miller, who tonight picked up his first win since March, standing by with David Vassa in the media.
Bobby, you feel out there tonight.
Feel pretty good. Just four and two thirds of really good pitching and then just just one bad pitch. Seems to be a story of my last few outings. It's just one bad pitch I don't want to look back on, and unfortunately it's over the fence. But you know, one day, one day soon it'll fall.
I know pitchers talked about It's not so much the home run but what takes place before the home run is that equally as frustrating.
Well, yeah, for sure, I wouldn't have faced him if I didn't walk the guy before. There's a couple of guys before that guy that was having a lot of success on and unfortunately it was an HVP and then hit by pitch or no HVP and then a walk, which, yeah, just not getting not getting no one early enough towards the end of the game. Yeah, that's about it.
Early in the game, though, did it feel like your changeup was allowing your fastball to play up more?
Yeah? Yeah, everything is feeling really good and even the slider felt a little bit better today. There was one that I hung, but it was an out, But uh yeah, curb valan Chino felt great. You know, the straints have been getting better and I'm really close.
When you were covering first base in the second ending, it looked like something happened with your left leg. Can you describe what that was and did it affect you the rest of the outing?
Yeah, it was just left me some I've been dealing with for a while. You know, our training Stepp has done an outstanding job of keeping me healthy and keeping me out there, so really thankful for them. Yeah, everything kind of just went a little downhill after that. I wasn't really finishing my pitch is good. Losing some stuff armside. You know, there's no excuse to not make a pitch.
Do you feel like that's something that you can manage moving forward?
I've I've finished this plenty of time, so no worries about that.
What'd you think about Austin Barnes' game?
Great, he was outstanding back there. You know, I like throwing to him. Both of our guys. You know, we got two really good catchers back there. I know the game very well. They can they could manage a game, buying the play very well. So it's really nice going to the guys we have.
All Right, there's Bobby Miller man scary to think about if he can get right and get back to the Bobby Miller of twenty twenty three, just another weapon that Dodgers could have going into the postseason with the now uncertainty of Tyler Glass now and not knowing really what this rotation is going to look like come October. To get Bobby Miller back on track, and he says he's getting closer and closer has change up in his curveball
working tonight. I mean, granted, he gave him a three run home run, but even he said, hey, three to one count, made a bad pitch. The guy made him pay. But he's not in that situation if he doesn't walk a guy with one out and hit the first battery faces in the fifth inning to put runners on base, and that's his own fault. He admits it, but keep in mind, five innings, three runs, the home run was the big one.
Two hits. That was it.
Two hits over five innings for three to third. He didn't give up a hit. He was really good going into the fourth inning. Single was the first cit he gave up in the fourth inning. Then turn around and got a double play to get right out of it at ten pitch fourth inning. Bobby Miller tonight took I
think another step forward. Now he has got to keep proving this in his next start, in the next start, in the next start, that he is going to get back to that Bobby Miller twenty twenty three status and level that he was pitching.
At that was so good.
But man, I'm not starting to think if Bobby Miller can get it going we've seen Clayton Kershaw looks like his turn in the corner. Maybe Walker Buehler last night his best outing so far. I mean, you talk about perfect timing to get guys right. It's long season. Just because you do well in the first half doesn't mean you're doing well in the second half. Guys could be first half all Stars and then fall apart in the second half. Guys could be lousing the first half and
then turn things around the second half. It's all about how you're playing, hitting, pitching. Come to last week in September and that first week of October going into the playoffs, and if Dodgers can start getting some quality starts here from Bobby Miller, Walker Buehler, you know, things can get interesting as far as what the Dodgers' rotation could look like. But again, last night a step in the right direction for Walker Buehler. Tonight, a step in the right direction
for Bobby Miller. By no means, am I saying they've gotten to that level. They're back, let's go. This is the next next box they're checking. And that's positive, right, That's something positive to be about if you're the Dodgers right now looking at this rotation that is looking at go into Arizona now with a four game lead over the Diamondbacks and a five game lead over the padre is going into play tomorrow eight sixty six, nine eighty seven, two five Seventy's going to Abby. Abby joins us here
on Dodger Talk. Welcome, Abby, How are you?
I'm good. I just I'm coming back from the game.
What a game it was?
It was amazing.
It was What about Bobby Miller tonight? Oh my god?
Okay, so let's talk about the rotation. You were just talking about it, and I was just telling you know your handler, So here's here's what I'm thinking. And I was telling a couple of guys in the stands my same idea. So we get the top four back, which I'm talking about I'm talking about Glass now, I'm talking about Yamamoto. Stony has been great, and Flaherty has been proving great. So that's the four that I'm thinking of
as starters. Okay, why not use especially if Yama Mote is coming back from an injury and so is Glass. Now if they can go a good five innings used for long release Miller, Kershaw and Bueler and then you can rest the rest of your bultpen and use them for target situations. I mean, we can do that.
Yeah, you can only carry so many pitchers. I appreciate it, Abby, But you get into the postseason you have to start looking at your bench and what players you're gonna have there and a twenty six man roster for that series, and it really serious. Two series you don't start setting your roster and that's it. You just go until the
end of the playoff run. It's serious to series and matchups obviously, so that will dictate first and foremost what the Dodgers roster will look like come that first NLDS. But the Dodgers will have a lot of questions if these guys keep pitching the way they have been, Walker Buehler, Bobby Miller, even Clayton Kershaw. And I don't know, just off the top of my head, if there's room for a Bobby Miller on the postseason roster.
Let's just say there is.
Okay, how about a Clayton Kershaw first time around the road, the lineup two three innings, and then you bring in a Bobby Miller, change of pace, hard throwing right hander coming in after the crafty veteran left hander Clayton Kershaw. You get the bock up contrasting differences between the two and you can get six seven innings out of the two of them combined. Makes it easier on your bullpen
less outs they have to be responsible for. I do of like that piggyback situation, but again, I don't know if there's room for all these starting pitchers then to just put in the bullpen, because what about your bullpen arms. I mean, if you use a Bobby Miller and a Clayton Kershaw and a piggyback situation in game one or Game two, you can't do that for Game three or whatever.
You know.
I mean, Bobby Miller's gets pitching one game.
It's how you can bring him back on the next day for Game two, or bring him back two days later for Game three.
It just doesn't work that way.
That's why the relievers are so special and so important because you can use them on multiple days in a row come the postseason, so a lot of decisions need to be made. No doubt, we'll take a break, we'll come back, We'll get to more of your phone calls. We'll hear from the manager Dave Roberts. A happy night for the Dodgers is they get ready to jump on their plane and head to Arizona for the start of
a four game series tomorrow. They get the win tonight behind Bobby Miller's five innings, Dodgers' bullpen combines for four shutout innings of relief, and the Dodgers, with a four run fourth inning, explode and go on and win it six to three. Over the multiple oriols. Eight sixty six nine eighty seven two five seventy is our number. Eight six six nine eighty seven two five seventy. Dodger Talk
rolls on on this late Thursday night. Thanks for being with us on a FI seventy LA Sports Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio ever.
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Back to Dodger Talk on AM five seventy LA Sports one O to bets.
On the ground through the right side a base hitting the right thrill for rookie Austin Barnes says the green light for pino evil. There won't be a throw or relay RBI base hit for bets. They get four not the Dodgers. In the fourth inning.
Dodgers get four runs in the fourth Miguel Rojas woul attack on an RBI single to make it a five to nothing Dodgers lead.
They go on and win.
It's six to three over the Baltimore Orioles tonight. Daniel's Jeweler is the official sponsor of the trip around the Diamond. Stop by any Daniels Jeler'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. Daniel's Jewelers own the dream. Well, the Dodgers get the win tonight. They take two or three from Baltimore. They go seven to two on the homestand and the Dodgers
the first team to eighty wins. Let's go out to Lake Elson or Andy. Thanks for being patient on this Thursday night. Welcome to Dodger Talk.
Hey Tim, how you doing tonight?
I'm doing good, doing good? Thank you?
Oh man? I just I just want to talk about how excited I am because finally we got our team all full roster. Yeah, the pitching staff, it's going to be interesting, but it's good to have that problem because I think we're going to have the pitching that we need to go into the playoffs. And you know what, everybody caught us when we were losing, like Arizona and the podcast, when we were all injured. I love that our bottom of the lineup now it's proven that you know,
they're they're gonna be something to deal with. I love our team, and I think that when we go to Arizona, I'm not even worried because Arizona caught us at a at a bad time when we were all injured, and so have the Padres and now we're all back together, and you know, I'm looking forward to this matchup because I think when it all is said and done, uh, we're gonna show. I mean, I'm not even worried. We're going to show everybody now moving forward, we're already the
best team in baseball. So we're going to show everybody, you know, with our with the bottom of the lineup, especially tonight. Yeah, yeah, it wasn't a fluke. It wasn't.
Yeah, I appreciate it, man, thanks for checking in tonight. I don't think it was a fluke at all. No, the Dodgers came out tonight even with a lineup that didn't have Freddie Freeman, Max Monts here, Will Smith in it, and guys produced. The bottom of the lineup absolutely produced. Tommy Edmund hitting clean up for the Dodgers. Yet it wasn't your ideal lineup, and maybe going into the game, you're probably scratching your head thinking, oh ok, Edmonton cleanup.
Keith Hernandez is what batting six? Gavin Lux is all the way back down the eighth spot. What's going on? Well, Chris Taylor goes two for three with an RBI, on base three times because he walked Gavin Lux two for four tonight. He continues to put the ball in play and produce hits his nineteenth double of this season. And Austin Barnes, I mean, I hate to even say it, but the struggles of Will Smith are real, folks, They
are real. In Austin Barnes tonight two for four drives in a pair to get the four run fourth innings started now hitting two to fifty on this season. I mean, I'm old enough to remember this year when Dodger fans are like, what is Austin Barnes doing? He is a liability on offense. Yes, we love his defense, but things have flipped for him. And good for him now hitting two to fifty compared to will Smith hitting two forty
three on the season with those sixteen home runs. But if you look at the numbers for will Smith in the month of August hitting one to seventy two. In the month of July he hit two oh eight. Will Smith in the month of June hit two oh three. In the month of May he hit two twelve. Three of those four months, barely hitting two hundred in this month of August. In sixty four at bats, he's eleven for sixty four with sixteen strikeouts, one home run, seven
ribbies and a one to seventy two batting average. It's not a it's not a it's not a slump that he's in. There's something going on. It's not a series that he's off. It's not a home stand that he just doesn't have it. It's three months he has really struggled. Dodgers get the win tonight. Bottom of the line of delivers. Bobby Miller's delivers gets this win first since March have I got to Dodger Stadium and here from the manager, Dave Roberts, can.
You talk about this home stand, you guys on those two games.
And being really hooded Air League teams, great homestand really good baseball. Uh yeah, I mean playing against teams that are in pennant races, you know, preparing for the postseason. And I thought we showed well, you know, I don't think it was litmus tests or anything, but it's still good to go out there and find ways to win
baseball games. And I thought we did it in different ways throughout the homestand you know, at times the starting pitching was really good, other times the bats came to life, and the defense I felt was pretty consistent outside of that first game here against the uh the Orioles, and
just something to build on. So now you know, we can look towards the Diamondbacks and those guys obviously are playing great baseball, and it's going to be uh, you know, boisterous, and a lot of people, a lot of Dodger fans, a lot of d Backs fans, So it's going to be a great series.
Do you feel like you guys are starting to play the way that you believe you're capable of playing going into this series.
I do. I do. There's some little things that I think that need to be cleaned up, but I think overall, guys are understanding that this is a time to lock it in and they're doing so unto that.
Why a full strength and just being able to not be his top heavies, you guys work for more.
No, it's great, you know, obviously getting Niggy back and Tommy length of the lineup. I think Keyk is still taking good at bats and Gavin kind of moving him around the order and so yeah, and even this series without Freddy and without Will getting untracked, which I think he's showing some life just been really good. And I think that's certainly part of it, having that length and also be able to kind of give Micky a day off here there to you know, play Tommy and get
kier Meyer in there. So yeah, I think we're just on certainly on the position player side, we're at full strength.
Bobby said he kind of tweeked his left and he's been managing it. Do you foresee that being an issue moving forward.
I hope not. Yeah, you saw him, you know, cover first base on the one play and then the I think it was a holiday play, couldn't get to the bag and then you could see it kind of wasn't feeling well. And I don't know if that led to the home run, you know with Kowser. But you know, up until that point, I thought he threw the ball fantastic. He was mixing, like going to be a little bit more efficient, but just got behind a Kowser and then he had homer. But we have a five run lead,
so it makes sense. But yeah, overall, I thought really good.
All right, there's Dave Roberts talking a lot about this Dodgers team. As you said, position players outside of Freddie Freeman, they're healthy and they're good to go. And this is the position players that they've been looking forward to having healthy and together all season long. Now getting the pitching staff healthy and all together is another story as guys continue to work their way backs. Tyler Glass now on
the il. The Dodgers also waiting on Yamamoto, who had a minor league rehab assignment for two winnings and a bullpen afterwards, Bruce dar Gratol still waiting to see what the status of him moving forward is.
Again, there's gonna be a.
Lot of guys looking to be on this twenty six man roster come the postseason, but some guys are going to get left off the NLDS roster. And again it's serious to serious to see the matchups. Who they'll carry, how many position players, how many pitchers or leievers. All
that will be determined down the road. But this is the time of year that if you want to be on that October roster, you want to be a guy that is a no doubt bullpen arm that he can count on on a you know, two out of three games to go out there and pitch and be available.
Then this is the time you need to go out and show it and put up zeros and going there in crucial times like Blake Trying did tonight with the bases loaded, two outs and gunner Henderson up and striking him out and getting out of the jam and keeping the Dodgers lead five to three at the time they attack on one more and making a six to three lead.
These are the kind of stuff that you need to do now to show that you're ready for October, because again, it's not like the Dodgers will be limping into October or don't have enough arms, or you know you're gonna be dipping down to the minor leagues or asking guys
to do different rules. No, if everybody's healthy and all the cards are on the table here for the Dodgers, there are gonna be some players who you think maybe are locks to make this twenty six man roster may not make the October roster because somebody's playing better and they can rely upon them more at the bullpen or as a starter or off the bench or whatever role
or type of the player we're talking about. So again, starts thinking about this stuff in the final five weeks of the season as guys start fighting for playoff rosters, especially in the bullpen, and some of these arms, as they get healthy, that's.
Gonna do it for Dodger to talk. Many thanks to Colin e.
Thanks to you for being a part of the show, listening on your drive home on your Thursday.
Night, laid up with us. We appreciate it. Thanks for podcasting the s on the iHeartRadio app.
We'll be back at it tomorrow with Morono Casino Dodgers on Dec.
At five thirty Pacific. First pitch is six forty Clayton Kershaw and Zach Gallaba pitching matchup. It's gonna be fun.
Four days in the Desert, Dodgers going with a four game lead over Arizona as they started a four game series in Phoenix beginning tomorrow again. Dodgers win in tonight six three over the Oriols. They take two or three from Baltimore. They finish off this home stands seven to two, and don't look now. Dodgers first team to eighty wins in baseball. Coming up next to Ben Mallors Show. Enjoy your wrestlers Thursday night.
Be safe out there, everybody. So on