Dodger Talk is sponsored by LA Care Health Plan, providing affordable healthcare insurance to millions of Angelinos for over twenty five years. And now your voice for Todger Talking.
Fight back Damn Cats, Dodgers with the win in Arizona as they put some separation between them and the Snakes. Hi, everybody, welcome to Dodger Talk here on this Monday afternoon early evening here in southern California, wrapping up this Labor Day weekend. Hope you're staying cool out there as things starting to heat up here in this first week of September. Eight sixty six nine eighty seven two five seventy is our number. Eight sixty six nine eighty seven two five seventy. What
a wild weekend in Arizona. The Dodgers won ten nine on Friday, Dodgers won eight to six on Saturday, the Diamondbacks come back and win yesterday.
Fourteen to three.
And the Dodgers and Diebacks today in the fourth and final game of this series, the final time they'll meet this season in the regular season, seventeen more combined runs. Dodgers win it eleven to six over Arizona eleven runs on seventeen hits, Chris Taylor at double, Mookie Bets a double, ta Oscar Hernandez a double, Toascar Hernandez with a triple,
Freddie Freeman two home runs. The Dodgers absolutely pounded and Water Rodriguez and they got to Jordan Montgomery tagged him out of the game literally, ta Oscar Hernandez drilling a ball off to his shin. He had to come out of the game after it started to balloon up on him and the Diamondbacks had to go to the bullpen. But think about this, Two of the bigger free agents in baseball this pass offseason pitching wise, and Water Rodriguez
and Jordan Montgomery both signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Jordan Montgomery and late signed. Certainly we know the drama that he he had waiting and waiting and waiting during spring training to sign and Water Rodriguez.
For those of you who don't remember.
Last year, the Dodgers wanted him up the trade deadline, thought they had a deal in place with the Detroit Tigers to acquire the leftander at the deadline last year, only to have it water O Rodriguez not waive his trade clause to go to the Dodgers didn't want to pitch on the West coast, instead stayed in Detroit and the offseason signs a deal with the Arizona Diamonbacks.
The last time I looked it pretty close to the West coast.
Gets Hurt, makes only four starts going into today, and the Dodgers roughed him up for four innings, three runs, seven hits, a couple of walks. They milt him for ninety two pitches and four innings of work. And then they got after Jordan Montgomery. So the Dodgers got after Arizona's two big free agent signings this past offseason. That's a positive takeaway from this now, certainly the Dodgers winning three of four big for multiple accounts.
One, you leave Arizona after.
Final meeting against them head to head of the regular season with a six game lead. You go in there with the four game lead, you come out picking up two games in the division. The Dodgers up six on Arizona. The Dodgers also today by beating the Dimonbacks win the season series. The Dodgers win seven of the thirteen head to head meetings. Why is that important? I'll keep reiterating to you Rick Monday talked about it. Tim never talked about it. Dam if I say mentioned it on the
pregame show. The importance of this game, the deciding game in the season series. Now, if the Diamonbacks and Dodgers square off in October in an NLDS series, the Dodgers will have home field advantage based on the fact that they won this season series. So the Dodgers will have home field advantage over Arizona if they meet. That's an important cog in this win today for the Dodgers. So the Dodgers victory today big for multiple reasons. And you
look at the way they did it. The offense exploding for eleven runs, the top of the lineup producing Will Smith, who you heard in the Clubhouse show with David Vasse on the field, a great defensive play, but also starting to heat up offensively today goes two for five drives in two part of a three run seventh inning to pull the Dodgers up six to one. They tacked on five more in the eighth inning to go up eleven
to three. I know, the final score is eleven to six, and you're starting to think, wow, the bullpen the bullpen, they can look like they did today. Well, let's keep in mind this is an Arizona Diamondbacks team, although a little banged up right now, still leads baseball in runs per game, and it's one of the better come from behind teams and late inning teams in baseball this year. And we saw those in the first three games. How
close you know, I'll be it. Yesterday not so much, but the first two games close and the Dodgers pulling away late on Friday and Saturday. Today the Dodgers up three to one, up six to one, to six to three. Game after the seventh inning, the Dodgers with the five runs go up ten to three, up eleven to three, and then you see the dim Backs scorer a running the eighth and the running the ninth. It was too
much at that point, but they continued to battle. They continue to fight and scrap and put the cross runs and tried to get back into this game. So if these two teams meet in October, I'll be honest with you, they scare me. I know what happened last year, and
they caught fire. And certainly that was a Diamondbacks team that caught everybody in baseball by surprise, never let up, never took their foot off the gas the second half of the season into October, and ran all the way to a World Series appearance, falling short to the Texas Rangers. Now this year, I think this Dodgers team will be ready for him. I know they will come October. And David bassay, that's a great question to show, hey Otani.
You heard it in the Clubout show about being selfless and at bats in this series and at bats for show hey moving forward as he strives to get to fifty to fifty in the final twenty four games of the season, but also being a team player. And in this series we saw at bats, moving guys, over stealing bases, getting in scoring position, sacrificing maybe in a bat for yourself to better the team in a situation. That halfending.
We're seeing it up and down the lineup. We saw Shoe Otani put down a bun attempt, albeit I don't think he was really trying to bunt. But you know, we're seeing guys like Keik Hernandez, who's got power, who's been a proven postseason player, a player that the Dodgers are going to rely upon. This stretch run, go out there and put down a bunt to move guys over in one of the games this weekend. It's it's contagious winning and losing. If you don't think it is, you're crazy.
And I think right now, this team with the top of the lineup, the big three as we call them, Otani, Bets, and Freeman, not afraid to move guys over, not afraid to be selfless. Mookie Bets today goes two for four. Rookie Bets today, that two run single, first pitch, swinging in the first line drive to left, Mookie Bets two run double in the eighth inning, perfectly placed, not trying to hit a home run, not trying to have a big shot there in a three run bomb in that
situation in the eighth inning. Instead, Mookie Bets finds the line and gets a double, two runs scored, just doing things to manufacture runs and not try to play hero baseball with one swing of the bat, which I think we saw this Dodger team the last couple of years get into a bad habit of and we saw it stretches this year, certainly during that rut last month. But as we flip the calendar to September. Now, I like
what I saw in these four games in Arizona. Certainly things got away from him yesterday with Justin Robleski giving up to eight runs early and putting them in a huge hole. But I like this Dodgers offense. Now, there are still some question marks going into October, certainly eight six, six, nine, eighty seven, two five seventy starting pitching. What are they going to get out of Yamamoto when he comes back.
The health of Clayton Kershaw, who's going to be walking around in a walking boot at times to help his toe heal and take some of the inflammation out of the turf toe, the injured toe that he's got on his left big toe on his foot. What about Walker Buehler and his up and down We'll find out tomorrow on his next start how he's progressing. You maybe he has turned the page and back to Walker Buehler form.
There's a lot of question marks. Tyler Glass now who if you hear the conversation he had with David vas Say earlier in this series in Arizona, you kind of get the feeling that, while yes, they are in a race right now in the division, they've got eyes on October for Tyler Glass now, and you hate to say, well, we'll worry about the division with everybody else, but Tyler is for October. But I think that's really, honestly the
way they're looking at it. We need a fresh, healthy horse in Tyler Glass now for October, and there's no need to have him come back.
If he's got inflammation, a.
Little tendonitis, a little soreness, a little dead arm, however you want to describe it, fatigue, Let's get rid of it now.
Let's let him rest. What's the hurry.
It's not a half game, leads, not down to one and a half, it maybe five. The Padres hang on and win against the Detroit Tigers, and they're up one to nothing right now in the eighth inning to Pet go apart. Okay, they'll be five up on the Padres that maintains, and there's six games up on the Diamondbacks. You can get away with another turn through the rotation without Tyler Glass now and feel pretty confident about your
team and where they're at in the standings. He's gonna need probably one tune up, maybe two coming back before the postseason. You can't just come right off the il And'm thinking he's gonna be ready to go come October with nothing pitched in September, so they'll get him back at the end of the month. I'm pretty sure, but based on the way his tone and his talking with David Vassay earlier in this series in Arizona, the gist I got, and maybe I'm completely wrong, but I don't
think I am. Kind of feels like they're just getting him ready for October, making sure he's ready, making sure he's rested. There's another guy I want to make sure he's good to go come October, and that was a guy we saw today in Jack Flarity. Jack Flerity to me is an old school pitcher. Jack Flaerity to me is a guy who today when he came out of the game, if you happen to see it on sports and net LA, if you see it on a replay,
see it on social media. He got pulled with two outs after back to back walks in the sixth inning, and at the time the Dodgers were leading three to one.
He was not happy.
Jack Flarerity came off the mount and not happy with anybody on his team or Dave Roberts, for coming to get him. He was not happy with himself because his pitch count was pretty low after four innings. The Diamondbacks, to their credit, did a really good job elongating at bats in the fifth inning. He only faced four batters in the fifth, but through twenty three pitches, and then he comes back on the sixth a leadoff single, a strikeout. Will Smith nails Jack Jake McCarthy at second base for
the second out of the inning. Perfect, but then he walks Josh Bell with two outs and then walks another batter and that's when Dave Roberts came to get him.
After ninety six pitches. Jack Flaherty's anger.
Not being happy at the moment, again, not directing anybody but himself, because you can tell he wanted to get out of that inning. He wanted to get through six and turn it over to the bullpen for the final nine outs. As it was Alex VESSI comes in, get to punch out on four pitches and the inning is over.
Flareity still gets the win. But I love his fight. I love his.
Aggressiveness on the mound. It's not just his composure, his build, his moxie on the mount. He reminds me of an old school got not afraid to throw inside, not afraid to challenge a hitter and go up in the zone with the fastball and say, here's ninety six at the letters. It's gonna be a strike. Can you turn on it?
And he got seven punch outs today.
I am excited to see what he can be a part of this Dodger rotation come October. But again, I want to make sure he's healthy too. I want to make sure that Jack Flaherty's ready to go come octobery. Through ninety six pitches, today's made now five starts in a Dodger uniform. He picked up as eleventh win of the season, but he's now made twenty five starts on the season. Hey, let's make sure he's good to go as well. Eight sixty six, nine eighty seven, two five seventy.
Let's hear from the Dodger manager, Dave Roberts. Let's head back out to Chase Field before the Dodger head out and come back home to southern California.
And here from the Dodger skipper, it was a.
It was an important series, big series, and it was good to see, you know. Twenty eight guys, twenty six, twenty eight guys come together and you know, finish off the series the right way. Obviously, you can see the urgency with both clubs, how they played and for us to win three here was is a is a tough feat and it took some big hits, some big pitching and overall, you know, to come out of this series up six games against these guys, we took care of business.
Ja length about just how Jack and Will navigated through their lineups so efficiently.
I thought they were in lockstep all day today. We talked about it earlier in the sense of, you know, how to use your fastball, when to use your fastball, how to use your secondary pitches, and he did just that and so I thought, you know, through five innings he was fantastic. And in that sixth inning, I just thought he started losing command a little bit, and you know it worked out, but you know, Jack to give us some length right there and to keep us in the ball game was was fantastic.
It was the kind of stakes were there and how does sort of see him have that kind of started as acte one?
No, it was.
It was good and it's not surprising. I don't know his entire track record, but I know he's pitched in some big ball games and for him to go out there, you know, with a workman like kind of mindset and execute pitches and certainly the moment's not going to get too big for him. So yeah, that's a little preview of what's to come. And it was, you know, a playoff that atmosphere.
All right, there's Dave Roberts high praise for Jack Flaherty and the job he did today helping out the bullpen by pitching into the sixth inning and also to show that aggressiveness that I talked about, to show that mentality out of the mound and wanting to finish that sixth inning and going out in battling, striking out the side in the second inning, I'll beeat on thirteen pitches and
to go out and get the win. Into what he's done now in five starts, what is he four and one now as a Dodger starter, Pretty darn impressive, and I'm excited to see what he can do come October eight, six, sixth nine, eighty seven, two five seven. You we'll take a break, we'll come back, We'll get to your phone calls. And we'll also hear from Freddie Freeman, who had a big day today, a couple of home runs.
Five Ribby's.
Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks eleven to six, eight six, six, nine eighty seven two five seventy is our number. We'll come back. Thanks for being with us on this Labor Day Monday. Tim kates with you here Dodger Talk until the top of the hour on A five to seventy LA Sports Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
AM five seventy LA Sports Be anywhere at any time, and you can hear past episodes of Dodger Talk.
All of those things.
Search AM five to seventy on the iHeartRadio app. We're streaming online.
We stream every game too. Come find me.
Back to Dodger Talk on AM five seventy LA Sports.
Three to two to Freddy Freeman.
Freeman swings hits a drive.
Dape Wright center this boss pack and it is car home run.
He's second of the ball game, and the Dodgers wait.
At ten to three, Freddie Freeman, have yourself an afternoon. Two home runs five Ribby's as the Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks eleven to six. Daniels Jewelers is the official sponsor of the Trip around the Diamond. Stop by any Daniel's Jeweler's location and say home run for your free team bracelet and a fifty dollars gift cards, or it's any purchase of ninety nine dollars or more. Daniel's Jewelers own the Dream Take three or four in Arizona. The Dodgers
now at eighty three and fifty five. They'll have six game lead over Arizona as we speak, five and a half game lead over San Diego as they take on the Tigers.
Right now.
The Padres in the bottom half of the eighth Indiana Petco Park. So if that holds, the Dodgers will be five games up on Manny Machado and the Padres.
Let's go out to the phones. Thanks for being patient.
Let's go to Brian in Pointa Park here on Dodger Talk on this Labor Day Monday.
Hi Brian, Hi, how's it going? Doing great? How are you today?
Saying thanks? You know, I'm just wondering. It's September now and the minor leaguers are coming up, and I just talk about James Elman. Has they lost confidence in James Elvin.
I don't know if they've lost confidence, and I appreciate the phone call, Brian. I certainly certainly think they've don't have room.
For James Outman right now. Andy pa has.
Got the nod to come up from Triple A, Oklahoma City. And just a reminder, it's September and rosters expand, but they don't expand like they used to. You may be used to the days in which roster's expanded you can bring up everybody on your forty man roster.
Just not the case anymore.
You got twenty six man roster until September first, and then you can add two more players, a position player and a pitcher to your roster to get to twenty eight.
That's it.
The days of bringing up everybody and having a long bench and having a crowded clubhouse, those days are done. The last collective bargaining agreement that changed between the players and the owners, and so now you only get to twenty eight man roster for September. So I think if there was the old days of having an expanded rosters and you can bring up everybody on your forty man with the minor league seasons ending here this first week
of September, certainly James Allen would be called up. But just as we speak right now, when you've got Kevin Kiermeyer and you've got a full outfield as it is, and Tommy Edmonds who can play center field, and Andy Potts who can play outfield, there's just no room in the end for James Outman, unfortunately, as he continues to play down in Triple A Oklahoma City. Congratulations to him and his wife on the birth that they're into baby
in the last week, so congratulations to them. We haven't seen the last of James Altman, no doubt about it. But right now there's just not enough space for James Almen. We've talked about this here on Dodger Talk for the last month. We're gonna get to a point in this season where everybody gets healthy arms and position players and guys who are being counted on, guys who have played extensive innings just aren't going to be there anymore. Nick
on Meds a casualty. They signed him because of necessity, no longer with the team. Calvin Biegio was brought in and did okay to help this Dodgers during this stretch in which Mookie Betts was out and Miguel Rojas was hurt no longer with the team. You look at this outfield situation now with Jason Hayward gone, Mookie Betts is your right fielder, Tiascar Hernandez is your left fielder. That leaves one spot in the outfield every day or two
out of every three games of a series. That's Kevin Kiermeyer, that's Tommy Edmonds, or that is Andy Payaz. Just no room in the outfield. Do you think about the infield spot? Max Munty, Gavin Lux did even play today and they scored eleven runs on seventeen hits. Didn't play because at Wardo Rodriguez, the left hander, got the start, and you didn't. You didn't have that many left handed bats in the
lineup outside of Freddie Freeman. So again, it's just the numbers game, and if you're the Dodgers, it's a great problem to have. There are teams across baseball right now that don't have twenty six guys on the roster that they can count on. They don't have twenty guys on their roster that they can count on, don't have enough
position players that they can count on. The Dodgers have an abundance of talent and players that they've relied upon, and now that they're all healthy, we're seeing some guys left off the roster, some guys back in triple A, some guys gone altogether dfaight, because there's just not enough roster spots eight six, six, nine, eighty seven, two five seventy. Man, Well and Guardina, how you doing, Buddy the.
Artist of scam who is not a scam artist? Red State, Tim Caite, the mother loving Wall much love.
Hey, Dodgers are hitting on all cylinders right now, other than we can usually green in the bullpen.
Yeah, showed up.
They showed up this week.
That was to me a playoff series because we know how it's gone against Arizona of late and San Diego, so they got to show up.
Against San Diego too, and they got to carry it through this year. No more September flame outs. But this is good for them, man, they have this stress to have this going, and I think we're getting.
Healthy at the right time.
Tim Go Dodgers World mother at being champions all right.
Man, Well, appreciate it.
Yeah, they're getting healthy at the right time and they're going to continue to get healthy. With the additions of three more arms come back here hopefully soon a Yamamoto, Bruce Dear Garaderol Clayton kers shot, make that four arms and then you add in of course, uh Tyler Glass now as well. All right, let's head back out to Arizona. What a big day for Freddie Freeman, two home runs, five ribbises. Let's see what he has to say postgame.
How big of when is this for you to not only you know, beat them today, but obviously extend your lead to six games and have the tiebreaker.
Yeah, that's nice, And obviously at the start of September, I think everyone kind of checks where the standings are. But when you play a series when you don't have Christian Walker, katl Marte, Gabriel Moreno, you got to try and take advantage of that. And as an offense we did a good job against their tough pitching and as a as a whole, this was just a good series.
Man.
Did you think you got your feelback at the plate with these three or four days off, because obviously the results were there.
I was just been able to be able to do my routine and work. That's There's not doing anything different I've just been able to practice before games. Wasn't able to do that last week, so I don't know. I would take the three or four days off and say, yeah, I hoped because my finger doesn't hurt as bad as it did last week. So ultimately it was a second do my routine before games?
Are you back to your four route?
Yeah?
Been back.
I think the stable as our presence was it to have Jack sort of how to start.
He did today.
Yeah, that was big.
Just the hats off Totur Bullpen for covering how to be at least twenty innings in the series. And Jack went out there on the last, you know, last game of the series and knowing that, you know, having kershon only go won the first day, and then even Robleski
giving us five and five plus yesterday was huge. And then Jack went out there and giving us five and two third strong innings and US has an offense scoring some runs so we can give some other guys another extra day off, and it was just a big Dale around all right.
There's Freddy Freeman after his big day two home runs, five rbi as the Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks eleven to six to take three or four Dodger fans feeling happy?
Is he Anaheim?
Are you feeling happy after the Dodgers pick up some ground on the Diningbacks now six games up on the Snakes with twenty.
Four to go.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's good. You know, Hey, I beg you give me. I can't look at this series like this. I've rather didn't been taking three ol for them then the Diamondbacks to eat them then. But you know what I'm saying, the diving back hats with them, we've been done. So hey, I'll take three l for any time. So it was a good series with the good game and Bobby Bobby Mulligan is somehow pisched again because I know, I know Clayton is now out out now and not
totally Obama. I feel so bad to Clayton because I'm a big Clayton thing.
Yeah, we all are.
I think we're gonna see Bobby Miller again. I think I'm pretty confident saying that.
Is you.
Hope you have a great rest of your Labor day. We'll talk to you tomorrow. Okay, Okay, all right, there she goes, is he in Anahe? I'm keeping it up to date on what's happened in San Diego. Uh it is the top half of the ninth inning. Padres are up three to nothing, So barring a complete disaster there at Petco Park, the Padres will now be in second place in the NL West. They will be five games back of the Dodgers with twenty four to play. With the loss to day the Diamondbacks, they fall six games
back of the Dodgers with twenty four to go. So the Dodgers get the win today, much needed win in Arizona. They take three or four as they win it today eleven to six. Many thanks to Colin Ee. Thanks to all you for being a part of the show. Thanks for listening, thanks for podcasting as well. We appreciate that all of our podcast listeners out there. We'll be back at it tomorrow Tuesday. So Dodgers continued this road trip the first to two at the Big an a hand I'm against the Angels.
We'll have Walker Wheeler on the.
Mound reading debt mes, the left hander going for Anahi first pitch at six forty Morocco Casino, Dodgers on deck. We'll get it all started at five to thirty. Dodgers win today in Arizona. They beat the Diamondbacks eleven to six. Now eighty three and fifty five. Be back at it tomorrow. Have a great say rest of your Labor Day Monday, so everybody