The right fut Dodgers Playoff Baseball is back, and with it an annual postseason tradition scam is back.
Baby.
This is Sax and Cakes in the A app Go with Broway. Dodger legend Steve Sacks is joined by your favorite Dodger pregame host, Tim Kates. If you want to talk Dodgers, get in on the show on eighty six six nine, eighty seven two five seven now while the Dan Patrick Show streams on the Ihearts radio app. We've been banished to the Internet until this Dodgers playoff run concludes. Here they are broadcasting live on AM five to seven e LA Sports. It's Tim Kates and Steve Sacks.
Dodgers they must win situation in this NLDS down two games to one to the San Diego Padres after dropping Game three last night.
Six to five.
Saxon Kates in the IM with you here till nine o'clock this morning, one hour down, two to go Thanks to Alana Rizzo from MLB Network High Heat, longtime Dodger reporter from Sports in the LA joining us last hour. Getting plenty of time for your phone calls is Dodger fans aren't happy with what happened last night, in particular in the second inning, and I don't blame them. A lot of touched on it. We've been touching on a Saxy about the fact that Manny Machado made a played
running the second base. The Dodgers didn't challenge it, to even question it. I know you can't review it, but didn't even go out to argue the base running from Manny Machado. And then a couple of soft contact hits, a play, a miss cue from Miguel Rojas at second base trying to turn to himself extended the inning, and the Dodgers just could not get out from their own cells last night in that second inning, a six run inning for the San Diego Padres. At that point, Saxy,
we were going back and forth on text. I thought it was over. I didn't think the Dodgers had a shot until that Grand Slam. All of a sudden, it's a one run game. But then the Dodgers' offense disappear for the next six innings.
Yeah, yeah, that's the way it goes. Look, I mean in postseason, when you're talking about free passes like a walk, a soft hit, an air these type of things. They all get amplified. They're under the microscope in postseason, and it always happens that way. You put you get a guy that's injured on the field somewhere, guess where the ball is going to be hit, and it'll be challenging
for him to catch it. It'll be to his right, or it'll be a slow, slow roller like we saw with Rowhouse when he tried to turn that double play unassisted, and you know what it's going to find you. You could tell that he was hurt and later you got to take him out of the game. So that's the way it goes in postseason. But you got to find a way to change the narrative, change it early and turn this thing around and look that this is not insurmountable.
The Dodgers absolutely can do this. Everything has gone the Padres way. I mean that's the way I look at it. They get you know, they got the hype going. They're in their own house now and they seem to just be thriving on every little thing happens their way. That thing is going to change at some point, hopefully it'll start tonight.
Shoey Otani, in the leadofs spot had an MVP season, part of the fifty to fifty club. We knew what he did over the course of one to sixty two going in to this postseason, But you look at the first three games of this NLDS two for five with the three run home run in the series opener on Saturday. He goes zero for four with a couple of punchouts in game two on Sunday last night, breaks his bat a flair hit to center his only hit. He goes
one for four and struck out twice. He's got one extra base hit, He's got zero walks, zero stolen bases, and he struck out six times. I know it's not the postseason he had hoped to have, and Dodger fans are certainly expecting way more than what he's done so far in only three games. But the Otani we saw during the regular season getting on base, stealing bases, putting the ball where he wanted it in the left field, right field, hitting for power, we just haven't seen it.
It is that post he's in Baseball Saxy better pitching, or is this just them figuring out Otani and the rest of the lineup around him not helping him out.
Kind of leaving him on an island there. Every time he's up, well, everybody's figured him out. I mean, they know what he's gonna do. They just can't stop him. That's how good Otani is. They know his pluses and minus is at the plate. And when we're talking about is that Otani in postseason? Nope, it's just a couple of games. If he goes out there tonight and hits a couple of home runs and gets three hits and steals two bases, we're gonna say, whoa, whoa, this is
what we've been waiting for and it's turned around. It's just because it's a couple of games and everybody in the world's watching. That's why it's all. He's had stretches like this during the season. I guarantee it.
I mean, you look at the Dodgers last night. Outside of the Grand Slam from Tascar, Hernandez one hit the remainder of the way and that was Freddie Freeman's in the eighth inning. They had no opportunities even to have guys on base to drive him in. They were two for three with runners in scoring position. They left only two runners on base the entire game. There just wasn't opportunities with guys on base, no traffic on the base pass. You didn't put pressure on the San Diego Padres defense.
And that's because guys are striking out. Guys are going oh for four like Maximunzee Will Smith has been over the series so far for the Dodgers, Gavin lucks oh for four last night with a punch out. The bottom of the lineup has to do a better job of getting on base. And it doesn't mean they have to be the ones hitting the home run saxy. They're the ones that need to draw walks, They're the ones that need to get on base. There' are the ones that
need to get in scoring position. So then when the lineup flips to O, Tawny, Betts and Freeman, you're giving your three big boppers an opportunity to put runs on the board.
Yeah, no question about it. And you know, when we talk about this in all different circles about you know, the construction of a lineup and whatnot, and you're old school, you know, you don't you know, will you know what? That thing comes up more often than not, there's something about not striking out, you know, and you are going to sacrifice that for the fact that you got guys that can hit the ball out of the ballpark consistently, and the Dodgers are are built to slug. That's that's
how this team is constructed. You don't have guys out there that there are interested in moving guys over, or guys that can bunt for a hit or guys can hit the ball the other way and a hit and run. I don't need the Dodgers hit and run at all this year. I mean team, the team is not built that way. And that's okay. I mean, look what they did throughout the season. They were phenomenal. That's the way the team is constructed. And so you have to play
within the confines of how your team is built. And sometimes you're gonna have uh, you know, times where it's going to be some some barren uh you know, times where you're just not gonna be able to get any hits. You're not gonna see any you know, any uh, you know, people on the on the basis, and you're gonna have times where you're gonna have a drought, and that's that's how it is. But you're gonna have other times you're gonna say, wow, this is amazing.
That's that's the problem, and it's been the problem the last few years. Come October is is feast or famine. It's a home runs and bunches and slug or we don't put up any runs on the scoreboard and you get blown out or you lose games because you're just not getting more hits and you're striking out more than more times than nod. And it's great over the course of one sixty two because you're gonna win more games than you're not, you're gonna win more series than you're not.
And that's fine.
But when you get to postseason and all of a sudden, you got twenty seven outs to try to figure out how to beat a team and get a one oh series lead and then a two oh series lead and get a series win. You can't rely on a home run.
I mean, the Dodgers were down six to five last night, Saxy and it was the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth inning, and I'm watching these at bats, and I'm watching guys trying to tie the game with one swing of the bat, and rather than punch the ball the other way or find the gap in right in the left center field or or you know, bunt to get on or whatever they needed to do to get into scoring positions so they can tie the game, or somebody can come up
and find the gap and extend it inning. There's just none of that. Max Munsey's swinging for the fences.
You know.
Will Smith, I mean, I love Will Smith, one of the best all round catchers in baseball, just signed a brand new ten year deal before this season. Will Smith had an awful twenty twenty four regular season, and now it's continued to the postseason. We all hoped they would flip the switch come October. Yeah, oh for four last night and the bats every time he was up, you kind of just felt like, man, he's behind on every swing. He's being overpowered by every pitcher he saw.
Yeah, probably trying to do too much. And here here's here's kind of a quick synopsis of the differences right now. In yesterday's game, the Dodgers struck out nine times, the Padres only struck out four times, and the Dodgers only had one walk. And so when you strike out nine and walk one, that's not a good ratio. The other you know, in game the other the other day, when the Padres hit the six home runs. Yeah, they struck out only five times, so you hit more home runs
than when you struck out. So the key is, you gotta put the ball in play again. Nothing productive comes from, you know, walking back to the dugout in the strikeout. You gotta put it in play.
It's got the phones. A lot of Dodger fans want away in well, appreciate you being patient. Chuck in Long Beach is next up here on Sax and Kates and they am on this Wednesday morning.
How you doing, Chuck?
Oh, I'm doing very well, very well. I'm kind of disappointing. How about you guys today?
Man, very disappointed, Chuck, very very upset that this Dodgers team is down two games to one.
Absolutely. I just got a couple of quick comments. First of all, I think that the Dodgers we're playing mcgil Rojas and we're playing Freddy Freeman and it hurt, man. I mean, Freddy will be a good pension. Right now. We need to get Kiki in, we need to get Taylor in. We need some new blood, man, because right now we're in bad shape. And my other comment is the picture that we signed over from Japan, Man, we
could have got two. We could have got two top notch pitchers here and a slugger for the price that he's making. Man, that's all I got.
All right, Chuck, appreciate it.
Yeah, they gave Yoshanova Yamamoto the biggest contract for a picture in the history of baseball, and the transition coming over to the big hasn't been a smooth one battle through some shoulder injuries and certainly not the production you'd hoped for in his postseason start against the Padres. But the injuries, Zaxy. I hope Miguel. I love Miguel Rojas. I just hope he's not in the lineup tonight because of the injury, because how he's banged up. I know
he wants to play through it. I just can't imagine him being out of shortstop and being a liability defensively and you can get somebody else's bat in that lineup and his name gets being brought up. You've talked about Alana, brought it up, Key Key Hernandez. He's an October player. He's been here before. He's delivered for you in the postseason. They go to Paez last night for some reason, off the bench when Rojas got hurt. You're moving Edmond to
short to play shortstop. He's really good, so why not put key K in center? He can play outfield for he's done it all year. I just don't understand the move.
Yeah, I mean, key K is one of those guys. He's like a Swiss Army Knight. He can play anywhere, and he's more than suitable in the outfield as well. So I think you're gonna probably see that tonight, and I think you're gonna see Edmond at shorts. I think that's what David had had had pointed out. So they should be good to go tonight. Now. I mean, I know we're gonna go with a with a bullpen game, but you know what, so what they've done it before.
Let's go to Aaron and Sunland is next up here on a FI seventy LA Sports with SAX and Kids in the morning.
How you doing, Aaron?
Yeah, I'm doing well. Guys, thanks for taking my call. Well, here we go again. I just don't understand it. I don't understand the regression that seems to happen every year once the postseason hit. I mean, nine guys, last night of the nine A lot of them. A few of them had one hit, No one had more than one hit. Five of them had no hits last night. I mean, Sax,
maybe you can speak to this. I'm noticing that we're the team that has been there so many times, yet we seem like we're playing tight, like we're nervous and haven't been there, and the Padres are playing very loosely. I mean, I'm not seeing any patients in the batter's box. I'm seeing guys swinging at the very first pitch and having a ground out or a pop up. Take a pitch. I mean, even if it is a strike, which it probably will be, get settled in the box, take your time,
stop swinging and everything. Shohy has disappeared. I don't understand Miggy last night, why he didn't just flip that to second base to Lutch and maybe gets a double play. I mean, guys, we're playing like we have not been here before, and it's frustrating. We seem to do this every single year. Thanks taking the call, guys.
All right, Thanks Aaron, Yeah, yeah, I understand that frustration. And like you pointed out, tim in five through eight, you had zero for fifteen. You gotta be able to set that table for the top of the order, and nobody knows it more than they do. They know the numbers, they know the frustration. They feel it more than any caller can call in. I can promise you that they're disappointed. They feel like they're letting people down, and that's they're
human beings, man. They feel it more than anybody. But I think they can turn this thing around tonight. I really believe that with your back against the going with the bullpen, nobody's gonna give him a chance. That's when they'll shine.
I mean, I think about one play changing a game. And we've talked about the Freeman play in which Machado came out of the base line and hits off his shoulder and his head and goes into left field and he goes the third on the play. But to me, that play from Miguel Rojas where he doesn't flip it to Gavin Lux to least to get the force out, it was probably gonna be a double play because it's Xander Bogart's up at the plate. That could have been
a double play. Sure, many scores from third and we're tied one to one, but there's two outs and nobody on base for David Peralta, and you're feeling pretty good about all right, we're one one. If Bueller can get out of this. David Peralta gets out, flies out, grounds out, strikes out. Okay, crisis averted. We don't have to worry about it. And now we're tied one one going to the top half of the third inning. Instead, you try
to make a play, it doesn't happen. Runners are on base, and then Paralta clears the bases with a double down the right field. A single missque, a play in which you know you think you can make but you don't and runners are safe can change a game like that.
No, there's no doubt about it. And you know all the talk and everything that's been in the papers for you know, a long time. We all knew that coming into postseason the Dodgers were going to be strapped on their pitches to haf But look how many guys are hurt on this on this staff, there's a list as long as your arm. There's a lot of guys that are hurt. We know Freddy's hurt, we know Miguel's hurt. And it's nothing you want to just say, well, you know,
that's that's the reason why all teams are hurt. And you don't want to ever make an excuse, but you got to call it like it is. For instance, look at look at a move that the Padres made this year. This was a brilliant move with David Peralta. This is a guy that's thirty seven years old. He began this season at Triple A with the Cubs. He got released on May tenth, He signed with the Padres eight days later. He got called up on May twenty second, and the
rest is history. I'll tell you what that guy you know from being over here, that guy can flat out hit. And are we surprised that he jammed that ball right inside the bag at first rate? No, he's done in his whole life. This guy can flat out hit. He's not intimidated by the moment. And that was a good pickup for these guys.
Huge pickup and guys are delivering, you know, maybe that of the biggest names, but when their numbers called, they are making the play when needed, whether it's at the play defensively or guys come out of the bullpen for the Padres like they did last night. James in North Hollywood. Welcome to Saxon Kates and am James.
How you doing, Hey man?
You know what I'm doing.
Okay, I know this feeling. I'm used to it after the last few years. But I gotta tell you, Tim, you red in my mind. I think the key to turning this around is one simple thing. Don't try to make the excellent play, make the right play everything from like you said months, he's swinging for the fences. Let me see a little more, Tommy admitted people's approaches. Throw the barrel of the bat to the ball and just make contact. As Dave Roberts says, move the ball forward
in the field. Of course, you've kind of beaten it to death with his decision to run to the bag. But you know, if there's a chance to make a spectacular catching the outfield, but it's low probability, let it drop. Take the single, don't let it roll by you, and let it be a triple because the Padres have proven that they will make you pay for those sorts of decisions in game, no.
Doubt about it.
James appreciate it real quick. Saxy. On that play at second which Rojas tried to take it himself, for an unassisted double play there and not flip it. De Luxe, who was in position ready to go, in a position, ready to turn that double play, is lux yelling at him, Hey, you know, flip flip flip or me me me? Or is he saying something to Rojas to let him know and communicate that let's turn this or is that a decision just completely made by Rojas And there's no verbal communication there.
No, there's verbal communication. You can be yelling each other, but in the moment, with the how loud the crowd as, you're really relying on the you know, the shortstops the decision to take that or not. It's mostly the shortstops decision. But the thing is, and those times you got to get won. I mean, the most important throw on a double play is the first throw because that will set the second one in motion. So you got to give that guy a good throw. And you know you got
the base runner barreling down there. I believe that was Meryl. Yeah, and you know he's going to change. You know, the speed of the ball and speed of the runner dictates you know what the infielders are going to do. You got to get that ball quickly. You know to Lux and then he's gonna have an easy throw with with Bogarts, I believe was a hitter on the double play, But that's a decision mostly right at the moment that split
second with with Rojas. But you got Meryl, that's fast, you got Rojas, that's hurt, and that equals what we saw.
Yeah, and it was in and that got away from the Dodgers defensively, Walker Bueler did help himself out with a couple of pitches he certainly wants back, and the next thing you know, it's a six run second inning for the San Diego Padres and they go on and win it by final of six to five. Your reaction on this Wednesday morning continues. Your phone calls eight six, six nine, eight seven two five seventy. David Vesse will join us next hour. We'll hear from shoey Otani his
postgame reaction from last night. Last night, shoey Otani came up in situations and you know, just didn't have opportunities to drive in runs because the Dodgers didn't.
Have guys on base.
The bottom of the lineup got to do a better job in helping out this Dodgers team if they have any hopes of winning Game four tonight and even up this best of five series at two games a piece. He is Steve Sacks. I'm Tim Kates. Your phone calls next here on m FI seventy LA Sports. It's Sax and Kates in the am here on this Wednesday morning.
Thanks for being with us.
October ninth, Dodgers down but not out, down two games to one in this best of five NLDS. Game four is coming up tonight from Petco Park. Obvious must win game for the Dodgers. It'll be a bullpen game for Dave Roberts and this Dodgers team hope been to force a Game five on Friday back at Dodger Stadium. David vass or Dodger Insider, will join this in the eight o'clock hour or here from Shoeotani coming up at about
seven o'clock. His postgame thoughts last night, Shoeyotani Zaxy. Outside of the home run that got Dodger Stadium going on Saturday night, the three run home run that retied the game at Dodger Stadium, he hasn't done much in this series. I know he had a broken bat, base hit last night, but a couple more punch outs. He's got more strikeouts than hits in this postseason so far.
Yeah, I think he's what won for the last eight or yeah. So, uh, you know, that's that's what you sometimes what you get with the you know, all or nothing type of uh you know. I mean it's not really all or nothing with him, because you know, he hit well over three hundred this year and was the best player on the planet. But sometimes you have pockets of time in postseason where it's become you know, it
just gets everybody knows it. It becomes almost exacerbated when you see, you know, him not being able to go out there and dominate every time up. It doesn't happen that way throughout the course of the year. He's had slumps, I mean, you know, and yeah, sometimes it happens on on the you know, in postseason. A lot of it depends on what cycle you're in. You know, baseball's a you know, a can just a big heap of cycles
that people go through. Teams go through it, and on a micro level, certainly the players go through it, and you know, it sometimes shows up and maybe you see somebody breaking that cycle. A guy like Mookie Betts, who you know, we see over twenty two and then all of a sudden he bangs out a couple of hits last night. Is this the start of another cycle where Mookie just puts the team on his back? Now? Maybe so?
I mean, Dodger fans thinking, oh, oh, Tawny's the red hot player going down the stretch. She's going to be the MVP of the National League. And Homer's in the first at bad it's every time up, it's they expect him to hit a home run. They expect him to do something that we've never seen before, and unfortunately in baseball, that just doesn't happen.
Never a bad no. And it's great that we've been spoiled, yeah, by by the great things that this man can and only he can do it like that. So, but it's not reality. It's not what happens in baseball. I mean, we talked about it before. You can look back in time and go and find out easily now with the transfer of information today, and see what some of those old time players did, the horrible slumps that Mickey Mantle had,
I mean bad ones. You know, William May started out his his career with I think an for twelve and then he was one for whatever. I mean, he he had some bad slumps in his career too, but these guys are some of the best players ever. And you know, everybody's been through it, and Otani's ended a little bit.
But look he hits one big home run. Yeah, you know, in the in the middle of maybe a comeback tonight to win the game, and all of a sudden, it's it's all back, you know, so he can do it with one swing of the bat.
Very excited to talk to our guest right now. Saxy almost a decade covering this Dodgers team for sports and at LA and here on a FI seventy LA Sports. Now you see here with the mad Dog on High Heat as the co host of High Heat on the MLB Network. She is Alana Rizzo and she joins us here on SAX and Kate's and am on a FI seventy A Sports. A lot of Good morning, How are you doing?
Good morning, guys, Great to be with you on this early morning in Los Angeles. How are you doing?
Fantastic? I wish the Dodgers were doing a little bit better. You covered the Dodgers for a long time, Alana, you saw the Dodgers Padres rivalry really from its infancy develop over the years. Big brother, little brother and finally feels like little brother has grown up now and has hit big brother in the mouth.
Yeah, big brother is getting hit a couple of times by little brother. And you know, I didn't used to think that this was a rivalry because, of course, if you follow the Dodgers, you know that the Dodgers and the Giants, that's the rivalry, right It's the Red Flax and the Yankees. It's Michigan, Ohio State Duke, North Carolina Giants Dodgers. But I tell you what the Padres have shown me a lot over the course of the last
few years. I mean, this is a team that I think got tired of being the little brother and they are just you know, pound for pound, punch for punch, you know, getting getting after it. And there's just something different about this team, the Padre There's just a it's a bit more of a complete team. There's more fire. I mean, I just feel like they have something or
they feel like they have something to prove. And the thing is, it's one thing to talk about it, it's another thing to do it and they're doing both.
Yeah, Alana, how are you good to be with you this morning.
Great to be with you too, Saxony. Great to have you on my ear again. It's nice to be with you guys.
Thank you. Hey, Alana, you forgot to say Notre Dame and whoever they play right, mostly usc that's a rivalry exactly.
That's the rest of the country and Notre Dame.
Yeah, that's right, Alana. I got to ask you that play where Freddie spears the ball, you can't get up. He's obviously hurt. Machado. I'm looking at the play over and over again. Now he's he's almost three feet onto the grass at his at his furthest point with his left foot, and then he darts back into the running
lane after the ball hits him. I've never seen anything that egregious without without some contention from the club or an umpire stepping up and saying, look that I don't know where it were it is in the rule books, but this can't be a legal play. I mean, what's the difference of just throwing your hand up and grabbing it. You know, it's it's he's way out of the running lane, and I can't believe nobody said anything.
That was my biggest takeaway to actually of last night's game. Where is the absolute uproar in the Dodgers dugout? And Bob Garren is the one guy that I know that knows the rule book better than anybody else in the game. Bob Garren's in that dugout. He knows it frontwards and backwards and upside down. And nobody said anything whether it was illegal play or not, which I don't think it was.
But find out at least show that you're pissed off, at least at least question it, at least stop the game, ask for ask for clarification, ask for something to be said about what happened there. I mean, obviously he's running all over the place, He's running in the throwing lane. You know, I just don't understand where the fire was. It was like, oh ho hum, Okay, no big deal. And I just don't I don't understand. Why wouldn't you
at least question whether that was allowed or not? And they didn't, And that to me would just kind of set the tone for the remainder of the game. It's almost like, and again, I love the Dodgers, very much. But it's almost like, if you notice, when Ken Rosenthal was interviewing Dave, it was almost like he was talking about today, this game already. It was almost as if they had, you know, said okay, this one, we've lost
this one, we're looking forward to tomorrow. It's almost like they had surrendered game three before we even got into game four. And I just it really bothered me that nobody even questioned if what Manny did was allowed or not.
I mean, this was a left turn. It was running, he looks over his shoulders, Freddy spears it, and then it's it's just about a left turn onto the grass. As soon as that spears his left ear, he jol. He you know, hurries up and gets back on the running lane. But that's a left turn to the grass.
I mean, it was so obvious, obvious, and Manny knows what he's doing. Manny, Manny is really really good about getting under people. And the thing is, it's like it's not just him on that team. Sometimes you need a couple of you know, a couple of guys that do those types of things and have those types of antics. And I just think that that's what the Dodgers this year are lacking. I'm not saying you have to, you know, be a jerk, but what you're lacking is that fire.
I mean, obviously you have Miguel Rohause out there that can't even move because of the growing issue. Freddy is dealing with the ankle issue. You know, you can't have show Hey put the team on his back every single day. I mean, his bat's gone a little bit cold, but he did hit a three run home runn in Game one to allow them to come back. Tay Oscar's been phenomenal, Taoskar's and my X factor for the Theories. He's been the MVP of the season in my opinion for the Dodgers.
I know that show Hey's going to get it deservedly so in the National League, but if far as the team is concerned, say, Oscar has been the MVP. But there's just I don't know, there's just something missing. And to not even to not even argue or question or ask for clarification on what was such an egregious and obvious play that that should not have been allowed, I just don't understand it.
A lot of you are there.
Will Walker Bueller made his debut, came up as a rookie. Really came onto the scene in twenty eighteen. In that game, won sixty three against the Colorado Rockies. He's battled the injuries. He's come back this year and one in six season in sixteen starts. But last night you kind of felt like Walker Bueller was back. And he gutted through that second inning where he didn't get a lot of help, and yes, he missed on a couple of pitches. The one that Tatisa is an O two fastball you cannot
leave down the middle of the play. But he came back and put up zeros after that second inning to give him five really good innings out there last night. What did you see in walker Bueller.
That's the Walker Bueler that we've been clamoring for all season long, right, that's the Walker Bueler that we knew was still in there, and you didn't know what you were going to get after to Tommy John Surgery's and he's the only one that showed any emotion when he went back into the dug guy and he's throwing crap all over the place. That's like, that's what I need to see from the rest of the team. You know, He's obviously upset about the mistakes that he made, but
the defense behind him was horrific. And you have to think about the fact that this guy has been through an emotional roller coaster trying to you know, you know, it's still in him, right. It's like when your body, you know, your mind is still sharp, but your body is failing you. And I kind of feel like that's what Walker's been dealing with all season long, you know. So I needed to see that from him, and he gave this club a chance to win. This is the
pre guys. It's not just Walker Bueller. It's not When Jack Flaherty in Game two went into the fourth inning, that was the first time a Dodger starter went into the fourth in the postseason since Kyler Anderson did it in twenty twenty two. It's not just one thing that this team is lacking. It's a systematic problem in terms of injuries. Of course, they've been decimated by injuries, but perhaps roster construction. They just don't have starters that can
go deep into the ball game. Look at the gems that have been put together so far by some of the other starting staffs in the playoffs. I mean Sean Maniah shoved yesterday. You have you know, like you Darvish of course against us Shovved. You know, you have some guys that are going deep into the games, you know. So for game four, it's Dylan Cease against a bullpen game and an elimination game. I mean, that's a problem. So I love the fire that Walker Bueller had yesterday.
That's what you need to see. I just hope that it's not, you know, too little, too late.
Yeah, unless you you're you're absolutely right about that, Alana. I wanted to ask you about the other side of it, where people are talking about, you know, this offense for the San Diego Padres, but what about this defense, the speeding the outfield, especially Jackson Merrill, who is who is not a guy that's been out there a lot, but he looks like he has twenty one years old and able to run down balls the way he does. And how about Luis Arrives. I mean, this guy's naturally a
second baseman. He couldn't cut it there. So what do they do? They put him on first base and you're getting Lou Garrig over there. This guy is catch.
All of a sudden first baseman right. I mean that means ridiculous. It's like catching everything things they're going your way. They're going your way, right. Think about think about the game in which Profar robbed Matad, Profar robbed MOOKI bets on the on the home run, right, if he doesn't make that unbelievable conting, notwithstanding all of the craft that happened afterwards, the Shenanigans, all the things from both sides, Let's take that out of the equation for a minute.
If Profar doesn't make that catch and rob Moki of the home run, I think the complexion of the game completely changes. If tatif doesn't make that unbelievable catch robbing Freddy Freeman of probably a double, even though Freddy's hobbling all over the place, that completely changed the complexion. If Jackson Merrill doesn't make that unbelievable catch, I mean, all three of their outfielders in Game two, I think it was had unbelievably great defensive plays. And then, like you said,
you have Luisa Rise. He's obviously like a you know, a single hitter, not a power guy, but has had the batting title in three straight years. All of a sudden, playing you know, gold glove defense at first base. These things seem to be going their way. And you know they again last night when Profar I thought robbed Muki again, I'm like, you've got to be kidding me. I mean, you couldn't have played the ball in the same area
if you had tried. But then when Mookie actually got the home run, I'm like, Okay, now it's kind of changing in our favor. Let's get things going here. And then you know, obviously with ta Oscar putting up that Grand Slam and bringing the team within one, I'm like, okay, this is this is it? So yeah, I mean, unbelievable defense. They have guys that can hit the ball a long way, obviously to tease you know, with all of the home runs that he's had, and they have really good starting pitching.
So they're a very complete team.
A lot of final thing for me, and I appreciate you coming on this morning. The Padres top to bottom are getting production from everybody in the lineup in all three of the first games. So you look at the Dodgers, Otawani bets a home run, Freddie Freeman, a couple of base Knox, ty Oscar, Hernandez has done it, but Max Munsey Oh for four last night, three punch outs. Will Smith still doesn't have a hit in three games in
this series. Outside of a couple of walks, he hasn't been on base Gavin lux Oh for four last night. The Dodgers need to get some kind of production from these veterans who have been in postseason baseball the last three, four or five years.
They've got to get something out of them.
But Tim, this has been an issue all season long for the bottom part of the order for the Los Angeles Oders. I mean, they've just they've been trying to figure it out in terms of you know, mixing and matching and and changing pieces and trying to figure out this puzzle. But there's been a lot of times even in the regular season where the bottom, you know, middle's, the bottom part of the order was just lacking production.
And like, you take Miguil Rojas out of the game, and that goes such a great that takes a huge glove out of the game. But then you bring in Andy Posse, which is an interesting thing to me. I was wondering why Andy pat has over perhaps you know, Kik or whatever, but whether that's neither here nor there at this point. But you know, I they just you know, they they say that hitting is contagious, and I'm telling you, guys, it's just it just seems like it's a bit lackluster.
It doesn't seem like things are, you know, kind of bouncing the Dodgers way. But I mean, let's see. I hope that there's some fire today. I mean, you have no choice, right like, this is it? So I really think that, you know, they've got to come out and show me something. You have to be able to jump on Dylan Ce's early. You have to try as much as you can to get the crowd out of it early. But yes, there needs to be more production up and
down that lineup. You can't you know, you can't hit a five run home run every time you're at the plate. You can't be counting down the batters until Shoheo Tani gets back up there. You've got to be able to distribute the wealth and everybody, everybody has to be able to produce and compete and try to do something for this team.
Yeah, and last one for me, Alana. And you know, you look at the factor of facing Dylan ceas I think he's on short rest, isn't he a So he's on short rest. They've seen him once and the Dodgers obviously got their backs against the wall. Sometimes when you're we talked about this a couple of days ago, when you're on a long road trip, you come back and the manager says, look, no betting practice today. You come to the park, strap it on and go and play these guys and part of op yeah, And I think
that's kind of where the Dodgers are right now. You know, this is their second shot at Dylan Ceas on short and he's going to be on short rest, and they've got their backs against the wall, bullpen game. Just go out there and just do the best you can. Sometimes you got your most productive, gut productive games that way.
No question. And you know better than anybody you played in this big You know, you play in the Big League for a long time. You know what it's like to compete, you know what it's like to be in these situations, you know, elimination games, back against the wall. But there's got to be some sort of you know, who's the leader right now, right who's the one that's like getting people together and saying, all right, Let's let's do exactly what you just said exactly. Let's just go
have fun. Let's remember you know why we loved playing this game, Like, who is that guy right now in this Dodgers clubhouse, in the Dodgers dugout that's doing that? You know, I don't I don't know. I don't know who that is.
You know.
I just think that hopefully they realize how talented they are. Hopefully they realize that this is a team that was not built for the regular season. What difference does it make if you go one hundred and sixty two and oh if you get bounced in the first round three straight years by a division opponent. We're not built for the regular season. We're built for October. Our season starts on October first, you know, and it's almost over. So I hope, I hope to your point that they do
have that mentality today. Just go and shove, Just go and realize who you guys are.
She is a lot of Rizzo.
We miss her on the Dodger broadcast, but we love seeing her every single day with the Mad Dog as a co host of High Heat on the MLB Network.
Alana, great to hear your voice.
Great watching you on TV as always, and let's hope this Dodgers team could force a Game five tonight.
Yeah, thanks a lot, I hope.
So miss you guys, talk to you soon, Go bye.
Thanks a lot.
There she goes a lot of rizzo from high heat and at work absolutely absolutely cover this Dodgers team for nearly a decade along that run of seventeen eighteen the World Series running twenty twenty one, so she's seen her fair share of Dodgers baseball and she's right. This Dodgers team's got to figure it out and figure it out fast tonight with Game four. We'll get your phone calls
coming up. He is Steve Sacks. I'm Tim Kates. Thanks for being with us on this Wednesday morning as the Dodgers need to regroup and get ready for a must win Game four on the road in San Diego tonight. Your phone call's next, got a line open at eighty six to six, nine eighty seven, two five to seventy. You right now driving you take it eight sixty six nine eighty seven two five to seventy. It's Saxon Kate's and am here on n FI seventy LA Sports. Saxon Kates
in am MFI seventy LA Sports. Dodgers down two games to one of this best of five NLDS, a must win Game four coming up later on tonight. First pitch at six to eight, But a lot of reaction to what happened last night in Game three, the six run second inning that snowballed out of control for Walker Vieler and the Dodgers, who came back with the grand slam of the third from tae Oscar Hernandez. He showed some fight last night. Not a lot of fight from the
Dodgers bottom of the lineup. As the Dodgers lose Game three six to five sacks. We got a lot of Dodger fans that want to weigh in. Let's go out to the phones get some reaction. David in the Port of La joins us now here on saxon Kates and the m Good morning.
David, Hey, good morning guys. How you doing bit better?
David?
Down two to one, must win game tonight after what happened last night.
The Dodgers got to regroup quickly.
Yeah, but check this out my tear where we lost four ground balls in the infield, didn't get.
One out out of it. Yeah, and this one ain't on Bueller.
This one is not on Bueller. He's been getting shelled all year and he did great. Four ground balls in the inns. We're trash months. He spat and slow.
Well, appreciate it, David, Uh. Four ground balls, You're right, no outs out of it. You gotta be better defensively in that situation to help out your pitcher.
Walker.
Bueller isn't uh without a little bit of fault here and O two pitch to Tatis, he can't give up a two run home run and extend the inning. Did David parulta pitch he leaves over the play for Peralta to hit a double down the right field line. Certainly you can't do anything about the ground ball he induced to get a double play that Miguel Rojas cannot make, the play on a soft hit to the left side of the endfield for an infield hit from Profar, can't
do anything about. And the ground ball to Freeman you certainly can't do anything about. Because there's a weird play that we won't see for a long time in baseball with Machado hitting the ball off his shoulder. But it's it's one of those inding saxy. You're looking for somebody in the second inning to make a play, somebody in the second inning to do something to stop this momentum from the char from the from the padres, and they just couldn't find a play, a player, something to stop that.
Yeah, you needed something to It's almost like you got to put your foot in the ground and make a left hard you know what I mean, completely make a transition here. But it didn't happen. And a lot of it is with you know, the way the ball is bouncing. You know, you got guys that are hurt out there. You got guys, some guys playing out of position. It's it's not easy, h you know, to turn it around like that. That's just the way baseball is. And the thing is, you got a fresh start today, and you
know the cat's out of the bag man. I mean, you know, you got your backs against the wall. You're you don't have a starter out there tonight. But you got to go out and you got to make their make Dylan cease pay. And I think jumping on this guy early and get into that bullpen as soon as you possibly can will pay dividends. After they give him a whooping today because they can get into that tomorrow when they've got these guys taxed a little bit.
It's going to Father Gary in Burbank. Father Gary, good morning to you, sir.
Hey, Hey, what an honor to speak to both of you. Mister Sachs growing up watching you thrilled. I want to know something. If you guys don't mind, I'm not superstitious, but man, when we got the Padres, when we drew the Padres and we won game one, and everybody's going bananas, I was the one thing slow down. We've been here before, Gaja glu from twenty twenty two. So let me ask you,
who's the leader on this team. Who's going to pick them up and tell them, guys, we can't let show hey have this kind of a season and then let it in three games right here in early October. Who's the guy that's going to pick him up and say, hey, Muki was out for six weeks, came back and carried the team. Who's gonna say that mister Freeman's son was sick and he pulled through that in this season and
was still able to win all those games. How are we going to get these guys motivated to see that they've gone through not only adversity on the field, but adversity off the field as well, and that we've got to be able to pull through this man.
We can't just let the season end tonight.
Father Gary appreciate the phone call. Yeah, maybe the Dodgers need a little divine intervention tonight against the Padres. But he brings up a great point, because there isn't that Justin Turner in that Dodgers clubouse, Saxy. There's a quiet leader in Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman's the same way. Sho Hey Otani certainly first year there language Barrier, not a guy who's very vocal in general, very quiet person as well. You got a lot of subdued characters in that Dodgers clubhouse.
I Will Smith is about as quiet as possible, and he's over the series. Max Munsey, is he your leader? He hasn't done much. Maybe tay Oscar Hernandez the guy, you know that would be my guy in the clubhouse to fire everybody up, because after that Grand Slam, he was yelling from home plate all the way back to the dugout, trying to fire up the rest of the team.
Yeah, well, first of all, there's nobody that can give us a better prayer than Father Gary. So hopefully you can do that, you know. And actually when I when I meant to taxing this bullpen on the padres, we'll get into that for Friday, you know, if we're we're gonna get there. But look, this is a team that won ninety eight games. He had the best record in baseball,
and they were doing a lot of things right. And you know, postseason is a different season, and they're gonna have to They're gonna have to rely on what's going on in the field, not so much in the clubhouse. I'm a I'm a big advocate of leading by example, and I think we started to see it yesterday with Mookie. I still think Mookie's a guy. I think Mookie's gonna
explode in the next two games. And we're gonna be sitting here talking on Monday next Monday about Friday's game, how the Dodgers and Mookie just went out a terror and exploded on these guys. They certainly can do it. I think it's gonna have to be done, you know, with the bats, and not so much in the clubhouse, because after all, they did win, you know, ninety eight games, and you know there's a reason that they have home
field advantage throughout the World Series. They had the best record in baseball.
Dodgers need to figure it out and figure it out fast tonight with Game four coming up, a must win game. He is Steve Sacks, I'm Tim Kags. Thanks to Alana Rizzo for joining us earlier this hour. Your phone calls coming up after the top of the hour. We'll hear from Shoeotani postgame last night as well. Dodgers lose last night six to five. They make a comeback with a grand slam from ta Oscar Hernandez in the third, but the second inning did him in six runs, five hits,
four of which didn't get out of the infield. But the Dodgers defense some down walk revealer, a couple of bad pitches, and next thing you know is six spot is on the scoreboard and the Dodgers just can't overcome that. Down two games to one in this best of five series. We're back with your phone calls, Steve Sacks, Tim Kats and you
On this Wednesday morning on an FI seventy LA Sports