Right quid.
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 forward proway.
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 Ain't 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 Sachs.
Dodgers a 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 A I'm 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 this 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 Saxy about the fact that many 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 and 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 that Dodgers had a shot until that Grand Slam. All of a sudden, it's a one run game. But then the Dodgers' offense disappeared for the six innings.
Yeah, Yeah, that's that's the way it goes. Look, I mean in postseason, when you're talking about free passes like a walk, a soft hit, and 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 Rohaus when he tried to turn that double play unassisted, and you know what it's gonna 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 happen is their way. That thing is going to change at some point. Hopefully it'll start tonight.
Shoey Otani in the leadoff 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 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 Taskar 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 maximun See 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 Otawni, 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 your old school you know, you don't you know, you know, will you know what that 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 the 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 we'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 hit 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 ye. 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 at the bat, and rather than punch the ball the other way or or find the gap in right in your 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 defences. You know, Will Smith, I mean, I love Will Smith. He's 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 then you 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 a strikeout. You gotta put it in play.
Let's go out to the phones. A lot of Dodger fans want a way in. We will 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 mcguil rohause and we're playing Freddy Freeman, and it hurt.
Man.
I mean, Freddy would 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 league 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 Miguil 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 the 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 k 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 is
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 shortstop. 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 MIGGI last night why he didn't just flip that to second base to Lutch and maybe get to 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 got to 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 wall, 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, Manny 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 line. A single miss cue, 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 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 the biggest names, but when their numbers called, they are making the play when needed, whether it's at the play defensively or guys coming 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 read 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 Mike 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 is Dave Uffarid 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 catch in the outfield, but it's low probability, let it drop. Take the single, don't let it roll by you in 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 at 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 gotta 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 going to 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 Merril, that's fast, you got Rojas, that's hurt, and that equals what we saw.
Yeah, and it was in and they 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 sixty six nine, eight seven two five seventy. David Veasse will
join us next hour. We'll hear from shoey Otani his postgame reaction from last night Last Night showey Otani came up in situations and ye 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 are here on am FI seventy LA Sports. Hopefully we're hearing this Friday night Dodgers Stadium. That means Game five of the NLDS Freddie Freeman's walk up song. But they need to take care of business tonight in a must win Game four, Dodgers down two games to one of this best of five series. Steve Sacks, Tim Kates, and you here on this Wednesday morning in October ninth.
Thanks for being with us. The Dan Patrick Show can be found on the I Heart Radio app as we recap what happened last night and came three. A disappointing second inning from the Dodgers, six runs on five hits, Fernando tatist Junior a two run home run gave him a six to one lead. After Mookie Bets's solo home run, the first Dodgers came back with a grand slam from Taoskar Hernandez and the third by the way, Saxy Tascar Hernandez a guy who bet on himself in this last offseason.
And what I mean by that is signed a one year deal basically for the qualifying offer of about twenty million dollars, which is really good money. But he signs a one year deal with the Dodgers wanting to go to a contender and wanted to be a part of the team that has a chance to win a World Series and be a contributor on that team, and knowing
that he'll be a free agent again next offseason. If he could produce and put up numbers and maybe win that he'll help himself for a bigger contract this next offseason.
Yeah.
All Star season, career high in home runs has He's been consistently helping out this Dodgers team. A really good defender in left field, but his production has been off the charge. The Dodgers got more than I think they expected out of a one year deal from Taoscar Hernandez.
Oh Yeah, they did. This guy can really hit. It's got a lot of sock in the bat. I love watching him hit. He's got a good approach at the plate. He's built for damage and he's not up there to you know, try to hit the ball the other way, and that's not what you want in this particular hitter. He's extremely talented and like I said, the power really shows. He right out one hundred. RBIs at ninety nine this year, thirty three and ninety nine with the two seventy two average, not bad at all.
I like it.
I mean he's up there. That's the kind of numbers you see with guys that can you know, put the average up and the damage numbers two guys like Goldschmid, et cetera. That's kind of the zone that this guy's living in right now. He's gonna get a lot of Denarro.
In the first inning and Mookie Betts goes deep, similar to what happened in Game two, Jerkson Profar goes into the crowd. We thought maybe he had grabbed it again and robbed Mookie bats. Mookie kind of made a bee line towards the dugout and then had to recircle second base and third and come home for the home run. I know you were pretty fired up about Jerks and Profar and just antics there and left field again.
Yeah, yeah, I don't dig it at all. I mean, no, you know, I'm kind of old school. I mean, catch the ball, make a great play. A lot of guys that do that, you know, it's you can see that they've got a humbly nature about them. This guy's gonna step there and jump up and down and smile at you if I you know what you know, I don't want to say it, but I'm with you. You know, if I had a Coca cola, I might have flung
that thing. You know what if I'm in the front row, you know what I mean, I might have just made it a little bit loose. But no, you don't want to be throwing things. You don't want to. We don't want to see them in the field. But but uh, you know, it's it's that's the way some guys are, you know. But he's uh, he does his job and and he's there. He he's got a nice shtick that he's uh that he's doing. If you look at Jerks and Profar. I don't know how many great years he's had,
you know, uh, and throughout his career a lot of them. No, but he's he's had some injuries and whatnot. He's a talented guy. There's there's no question about it. But but not not to the level of some of these other guys on the team. They've got a lot of stars on this on this San Diego team, he's kind of like a role player, but he has has had kind of a breakout year. This is his first year that he's been on the All Star team, and that puts
him in a you know, in a different zone. If you make an All Star team even once, you know like he has, that puts you in a different zone. So you got a hand to him.
I mean, he signed a one year, one million dollar deal this past offseason after being in Colorado last year and then being DFAD and then signed by the Padres late in September and sent to the minor leagues to try to figure things out, and here he is having a resurgence in twenty twenty four. We got a lot of Dodger fans on one away and we want to Tim.
I want to say one more thing about Jerkson. He's only thirty one years old. He's been around forever. He's been in the big league since he was nineteen years old, so he's still got a lot of baseball in him.
One point, he was the top overall prospect in all of baseball with the Texas Rangers. That's how far back he goes. We go to Diana and Granada Hills. Thanks for being patient Diana on this Wednesday morning.
How are you good?
How are you Tim and Steve?
Hey?
Dan, I'm good.
Hi.
So first off, thanks for taking my call. And I want to say that Alana Rizzo, man, she is a gem and her insight and passion for the game are just really missed. Hearing her this morning, she got me fired up. I feel like she.
Should got up in the dugout and oh my god, she needs to go in the dugout and get these boys fired up. I'm telling you, you know, I look at that play. You've mentioned it so many times where Machada.
Gets hit with the ball. I can't believe it wasn't questioned by Roberts. That would have been a perfect time for him to run out, you know, get his team going. I know it was early, and you know we weren't behind at that point. It all fell apart after that, but you know, going out there, I mean Tommy Lesorda, he would have waddled out there in a heartbeat and been out there and screaming and wondering what's going on there? You know, if we missed that passion. And my concern is,
and I've really thought this last couple of years. Roberts is a great manager for the regular season and he's a wonderful man. I just don't I just don't see the fire in the moxie as the leader of the team in the postseason.
Your thoughts, thanks, Diana.
Is there something to that saxy that come postseason more of a raw, raw manager and during the course of a regular season more of a laid back Let's, you know, roll through one hundred and sixty two game regular season, but October you got to flip a switch as a manager.
Well, I understand what what Diana is bringing. The way I look at is I look at the totality of not only the man in the season as well. The season was great, Dodgers were the best, and that's where that is in post I know it is, it's a season in and of itself, but I got to see I got to see the leadership and the passion come through by example, and that's what the players do. You're grown man, You've played in this game for a long time you're you're at the at the epic part of
your career, being able to play in these games. If I need another man to to tell me to get enthusiastic, to tell me to play differently than I normally do and get really excited about it, and that's going to make somebody else excited, Ah, there's something wrong here. No, I don't need anybody else to get me going. I if it's if it's not going naturally, uh the way these guys you know that they can do, then then
there's something wrong right there. But I don't think it's a manager's job to try to really motivate these guys. Why would you need a manager to motivate you. You need a manager to you know, kind of keep things rolling to you know, make the calls and whatnot. I stand the motivation part. I understand that, but think about it logically, this is the biggest moment in your life and most
of these guys, do you really need motivation? Maybe you need to be pulled back a little bit, you know, But but the real leadership comes through example and the players show that absolutely.
Man Well and Anaheim is next up here with Saxon, Kates and am welcome, man, Well, how are you good?
How much stuff are you guys doing?
Doing good? Thanks?
No, the reason why I called, I've been trying to call a week. I've been watching the games and everything. As a matter of fact, I'm at work right now. Other than that, I just see that everybody's trying to be a hero and trying to hit a home run ball instead of being patient.
Yeah, it's it's it's back to the old slogger or bust.
Yeah.
So the thing is, from what I've been noticing, even every single at bat, everyone's trying to hit a home run or hitting really hard instead of just claim taking the outs. I know we have MaTx Munsey is one of the best, one of the best hitters out there. I've seen that he's very patient, and I know that he can hit the ball, and I know he can take walks. That's what we need to do. Thanks for taking my call, all right, man?
Well, yeah, during the season, this Dodgers team sactually would take a lot of walks and would grind down a starting pitcher. That's something that they've become very good at. And this year this group was really good at and
elongating at bats. You know, seven eight, nine pitches passing to the next guy, whether you got a hit or not, and then all of a sudden, the next batter six seven, eight pitches, so that pitch count goes up on a starter, and they'd wear out the starter to get to the bullpens, because most of these bullpens in baseball aren't very good. Yeah, and that's something that Dodgers they don't they don't do in the postseason.
It seems like they get away from that.
Yeah, two things I wanted to mention in that number. One. If a pitcher isn't going to give you a good pitch to hit, if he's if he's on the fringes of the plate, and you have to go deep into counts, fantastic, I say. I say, have twenty pitch, twenty pitch at bats for all the guys, wear those guys down, get into the bullpen. I get it, But I'm not going to sacrifice that philosophy to allow two pitches right down
the center of the plate to go by. You can get into the bullpen just a lot quicker by hitting the ball in the gaps, hitting getting base hits, and hitting the ball over the fence, you know, and Dodgers are built for that. But again it's got to be because you know, DeLong at bats because you're not getting your real good pitch to hit. That's That's what I really believe it. And secondly, the game has changed so much, Tim. I call the games here for the Rivercats on in Sacramento.
It's a Giants Triple A team, you know, on on just a Saturday Saturday home TV games. And what I see is astonishing to me because I see it not only in Triple A the way the way you know the teams are structured, but also in the big leagues. You got a guy on second base and nobody out, and you have the second basement playing in back of second base. He's not even thinking. The guy's got it in his mind to hit a roller or a hard hit ball to the right side to get that runner over.
They don't even try to do it. Nowadays, it's they don't even try it. I'm I'm sitting there with Zach, the guy that calls the games, to play by play guy, and I'm saying, Zach, what what's going on here? We got a guy on second, nobody out, and the second basemin's and back of second base and the first there's a there's one hundred foot chasm between the two fielders on the right side. They're not even thinking about driving the ball the other way. It's it's amazing how much the game has changed.
Yeah, philosophy has changed. And instead of hitting the ball the other way, as you're talking about, and you can get.
A hit over there, what's the difference.
You get a hit over there, you hit it down all the field line, you're gonna I don't get it.
It's it's mind boggling how the game has changed. And if you just do the simple things, you know, maybe you'll win more games, especially in the postseason. Eric and east La been waiting patiently to talk to Saxon Kates today and how you doing?
Eric?
Hey, how you doing.
I'm gonna tell you he's AACS to baby.
You're my favorite player.
I have your jersey on right now to give us some good luck there.
We played.
You played with grit and you played with tenacity. I think we've showed some signs of that, but we need to continue that. What do you think is the X factor as far as for us to win today? And we went today, we're winning. We're winning on uh a Friday or whatever it is.
Yeah, good question, Thank you, Eric, good question. You want to take that to him?
Absolutely?
Okay, Here, here's here's what I believe.
You're in your jersey right now. Sex.
I love it in the recesses of my soul. I think the fact that the Dodgers are going to go to a bull have to go to a bullpen game today, we knew this was going to happen. I mean, the Dodgers were depleted in their pitching staff because of injuries. But I think what we're going to see tonight is I think we're going to see good performances out of the bullpen. And you know, the tough thing about it, and what makes it difficult is you got one guy in the chain that cannot be at his epic best
and pretty soon, you know, the things crumble. So it's even more of an emphasis on that bullpen to come out and shove. As Elana says, and she's right, we need these guys to shove on the on the San Diego Padres tonight. But I think they can do it. And once that starts happening, you're gonna see the enthusiasm just roll out of the Dodgers.
You want to talk.
About, you know, some enthusiasm. You want to talk about some excitement and emotion shown Watch what happens when we're in the fifth or sixth inning. You got a new guy coming in and the Dodger bats are rolling, and this bullpen's able to hold these guys down. Remember when a hitter is unfamiliar with the picture, When you're changing guys out all the time, that's not good for hitters. Hitters like familiarity. They get it, they get in a role,
they get in a momentum with a picture. With a picture, you change guys out all the time, that's very difficult to do.
If this were something the Dodgers were experimenting with tonight, a bullpen game, had maybe never done it during the course of one hundred and sixty two game season, and this was forced on them because of injuries, I'd be.
Like, oh, wow, this is this is not ideal.
They've done this before half many time, and this is not new.
They did it on the final road trip in Colorado. Do experiment with an opener against the Rockies followed by landing knack as a bulkanning guy goes two or three innings and you keep passing the baton. So they've been setting up for this. They knew this isn't a secret, Sack say. They looked at their rotation and the injuries, saying, all right, Kershaw's probably not going to be part of this glass now he's done, Gavin Stone, he's done. All right,
Let's look at a five game series. How does this project? Okay, probably we're getting into a bullpen game. Let's start preparing for that. They've been getting ready for this all season.
Listen, this, this is, this is nothing new. I guarantee you. I guarantee you, and it's and it's not eyewash as they call it's not oh, you know, fake whatever. I promise you right now, everybody listening to this in the confines of those walls in that locker room right now, the Dodgers, wholeheartedly, in the recesses of their soul, believe that they're not gonna only win tonight, but they inspect, expect to come back to Dodgers Stadium and lay a whooping on him and go on to the next series.
They believe this wholeheartedly, as much as they're breathing. They believe it. So don't think that the Dodgers are gonna be intimidated going there in there tonight. They're gonna say bring it, and they wholeheartedly believe they're gonna take the next two games.
He is Steve Saxion, Tim Kates and Saxon Kates in the am here on A five seventy LA Sports. Appreciate you being with us on this Wednesday morning. A lot of reaction to Game three last night, the debacle that was the second inning, six runs scored, four infield hits, a two run home run from Fernando Tatis Junior.
The wheels were falling off.
Tay Oscar Hernandez got him back into the game with the grand slam in the third and then the Dodgers' inabilities to get hits just one after the third inning, and that came out of Freddie Freeman single in the eighth inning. Dodgers come up short six to five, and now they must win Game four tonight. We'll get to your phone calls. David Vassa will join us next hour well from Shoeotani as well. Dodgers need to win a must win game four to night right here at ANFI
seventy l A Sports. It's Sax and Kate's and am HALFI seventy l A Sports, Thanks for being with us on this Wednesday morning, as the Dodgers now find themselves yet again and they must win Game four of the n l DS tonight at pet Goo Park in San Diego. First pitch coming up at six oh eight. So we'll get to your phone calls in a second. Let's gets here from last night after the Words Saxy show, Hey Otani and his interpreter Will talking to the media, and after Game three loss to the Padres.
Show, Hey, you came here to make a postseason run. How devastating was this loss? To now face elimination?
Come on, what's done is done now? So at this point it's really very simple is to win two games?
Sure, let's just talk.
About the environment tonight at Petco Park and how you taking this.
Crowd got to this day.
I also season.
Show, Hey, what is the It's a really good crowd and it's very similar to the atmosphere that I felt at Dodger Stadium.
What gives you the confidence that you guys would be able to come back from the two to one depth.
Sites service.
Sometimes indential.
As a team.
I think we did a really good job fighting back and climbing back into the game. And I think it's really important to have the momentum on our side going into the next.
Games made of the intensity of this Padre team and of course the atmosphere at pickle part. Do you feel like the Dodgers the players are matching that intensity and if not, is that a problem?
She even put, you know, tell me this overall, I really do feel that the team, this team really wants to win. And just that's the kind of, you know, the feeling that I get is is a really good, you know, atmosphere.
So I do feel like we're matching it. Have you ever been in a position?
All right, there's Show talking to the media last night after the game of Saxie. It was one of the questions I had coming in to postseason play was how would show Tani play and certainly All Star MVP season during the regular season, but he had never played in a Major League Baseball postseason of six seasons in Anaheim. What have you thought so far in this small sample size of three games. Has he risen to the occasion? Has he been what you expected him to be here in October?
I think that his performance, good or bad, are going to come in bunches. That's the way that he plays. I take a better example over what he did throughout the course of the year, and he was the best player on the planet. There's no question about that. And oh yeah, wait till you see him pitch that's coming next year. So you know what, it's hard to make a determination. Now, Look if Shohey had had four home runs by now, and you know the Dodgers were just
riding his coat tails. I mean, it's it's more of an example of what he did throughout the course of the season. But it's such a short sample size that it's hard to say, well, I expected shoheo Tani to hit the home run in Game one, tie it up, and then after echo one for eight. I mean, you know what if he comes back today and gets three hits and hits two home runs, now, he's going to be oh like he did through the regular season. So it's too short of sample size to to say what
I expected him to do. We've we've seen him do a great thing. You tied the game up with one swing in the bat in Game one, So I mean it's it's hard to say, but we'll see after it's done.
Surely in South La joins us here on a f I seventy l A Sports on this Wednesday morning.
Hi, Shirley, good morning, says good morning to him.
My phone was going can.
You hear me?
Yeah?
We got you? Go ahead, Shirley, he got you.
Oh okay, yes, you know. My family chat, my friends chat. My phones were going crazy that second any everyone was giving up. And right before the grand Slam, I texted my family. I was like, I'm crazy, but I still have hopes. And then like three batters later, here comes still and hits the gram slow and even afterwards they're like, come on, Dodgers, we're gonna lose. I'm like, no, let's have hope. I couldn't sleep last night. I was dreaming I would wake up and I'll be like, oh, but
you know what, I still have hope. These are our boys. I'm gonna back them up no matter what. I'm gonna cheer for them, no matter what. You know, it's our toxic relationship.
Every year.
You know, it's hard to see them lose.
I can't even.
Imagine what our boys feel. But like you said, sex, I know they want to win, you know, I think they wanted more than anybody, and they want to They want to bring us up. They want to bring a championship to La. So I'm gonna stay.
With that hope.
And it's not over till it's over. We still got twenty seven outs and anything can happen during that time.
All right, Sureley appreciate the phone call. Surely feel like we're waiting for one of those innings like the Padres head last night, where you put up a crooked number, the Dodgers do saxy and that things bounce their way and the snowball turns around and goes right at the San Diego Padres. If it feels like the Dodgers are due for one of those, I don't know if the
Padres pitching and good defense will allow that. It's gonna take some good breaks and bounces the Dodgers way to do it, and certainly some better at batch from the Dodgers to have that.
Yeah, it's it's uh. You know, like they say, you create your own you know, your own luck and whatever, and I think you do that through effort, and you do that through hustling. And you know, the Dodgers got all of that nobody's ever gonna question the the effort on this team. Uh, that's a major problem. If that was the issue, that is not the issue at all. Look, if the Padres do go on and and go to the next level, I will I will profess it out there to anybody that I would expect them to win
the World Series. I think this is I think they're them and the Dodgers are the two best teams in the playoffs right now, and it's.
Been this great series so far.
The Dodgers just looking for some more balls to bounce their way here in Game four tonight and force at Game five back out at Dodgers Stadium. David Hollywood is next up and has been wait impatiently. You're an AI seven E LA Sports.
Good morning Dave, gentlemen, Good morning Sachey. It's an honor to talk to you boys. I want my Rick Monday moment, and I want for all Dodger Nation the Rick Monday moment. Now, let me explain Championship series in in Montreal, Kidd's Graveyard, Dodgers not looking good. Same as we are now back here in Los Angeles. It's raining cats and dogs. I'm the Junior High I'm the mister Carlyle's class, big baseball fan, big angel fan. Where's angel had all the time hated
the Dodgers. Took the entire class.
Into the home room, put on the TV in black and white, those TVs that had on the cart, and put the game on. Rick Monday comes up up to the plate and Carlisle looks to the class and says, Monday's gonna strike out or hit a home run. And me, being the big melt that I am, I jump.
Up and say he's gonna hit a home run. Next pitch, boom, home run. And you knew at that time that we were gonna win the whole thing. Dodgers. Let's get our Rick Monday moments. It's there, the moment where you know we're gonna win this. Thank you, guys, thank you for taking my call.
All right, Dave appreciate that.
Yeah, that's one of those moments that can happen tonight and could spark certainly a win and spark a big inning for this Dodgers team. It's just a matter of which Dodger players are going to be. Somebody at the bottom of the lineup. Is it going to be a Max Muncy a Will Smith finally getting his first hit here in the twenty twenty four postseason, or one of the big three. We'll find out he is. Steve Sackson, Tim Kates. Two hours down, one to go here on
Saxon Kates and the Am. David Vassa, our Dodger insider, will join us in about thirty minutes. Your phone calls when we come back as we react to Game three last and look ahead to Game four to night. It's Saxon Kate's and am right here on your Home of the Dodgers Amphi seventy l A Sports