Okay, here we go, Fred Rogan Rodney Pete on five seventy LA Sports. It's two hours today to get ready for what might be the final Dodger game of the season. On the other hand, it could very well be another step in their road to the World Series. Rodney, And which one do you think it'll be. Well, I'm gonna stay positive here here, Fred. I think it's going to be a step in another road to the World Series. I think that the game five is coming back to
Dodger Stadium. And I say this because you know, everybody wants to point to previous years and say, oh, the Dodger struggles in the playoffs.
Here we go again, this and that. But I think this year is is a little bit different and a lot of ways we talked about going into these playoffs is that first off, you know, a different, different lineup obviously with o Tani and he's got a hit and we'll we'll talk about him. But I think that because they they had to fight. These are the things we talked about going into the series. They had to fight
to win the division. But also there were several times this year where their backs were to the wall, they were struggling they needed to win, they needed to stop the bleeding, and they did it. And I think that because of that, this year can be different. Now they still have to go out and do it on the field, but I think they can only because I'd look at and I'd probably be looking at this different if the game ended up different last night. But it was a
close ball game. It was hard fault. We saw the emotions of Walker Buehler. You know, obviously Uh Tasker hitting the Grand Slam was was huge, but there wasn't a blowout. And I think because the Dodgers' bullpen has been pretty good, I think they can handle tonight and get it back to Yamamoto. But I do I feel like it's a it's a little bit different than year's past. Now we hope that comes true, but I think it's a little
bit different feeling. But things have to happen in this game that haven't happened in the two losses.
Okay, so I am with you. I think the Dodger bullpen will pitch well tonight. I am with you one hundred percent on that. That does not, though excuse the distinct lack of hitting t Oscar Homwerk last night and Mooky finally broke out of it. Thank goodness, Mooki came alive. Mooky hit the ball. Mooki hit a home run. So Mooki showed up last night. He had been missing in action. He showed up big time. Yeah. I don't want to be wrong about something that I've said. You questioned it
when I said it. I don't want to be wrong about it. But I may be is Otani made for the moment because after his performance in Game one, he has been absent hitting, and he's got to hit tonight. He's got to hit. He can't be chasing. He's got to hit, and there can't be when a guy has a bad game, there's no bad games. Now he's got to hit tonight. Mooky's got to continue tonight. I think the bullpenal'll do a fine job. Yeah, I do too. I'm concerned about somebody hitting tonight because aside from ti
Oscar last night and Muki, what happened, what happened? Nobody hit nobody, Freddie body, Freddie Freeman's ankle is bothering him.
That very apparent. But he got a big hit, he yes, but his ankle had to come out of the game. He couldn't run, but his ankle. I mean, you know, we'll get in to the defense. But yeah, he is a And here's the thing you just wish, uh, you know, Otani could play first base, because if Otani plays first base, you can DH Freddy. I don't need Freddy. I don't
need Freddy to beat out a infield hit. But I certainly think he can still be effective at the plate without having to play the field, and so that becomes a lie better. But you can't dch anybody because Otani's the DH. But yeah, you're you're absolutely right. And we say this all the time, and I hear the narrative all the time. You fred Oh, you know, in the playoffs, you gotta have pitching, starting, pitching, pitching, pitching, pitching, pitching, pitch.
I think it's the opposite. The last few years, it's hitting. We see some of the top pitchers in the league go in like ready to win the cy young get lit up in the playoffs. It is about hitting because the players at this point in the season and his teams and they always say, and it still is true, that it comes down to how hot you are, how hot the team is. But at the end of the day.
It is hitting.
When you have a lineup where six, seven out of the nine guys coming to the plate are on fire, are in a groove, you can't stop them. Aaron Nola is one of the best pitchers in the league and has been. The Mets lit him up.
And the Mets have been hot. The mess has been that team with a little momentum, Yes, and they're hitting.
They never feel like they're out of a game because their offense can bring them back at any moment. And it's not just one guy, and it's not just two. They got five to six to seven guys in that lineup that are dangerous. And you look at the Padres right now, that lineup, that lineup is dangerous. Seven guys in that lineup are dangerous. I mean, Arise at the top, who's not even hitting right now, not even really being a factor as much right now and now defensively he has,
but offensively he's he's a hit king. I mean, he's the you know, led the league in average profar got to watch out for him, obviously. Tattoos is on fire, Machado's on fire, the young kid Merrill, He's dangerous at the plate right now, Croninworth is dangerous. Paralta. Paralta is hitting the ball like he's an All Star. I mean, they got seven guys that are dangerous at the plate, and like you mentioned before, the Dodgers have one or two each game they get hot. Not gonna cut it,
not gonna cut it, not gonna cut it. Your seven, eight, six, seven, eighth, ninth hitter has got to come through.
I mean, we love Max Munsey. Hit the damn ball. Yeah, you know what, America's catcher Will Smith hit the ball. I mean, you're to that point you don't want to start calling people out. You don't want to do that because we love the Dodgers. But that's it. It's go time. There's no turning back now. We can't have Max Munsey whoosh these gigantic swings and makes no contact, or he hits it and he flies out. One home run every seven games is no. I'm gonna cut it now. Trying to hit it.
It feels like he's trying to hit a home run every time up and every swing doesn't matter if it's two strikes or no strikes.
His swing is hitting it. I'm gonna hit it a country mile. You got to just hit it. Sometimes you got to put it in play. Will Smith, let's be honest, and you know he's probably been dinged up. He's the catcher, and we know. I mean from a defensive standpoint, I think he led the league in throwing guys out. But they signed him to hit. They gave him this giant deal to hit. And now's the time you gotta hit. Now's the time you cannot give them clean innings anymore.
I mean, look at the game last night, Rodney. I gotta tell you what I thought. Walker Buehler left it out there. How that Walker Bueller did as well as he could. He seemed in command, He was in charge, he was comfortable. Did he get a lot of third strikes? No, who cares? He had them in the game. There were two miscues that killed him and he led to this giant inning. Why Freddy goes to second to try to start a double play. As much as you hate Manny Machado as a fan, that guy gets it. He's a
baseball player. He gets it, and he just kind of ran around so that when Freddy threw it, Rojas wouldn't be able to see it. Yeah, and because he hit him, Yeah, that's legal. That's smart, that's baseball.
Yeah, that was as long as you're not trying to avoid a tag, you can run in anywhere in the baseline right right.
So that was azarm.
He even checking looked back real quick to see where Freddie fielded the ball, and then he and then he curved inside on the grass.
But very just very smart, smart baseball. Okay, But that that little moment right there, just the slightest thing just changed everything. That adjustment Machado made where you didn't you thought initially what is he doing? Oh, okay, he knew the game and.
The game, and I think he got on on on a two strike pitch where he was got fooled and he reached out over the outside portion and just flicked it into left field, and that's how he got on.
It was one of those when you're going good, you're going good, all right. So now that was critical. And then the other moment in that inning, uh, Miggey Rojas yep ball to Shutter, flipped the ball. You got to throw the ball a second basement, right, And I think he was puzzled as to why he didn't flip it. If he flips that ball to Lox I'm not saying it's a double play, but it certainly gets the runner
at second. It's the runner at second instead, what happens the runner at second is there, The runner at first is safe and now and now look and when it's all said and done, six runs six to one. Right, So you think it at that point. And they even talked to Dave Roberts during the telecast and he goes, we're not waving the white flag yet. Yeah, right, okay, so now you're looking at it and going, God, this is exactly what you don't need. But Bueller never lost
his composure. Never. Well he did in a dugout, Well that was different. Yeah, on the hill he didn't. He never lost it. Yeah. But in the and you know what, that's ok I love that me too. That's okay. At least somebody act like they care. So he gets back out there, why because all of a sudden, the Dodgers are back in the game. They're back. Yeah. King looks confused and disheveled, and and Ti Oscar hits a grand Slam and you're going, okay, we're early in this game. Early,
we're one rundown. Oh no, we got him, Now, we got him. Now it's we that's it. They're in our sights. We'll shut them down, and we'll shut them up and then they can't hit. Yeah, and then that's it. No, I mean no, that doesn't work. And the excuse, well, you know it's the playoffs or King or the reliever they brought. Who cares, doesn't matter. It doesn't matter now, guys.
No, teams that are winning and have one are teams that hit the ball, like creating. It's offense the back he's talking about the pitch. It's offense. Arizona on their run last year as their two pitchers got hot, but it was their offense that got hot. And up and down that lineup, you didn't know who to pitch to and who to pitch around. And that's the same thing with the two teams that are leading right now in the National League, the Mets and the Padres. Who you
want to face. You know, you just old stay away from tattoos, stay away from Machado, you gotta stay away from Merril.
You gotta watch out for Barlton, now, crowning Worth.
I mean they up and down that lineup, everybody is a threat, and they they're they're coming through where the Dodgers, you can't you can't say you really can't say anyone tied on the Dodgers hitting the ball.
They're not, of course, you can't say it. They're not. And you know something in the postseason houstings that they've suffered. You can't say it about any of them. Then, No, in the past two years, you can't say it they aren't hitting.
No, And in years that they didn't make it to the World Series, it was there often they did hit because about picture. It was it was Corey Seeger and Bellinger, even it was Chris Taylor who had that hot series and a couple you know, and and Key k who had big moments in the in the in hitting, it was up and down that lineup, you know, And and now there's there's just I mean, it's almost like they're waiting on Otel and Mookie to save the day.
Well, nobody else can do anything, and you know, talking about Miggey Rojas. All right, Dave Roberts made two decisions last night. Two one, I thought, and I agree with you was gutsy and brilliant when he went out to talk to Bueller. The minute he comes out of the dugout. We know what that means. We know that's it. And he went out there and he had a conversation and I didn't hear it, nor did you, But I can assure you one thing. Bueller said, I'll get him. I'm
not coming out. I got this, and Dave Roberts stuck with him. I thought that was a gutsy decision, and I agree with you. It proved to be the right decision, and it showed what Walker Buehller is made of. All right, son, So there's one decision he made. Let's talk about the other one. When he takes Rojas out of the game. I'm not there, You're not there. We don't know what the plan was ahead of time. Tell me you didn't think t K would go in he played piz Yeah,
you didn't think would go in? I thought, I thought, yeah, I thought key K. I did think k K was coming in the game. I did.
But I get it, I get I get it. Edmund moving from center to shortstop turned out to be a good move too. Defenses. Sensibly, he made some plays that outside of Mickey Row, I don't know if anybody else maked it on that team. No, they were great Rodney, you know, but I did believe and and and and you said this last I think you said it going into UH into the playoffs or or even before that.
You like the way pi Haz was playing was hitting. I did too.
I thought he'd kind of come around. He was, he was hitting the ball well, he was getting hot. But I think in that moment, yeah, I felt like key K because he had been there and he'd done that. You know, he was in the situation before. He's been in big moments, and and yeah, I I certainly thought that. But I get it, and I understand, you know, when you need somebody maybe to run into one and Pi Haz has kind of been offensively, he's kind of been hot and you get to move Edmond to UH to shortstop.
I mean that it didn't It didn't bother me as much as as as maybe some other people didn't bother I mean, like again, I was leaning as soon as it happened. Soon as he pulled up at third base, I was like, Oh, here comes k K. That's what I thought. And I mean, and you know, kindsight could could could be he want it to me, comes up hit the three run bomb or he strikes out Dwight.
We don't know, you don't know what's gonna happen, but yeah, I thought being the experience of Key K would have probably been the move I would have made.
Hright, Dodger fans. Uh, we're gonna open the phone lines, not quite yet what we'll do. David Vassiel joined us from San Diego when we come back and after that, we're gonna open the phone lines and let you talk about what needs to be done or what you expect to be Hey, Rodney, Pete, Fred Rogan, getting ready now or never? Yeah, that's one. We're gonna look at it now. We're never. All right, Let's bring on David vass from San Diego. Dave, good afternoon.
Hey guys, good afternoon.
Okay, we'll start with this. Do we know who's starting for the Dodgers or who's pitching tonight?
It's gonna be a bullpaying game. Fred, I've been laying that out for you every time time I come on the show. What we saw in Denver was going to be something that was going to be replicated tonight. So you're going to see either Vesti or Banda more than likely start the game to face two of the three first hitters that are lefties, and then from there you're going to see Landon Knack at some point and they're going to go with a bullpen game. He was not
really a surprise. I don't know why everybody's so surprised. I've been saying that since the beginning of the series.
No, no, I was going to open it up again.
Yeah, it's going to be a leftie to face the lefty hitters.
Okay, bandassie, there's a lefties out there. They What was the what was the vibe after last night's game? I mean, I know, was you know, disappointing and all that, But did you get a sense of like head down or was it we got we got to get tomorrow.
Now.
I mean that clubhouse was down last night, but that was last night. Obviously, he lost a playoff game. You're down two games to one, and he blew a great opportunity to come from behind because they did not have all but one base runner. They only had one base runner the last six innings of the game after taoscar Hernandez's Grand Slam. So I think they were all disappointed with that fact. And you know, today's a new day.
And I said this on Dodger Talk last night, and I'll say it again that this team has showed some more fight than what we have seen in each of the last two playoffs series. And a big reason why is ta Oscar Hernandez. He's the personality that you know, hopefully is contagious to the rest of that clubhouse. And you know, there's no other player that I believe would have come through with that type of hit other than Taoscar Hernandez in that spot.
Dave iout Walker Bula looked good last night for being Walker Bueller. He seemed confident, he seemed comfortable. I mean, he got tagged by that the two defensive moments. But aside from that, Dave I thought he did a pretty good job.
Freddy gave up six runs in one inning. Yeah, I don't know how anybody can say that he pitched well last night.
Okay, but here's the same, Dave. If Freddy Freeman doesn't throw the ball and hit one player and then Mickey Rojas throws the ball to second base, he's not giving up six runs.
Well, Number one, that was a smart base play by Manny Machado. It was very much within the rules. If you've been watching Justin Turner and Chase Utley run the bases. They used to do the same thing, so that was not out of bounds. Number two. Yeah, Mickey Rojas tried to be a hero and tried to do too much. That would have been one out. But that still doesn't change the fact that Walker Bueler had two strikes on all those hitters hitters and couldn't put them away. He
was a victim of paper cuts. But he can't be absolved of that six run inning.
No he can't.
He can't, But the complexion of the inning changes if he gets one of those outs.
I really believe that is there. But two strikes is two strikes, Rodney. You got to be able to put away hitters.
Yeah, you do. Got to be able to put away hitters, Dave.
You know that, But I'm just saying in all in all, and then to come back after that, and I thought it was big for Dave Roberts to leave him in the game, But to come back after that and shut it down, I thought that was big too.
Were you pleased with that?
Sure? Yeah, that was good that he was able to stabilize the ship. But that's been a microcosm of his season. Where he has a inning where there's a huge crooked number in an inning, and that's just been him this year because of the reasons that I just mentioned. He can't put away hitters and that's unfortunate. So it was great that he gave them five. But you know, if they're not going with a bullpen game today, does Dave Roberts have more urgency to take him out of that inning?
I don't know. I actually thought when he went out and talked to him, I thought Walker probably said, I can get this guy or let me go.
I was in the fifth inning. That was in the fifth inning. That wasn't in the second inning.
Oh you mean the second inning? Yeah, yeah, yeah, But again, as you said, he was victimized by paper cuts. The issue was they didn't hit Dave. They didn't hit that was the problem. If if Machado doesn't get hit by Freddy's ball and Mickey Rojas flipped it to Lux, he's not giving up six ones at inning. And then if Tiascar hits a home run a Grand Slam, which.
He did, they just didn't very just forgetting about Fernando's Tatis Junior's home run. We're just gonna forget about.
That come to the plate at that time, does he even get to come up?
Well, you know, that's neither here or there. David Peralta seemed to be able to get a big hit as well.
Yeah, but also Dave, you know, you strike.
Maybe not the strikeout, he doesn't have to put away strikeout pitch, but he got to ground balls.
I mean that's part of it. Five innings. But he did give up six runs. All six runs were charged to Walker Buehler. Okay, there were no unearned runs in that inning.
Okay, well yeah, okay, and that's fair. But what about the fact they didn't hit? Isn't that then.
They scored five runs.
Mookie hit, but who else hit? Mookie hit, and so did Ti Oscar? Who else hit?
Well, that's a problem as well. They only had one base runner last six innings. Guys named Will Smith, Max Munsey, Gavin Lux, Tom Y Edman were combined zero for fifteen. That's not going to get it done either. Usually when you score five runs in a playoff game, you should win it.
Were you surprised that he didn't put kek in instead of Andy Pays?
I was.
I was shocked. I was shocked, and I actually thought before the game that keyk Hernandez should have got the start in center field and tom Yeddman should have been at short stop because obviously Rojas is limited defensively and is he really a difference maker offensively? Back to your point about not hitting, he really is not that guy. So I'm hoping that Key k Hernandez does get the start today.
What does it look like, David, do you think it's going to look like? You think Key Caman lineup? What about Freddie? And and does does Edmunds play short and Key k play first? I mean, what do you think it looks like?
I think Freddie Freeman plays first tonight, And like I said, I hope it's Key k Hernandez in center and tom Y Edmondette short.
Uh Okay, Dave, As you approach the game tonight, and you've mentioned and so have we, you know it's been a season of adversity, they've been able to fight back. Do you think they have enough fight left in them for tonight?
I do?
I do.
I've seen more of that in this series than I have seen in the last two years. And look, a bullpick game can go great or it can go sideways on you because you're asking a lot of different pitchers to be on their game. So if you go back to twenty twenty one, the last time the Dodgers won a road playoff game, it was in San Francisco the night they used an opener for Julio Orias. So maybe
that's the magic pill tonight. Go back to the opener and use Land and Knack, and you win a road playoff game for the first time in seven games.
I think the g is going to be fine. I think they're gonna feel like the bullpen will be fine too. It just it just they can't.
It's risky, but they can't get off to the starts that they've been getting off to. And that's just the pattern for the Dodgers that they can whoever you know, starts the game and comes in next. It can't be down three to nothing and four to nothing in the second inning again like they like they've been doing.
I will say this, the questions I'm getting from around baseball are valid ones. That the Dodgers have this payroll, they obviously spent a lot of money during the off season, but don't have a starting pitcher for Game four. That's a valid question to be asked one hundred percent.
But I think the bigger question is which will be explored during the off season. The reason they don't have a picture for Game four is because they're all hurt, and how did that happen? That's I think the bigger question here, that's the valid question. Why is the majority of the Dodger starting staff injured or suffering from Tommy John problems? Why? I think that's what has to be explored, Dave.
So that's something that Andrew Freeman said he's already starting to dive into and more during the off season. But the facts are they traded for a pitcher that has had a long list of injuries with his arm, and that's Tyler Glass. Now, he made the most starts of his career last year, which was only twenty, so he has a track record that shouldn't be as big of a shock as everybody's making it out to be.
All Right, Well, Dave, thanks for coming on.
Okay, guys, thanks, all right, there he goes.
David Vassa. Jesus, he was ready. He was ready.
He was feeling it like the like the like the players are right now. He's just like, you know, it's very animated for it. He was animated. And I have to tell you, we're not with him every day, Rodney.
No, he feels it.
He feels that that pressure and all that stuff that he gets from those players in the locker room and all those things because he's in it every single day, and the angst and all of that.
So it came out a little bit today. Yeah, And here's the thing. I will respectfully and again, we're not with that team every single day watching them, but I'm going to respectfully disagree with his assessment of Bueler. I am too.
I am too, because you can't put it all on him, and you can't you know, you know, yeah, he's supposed to put away pitches. Well, he's not that guy. You can't look at him from last year's previous and go, well, Walker Buhler two years ago, Walker Buhler four years ago would have struck that guy out instruct that. Well, that's not who he is anymore, at least not this year. Coming off to Tommy John.
You know.
But if he gets you know, this guy on first and there in that inning and he gets a ground ball, double play ball, you expect to get a double play. He gets a ground ball, and you expect to get at least one out out of that. You know, he's doing his job basically, so to suggest that he's not, you know, he didn't put those guys out. Yeah, he didn't. On paper, he didn't put him out. But he did what most pitchers are supposed to do, give me a groundball, double play, and he got a ground ball and didn't
get the double play. Not only did he not get the double play, he didn't get anybody out right.
That made it worse. Yeah, all right, it's like six nine, eight, seven seventy. All right, we're get up on the phone lines. Dodger fans. You can weigh in now. You can weigh in on your thoughts. You can weigh in on what David Says has to say. Boys, God, but this is it? What do you think about? Oh yeah?
Especially one for Dodger fans. Today's afternoon delight is Won't Back Down by Eminem featuring Pink. It was off Eminem's seventh album, Recovery from back in twenty ten, which had a lot of features on it, including this one here from Pink. That's what the Dodger's got to do, Freddy, don't back down again. Today's Afternoon Delight is won't back down by eminem and Pink.
Let's go, let's go, all right, let's open it up. Let's hear it, Dodger fans, oh, Juan in Guardina.
Let lose, all right, guys, I just want to I just want to make this point Walker Buehler throwing that pitch that Tati's hit.
To me, it was down right.
It was a home run, batting practice pitch. My thing is coaching. What's going on with coaching? Why do we why can't we like get coaches, change up the coaches at the end of the day, like these guys were every year, it's the same coaches.
Well, what do you mean by change up the coaches? What do you want the coaches to do? One they wanted?
You want the coaches to pitch? It was a mistake that certainly was a mistake by Walker Buehler. But but guys make mistakes when you're playing sports and it's a real deal.
Yeah, what do you so, seriously, what do you want the coach to do?
Well?
Like, for example, Mark Pryor is a great guy, but you know what guy's life, Greg Maddix, I was growing up, I was a huge fan of the way that he would. It wasn't about how fast you through.
It was about location.
And I just don't see these players really getting coached to where they make adjustments.
Okay and one and one, thanks for calling. I'm gonna answer that for you. Thanks for calling. Uh, here's the thing, guys in Major League Baseball are all throwing harder now. The game evolves and changes. I think one makes a valid point, Rodney. Yeah, it's different now, and it doesn't necessarily mean it's better now when it comes to that. But I don't think it's Mark Pryor standing behind Walker Bueller and telling them you better pitch it right to
that spot. I think Walker Bueller knows where to pitch the ball. It's said. It's it's a question of is it going to end up where he wants to admitted it?
Yes, Okay, I'm coming up to the plate. I'm going to hit a home run right now because we need it. Right I'm going to get a pitch that's ninety five and it's on the inside half of the plate, and I'm going to hit a home run right here, right now.
And you pop it up. What fault is that? Well, it's a hitting coach obviously. Yeah, it's not saying I mean, and I get it. Fans are passionate.
They're not in the they're not in the practice sessions where they go over this is where we want to pitch this guy. This is this is how we want to attack him. You know, you can't throw a slider out over the plate to tattoos. Of course, you can't do that. It's like telling a quarterback, hey, don't throw any interceptions.
Yeah, don't do that. Don't do that.
Okay, but you go out and you misread something or the ball gets tipped or you know, guy makes a great play that's on the quarterback or the coach.
You know, it happens. The point is it happens.
Go ahead, Hey, what's going on? Fred Rodney?
What's that?
Man? I don't think this. I don't think this whole thing's on Walker. You got to remember he was out there for a long time. You notice, Man, he was sweating like crazy. With those guys making those bad plays behind him. It just left him out there longer. And Rodney, you know, it's like throwing a past where receiver is supposed to be and he goes the wrong way and all of a sudden it ends up in somebody else's hands.
That's not your fault.
That's the guy, the receiver's fault for making the wrong move. Same with our short stop and Freddie making that those plays. That's what caused Walker to be out there even longer than what he should have been.
Yep, And it's not on him.
I mean, my son's a pitcher. I see him fish all the time, and a lot of times it's your defense, and it makes you out there having to throw more pitches, and the more pitches you're getting tired. I mean these relievers that come in, they're not out there for thirty five pitches, and you'll notice that how their pitches aren't as sharp when they're throwing.
Thirty five pitches in anything. So that's why I said, this isn't.
All on Walker.
He battled it out. I mean, look how well he did after he got out of that inning.
Billy appreciate it. Thanks, thanks, really, absolutely absolutely. He can't put it all on him. When you're gonna you know, you think you're getting out of the inning. He got a ground ball and you're getting a double play, and he don't all right right in Long Beach, go ahead, Robert up.
Guys, thanks checking my call. You know, last night is done. I'm not interested in talking about that at all. I am choosing to be optimistic tonight. As a lifelong Dodger fan. I think the pod is going to come in over confident. I think the guy, our voice and I are going to do great. I think show he goes four for four, the Dodgers win tonight five to three.
That's it, guys.
Done, all right, thanks Robert, done, done, done. I get you know, at the end of the day, you said it, start the show. It all comes down to hitting. You know, we can. You can trot out everybody you want to. They're hitting. We're not. The Mets are hitting.
The Phillies bottom half of their their team is not hitting, and it's the reason why those guys are two and one.
You bring up the hitting there, Rodney, and it's facts. However, there was a decision made before this series started that I think is looming pretty large right now that I haven't heard anyone bring up. I was talking about with Fred earlier. They said we're going with Jack Flarity as the starter in game one, and then they said, Yama Moto, Well, right now, if Flarity had gone Game one, he could
be pitching tonight instead of having a bullpen game. You think that decision isn't being rethought now, that's.
Huge, No, because I think they still believe it's going five and they got Yama Modo going going in the fifth game, and that was the plan going in which everybody in their and their brother before this series thought this game, this series was going five games. And if you're believing that it's gonna go five games, then you trot your best guy out there for the game one and game five.
Is he their best guy?
Yamamota was clear cutover Flarity.
Yeah. I don't even think.
I bet he doesn't start Game five. I bet Flarity does if they get there.
No, No, I bet the rank that Yamamoto starts Game five. I think tonight Dodger pitching is going to be fine. I think the bullpen's going to do their job tonight. I don't think anybody's giving up six runs in an inning. I don't think anybody's getting not to be allowed to. What I'm saying is seriously, I mean, I don't think anybody's gonna go out there and give up back to back home runs. Boom boom. I think the bullpen is going to do well tonight. I think the Dodger pitching
will be fine. Whatever the definition of that is. At this time, I think it's comes down to the hitting. If they hit tonight, they win. Yeah. Period.
And you remember way we used to say, you know, the Dodgers go in years in a few years past, the Dodgers go how Mookie goes. But the Dodgers go how Otani goes. And if he doesn't lead off the game, okay, you don't lead off the game with a hit or home run or whatever.
But he's got it. He's got to be the catalyst for this team.
He's got to be the guy that gets everybody going because people feed off of him when he's going. When he's going well, the rest of the team does. And it shouldn't have to be that way, but that's just the way it is, and the way the season has gone is that they fed off of a time when he's not kind of in the mix and he's a non factor. It affects the rest of the team.
Alli, Christ and La thanks for holding go ahead.
Hey guys, you know I don't want to oversimplify this because I know we're all trying to figure out an answer to this problem. But I'm gonna give you the old baseball adage of this is just baseball, and it is. It's not like any other sport. It's a game of failure. If you bat two fifty, you're only successful twenty five percent of time. Rodnie, if you threw twenty five percent completions in the NFL, you wouldn't have been an NFL quarterback.
And that applies to basketball too. These players are up there trying to hit. Nothing has changed in their approach when they were hitting the heck out of the ball before the postseason. The difference is you're batting against better pitching, supreme pitching. That's why Aaron Judge is one for twenty something. So when you have a normal twenty five percent success rate or thirty if you're batting three hundred, Now when that's when you're hitting against fourth and fifty starters on
bad teams too, All that included. Now you're going against the best pitchers of the teams that made the playoffs. You're getting the best of the best. There's no way in the world wild Tony would be killing the ball up until the postseason. And he strikes out three times.
In last night.
Because he's hitting bad pitching.
Pitching beats good hitting. Our pitchers are.
Not at Aaron got up.
Of course, of course it happens, Rounnie. Sometimes I'm talking about just what I'm.
Saying, is it happens. It's happening in these playoffs. We're hitting hitting. Everybody stays pitching, pitching, pitching. But it's the hitting. It was happening for Arizona last year. It's the hitting. The Rangers. Corey Seeger got unbelievably hot for them last year. So yeah, you can. You can say that and it gets you through a game maybe, but at the end of the day, in a series, you got to be able to hit the ball.
Roddy, I agree.
I agree.
But let me ask you this, just looking at it logically, what's changed, And it's not just the Dodgers, this Paul Baseball. What changes between the playoffs and the regular season. It's hitting against the pitching. You have to hear, you have to get timely, you have to get those bleeders that the padre has got.
Last night, you have a press Chris Chris, Chris, Chris, Chris. We got you. We're gonna let you go. We'll keep talking about we gotta let you go up against the break. Yeah, you're absolutely right. It's hitting, it's getting the bleeders, it's getting one to fall in. It's not having the padre outfielders make great plays the other night and taking base
hits away from you. It's all of those things. But it's also this and if you are a superstar, Aaron Judge, this is your moment show Hey, o Tani, this is your moment because you're right. During the regular season, they're facing guys who are third or fourth on the other teams rotation from god knows where Pittsburgh or Cincinnati or Kansas City, where you can hit them. Yeah, these are the best pictures. But when you are a superstar, this is when you shine. This is why you are a superstar.
This is what counts Now, it doesn't matter the regular season is over. You are compensated. You have great responsibility to go along with that money. You're paid that because you are a star. If it wasn't that way, why wouldn't they pay everybody what they pay Otani? Or why wouldn't they pay everybody what they pay Max Muncie. There's a difference, and the difference is more is expected of you.
That's just the way it goes. You can sit and say, well, it's a lot harder, yes, but you are supposed to be someone who can deal with that. That's because it's harder, superstar, because it's harder. You say, you know, it's harder on the hitters because of good pitching, but it's also harder on the pitchers because it's good hitting. Guys are in a groove this point of the season.
Your teams make the playoffs because guys are playing well, because guys are in a groove. And that means whether you're on the mound or whether you're at the plate, Guys get into a groove and get hot at the plate. So you can say good pitching, yeah, but sometimes good hitting will beat good pitching.
I cannot sign off on the excuse well, look at Aaron Judge. Yeah, look at him. You can hit seven hundred home runs during the regular season. You're in the playoffs. Now, this is what matters. This is it. That's why you're Aaron Judge. We don't need to pay you all of that money to do this in the playoffs. We just don't because we can find somebody for a lot less can do it in the playoffs. That's why you're paid.
That's the frustration here with this Dodger team. That's why David Vassy said people around baseball look at their look at their salary, look at their pay roll. Will Smith signed a ten year deal. You got to hit right now, You've got to hit. That's the frustration, I think, Rodney. But you say it's hitting. I mean, yeah, keep going back to it, but yes, it is. It is hitting.
And I just ran down the Padres lineup and and seven of those guys are in a in a groove I want to say in a zone. But they're all in a groove right now, and they are hitting the ball. I mean, if there's not any easy outs for that Padres lineup right now.
Look at it like this. As you watch the game, okay, as I watch the game, when one of the Padres comes up to bat right now in this series, here comes one of them. In the back of your mind, don't you think Jesus that guy get a hit? Yeah, okay, yeah, When you watch the Dodgers come up to the plate right now, in the back of your mind, do you think God, I hope he gets it. I hope, I hope he gets a hit. God, he's just got to
get on. He's just got to get on. So we're talking about just as observers, whoever comes up for the Padres, you think that guy's getting on base? Oh god, oh no, don't let it be him. And with the Dodgers, you're thinking about man, I hope he figures out a way to get on. Yeah. Yeah, there there's the story. And you know, if you're a fan, you're looking at it the same way. Oh god, not Machado.
Oh yeah, oh no, not Merril. Oh my good, arouses up again? No, the lineup again?
Right, Yeah, that's what you're thinking watching, Oh god, can Bueler get him. On the other hand, when the Doctors, because Tattoos is up next, right, that's what you're thinking as a fan watching. On the other hand, here comes Max Muncy. Damn. I just hope he hits it. Yeah, there and there it is. Yeah, that's why they're where they're at. I said before the series started, and I think you agreed. Pitching wise, the Dodgers, they're all hurt, they're in trouble. Ye, you're just gonna have to if
they score six, you're gonna have to score eight. If they score five, you're gonna have to score seven. I said that before the playoffs began. That's the only way they're going to win. They're just going to have to outscore them.
Yep, yep, it's no doubt. There's no doubt. It's just the where they are right now. You know, And I think you're a spot on Fred.
You know. I don't want to something in.
The water or whatever, but they got to really examine so many injuries to all these pitchers.
Oh, it's absurd.
Over the last five years, it's just been I mean every single year. It's not just one guy, not just one.
Guy, Rodney. They have a whole staff having Tommy John surgery. It's like they haven't they have enough pictures having Tommy John or had Tommy John that they could be an entire pitching staff. They could be your starters. That's how many guys have had it. Think about that. Yeah, they have an entire rotation from their system that has undergone Tommy John surgery. Yeah, that's scary. It's scary. We'll continue. Dylan Hernandez will join us next, and then we will open the phone lines back up