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Talk. Fight back, Damn Cats. Now, the Dodgers bullpen fell apart
tonight, something we haven't said too often this year. They've been really good,
fourth best ERA in baseball, hit by injuries. Even despite that,
the Dodgers back end has been really good, starters have been good, and
the Dodgers' offense has been there, and the Dodgers have been winning baseball games
until the last two weeks, when the bullpen has started to slide. Starting
pitching, he's started to not have as good an outings as they've had in
the past, and the Dodgers' offense has come back down to earth guys like
Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Max Mounsey gets hurt, Will Smith. His
offense has been tempered in the last ten games, and the Dodgers over the
last two weeks have been at five hundred baseball team and tonight they lose another
one, nine to six to the Cincinnati Reds, the team in last place
in the NL Central, a team that was ten games under five hundred on
this season, five games under five hundred at home at Great American Ballpark and
in front of a sellout crowd. Tonight, they saw their Reds offense explode
for three in the first on a Spencer Steer three run home run, and
then really get after James Paxton, Johann Ramirez, and Alex Vesia in the
fifth inning, a sixth run fifth inning kept off by a Jonathan India Grant
slam as the Reds come back and go on and win it by a final
of nine to six eight six six, nine eighty seven two five seventy.
Is our number eight sixty six nine eighty seven two five seventy. If you
want to give me a tweet or a follow on X at Tim Kates at
Tim c a Tes, No underscores, no these, no reels, no
misters, nothing, just at Tim Kates, Tim c a Tes. So
we could talk to Dodgers ball is where well you hear from Isabelle from Anaheim
who sent me a tweet and said she's done. I can't believe it.
Isabelle from Anaheim, who is a fixture on this show with David with Me
off night Dodger Talk off season Dodger Talk. She calls every single night and
she says she's done with this team and don't want to overreact like is he,
But this team is certainly hit itself into a rut right now. As
a five hundred team over the last ten games, as a team that just
went seven and six on a thirteen games in thirteen days, dropped two of
three to the Arizona Diabacks, and tonight come out and lose to a well
below five hundred very average Cincinnati Reds team by a final of nine to six.
Now, James Paxton was five and zero to come into this season.
James Paxson, the Big Maple as they call him, had an ERA sub
three coming into this game. James Paxton Tonight got into trouble early and often.
James Paxon a lead off walk to the first battery faced two batters later,
a walk and then a three run home run. He had runners on
base in the second, in the third, a lead off walk. He
got into trouble in the fourth, a two out single. He had runners
on in that inning. In the fifth inning, they lead off home run
to Stuart Fairchild. After getting back to back outs, a two out walk,
and that's when Dave Roberts came out and pulled him. If James Packson
could have just gotten out of that fifth inning, was just that solo home
run to Stuart Fairchild as the limited damage. I think we're talking about a
different outcome, but the momentum was all Red's home run. Two batters later,
a flyout and then a walk with two outs and they bring in Johann
Ramirez. And I looked at Colin ye Here and I was like, Johann
Ramirez, Yeah, I get it. He pitched a couple of nights ago.
It's against the Diamondbacks. But I believe this is the same Johann Ramirez
who was dffaded not once, but twice already this year by the Orioles and
the Mets. Yes, it is a Johann Ramirez who has had trouble walking
guys often in his major league career, control issues everywhere he's been. And
he comes in tonight inherent to Rudder, hits the first battery, faces,
then'll walk to load the bases, and then he hits Nick Martini to bring
in Spencer Steer to tie the game at five thirteen pitches, twelve balls,
unbelievable from Johann Ramirez hands the ball over to Alex Vesia, who was in
a really tough situation, bases loaded, two out, crowd into it,
and he's got a face. Jonathan India falls behind three to one, and
what happens Grand slam Jonathan India nine to five, Reds lead after five innings.
A tough situation for Alex Vesi to step into. But the Dodgers' bullpen,
which has been so good it got caught up tonight. The Dodgers tonight
saw what could have been the last three weeks if not for some really good
starting pitching, getting them deep into games and limiting how many times they have
to go to the bullpen, because without major high leverage guys right now,
in this bullpen, the Dodgers are relying upon Triple A pitchers La s Or
Hernandez, guys who they're bringing up and then sending back down. Tonight,
it was Johann Ramirez to get an opportunity to pitch in the Dodgers sixth inning
or the fifth inning without Bruce Dark graderol Evan Phillips, Joe Kelly, and
Ryan Brazier, four high leverage relievers imagine any one of those four guys that
I just mentioned coming in in the fifth inning with two outs and a runner
on and a five to four game. Yeah, Brazier, Bruce Dark,
Gratterol probably has hadn't come up in that situation to lock it down. Instead,
they got to go to Johann Ramirez, who gives up the lead.
The Dodgers have been walking a tight rope with their bullpen, they really have.
They've been fortunate that Michael Grove has turned in to the reliever that he
has been because he's a starter turned long term reliever, slash opener, middle
reliever, and now Michael Grove is a one inning reliever. He's a guy
you can pitch two out of every three games in a series, whereas before
you could only use him once every four or five days because he was built
up as a long inning relief or a starter. That's what he was.
But now he as a reliever and he's turned into a really good reliever,
a right in an arm they can go to with that curveball and that nasty
changeup and a decent fastball. Michael Grove has been a guy that's blossomed because
of no grad Erol no Phillips, no Kelly, no Brazier. So they've
been fortunate to get outings from guys that probably Dave Roberts wondered who they were,
didn't know their last names, called up that day, thrown in there
and pitched. It's happened over the last three weeks because of injuries, the
Dodgers been very fortunate. And then again as you add in starting pitching that's
gone six innings, seven innings and only asking the bullpen to get the final
six outs, nine outs, ten outs of a game, it's a lot
easier to ask and banged up bullpen to do that than asking him to come
out and get thirteen outs or fourteen outs. It just is. And it
came back to bidenm tonight with James Paxson getting in trouble and then having to
go to Johann Mirrors and even Eliezer Hernandez pitched an eighth inning for the Dodgers
and he didn't pitch good the last time out. So the Dodgers are fingers
crossed hoping to get back these high leverage relievers that can help out this Dodgers'
bullpen, because again they've been very fortunate when they haven't had the pitching,
they've had the offense to step up and give him double digit scoring games when
the offense hasn't necessarily been there. They've been good with really good starters and
the bullpen having to do less work in less high leverage situations. But tonight
it's just backfired. You could see it on Dave Roberts face. You can
absolutely see it on his face. When Johann Ramirez was out there and hit
his first batter and then walk to second batter, and he's out there visiting
him. You can just see he's sitting the dugout arms, cross head sort
of tilted looking out in the field, like you gotta be kidding me.
Where's Brazier, Where's Kelly, Where's Phillips, where's Graderol? I need one
of these dudes to be out there. Unfortunately, all four of them are
bagged up right now and hurt. And again, you can only go to
Michael Grove so often as one of your high leverage now right handed guys out
of the bullpen. Eight six, six, nine eighty seven two five seventy.
The Dodgers have really been fortunate. The last few weeks. It started
to catch up to him. Now, over the last ten days, five
and five. Over the last ten games, they've lost now three in a
row after winning four in a row. It's been up and down for the
Dodgers. Tonight the offense bailed them out, bullpen gave it up, and
it was just too much of a hole for them to get out of.
Eight sixty six, nine eighty seven two five. Say we'll come back.
We'll get to your phone calls, and we'll hear from the manager, Dave
Roberts. I can't imagine he's too happy after what happened tonight in that fifth
inning. We'll hear from the Dodgers skiffer and your phone calls. I gotta
line open, jump on it. Eight six six nine eighty seven two five
seventy year level of concern now after what the Dodgers bullpen had happened tonight nine
seven two five seventy Dodgers lose to the Reds ninety six. War of your
calls, Dave Roberts on this Friday night, as Dodger Talk continues, are
on AM FI seventy LA Sports Live everywhe on the iHeartRadio app AM five seventy
LA Sports be anywhere at any time, and you can hear past episodes of
Dodger Talk all of those things. Search AM five to seventy on the iHeartRadio
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Back to Dodger Talk on AM five to seventy LA Sports Want Otle.
Willie hits the ball high in the ear of the right field and deep heard
of is going back to the track to the wall. That's gone a home
run Will Smith and opposite field homer is sixth ove the year and the Dodger
is now leaded five to three. Will Smith goes deep his six of the
year. Taascar Hernandez goes deep as well as solo shot of the ninth is
twelve too little, too late. A six run fifth inning by the Cincinnati
Reds against the Dodgers, as they go on and beat them nine to six.
Graham Ashcraft gets the win. He's four and three. James Paxson gets
the loss. He'd been four and two thirty eight has giving him five runs
on five hits, walked four, gave up a couple of home runs,
including a three run shot in the first inning Dispenser Steer. He falls to
five and one on this season. The Dodgers' overall have now lost three in
a row. They dropped the series opener in Cincinnati, and they're now thirty
three and twenty on this season. The official sponsor of the Trip around the
Diamond is Daniels Jewelers. Stop by any Daniel's location and say home run for
your free team bracelet had a fifty dollars gift card towards any purchase of ninety
nine dollars or more. Daniels Jewelers own the Dream. The Dodgers tonight fell
behind three to nothing, battled back with a four run second inning. Will
Smith, you just heard the home run call there in the fifth gave the
Dodgers a five to three lead. James Paxton was up and down, gave
up the three run home runs, got out of trouble in the second,
got out of trouble in the third, had a two out single in the
fourth that he was able to limit by getting a strikeout to the indy inning.
The fifth inning, though, he gives up a solo home run,
making it a one run game five to four, gets two outs back to
back, and you kind of felt like, all right, if he can
get out of this fifth inning, things will be all right for the Dodgers.
Instead of two out walk and that was it for Dave Roberts after ninety
five pitches, Johann Ramirez comes in and absolutely implodes on the mound, and
Alex Vesia gives up a grand slam to the first batter he faces, and
this game unraveled quickly for the Dodgers and their bullpen as they lose it nine
to six. Let squad to the phones, Brad and mission viah Brad,
you're on Dodger Talk. What's going on? Buddy? Oh? I think
you're taking my call. Why didn't he bringing the Alex in the first place?
He's been there before. I mean, he would have just stir more
fresh than Ramirez, don't you think. Yeah, Ramirez is the right hander
that they wanted to get up in that situation. You know, Alex Vesia,
I'm not sure what the thinking was at the time. I had to
go back and look and see who was up in that fifth inning. But
when they did bring him in, they face Stevenson, he fest Espinol,
and then Martini. Then finally after the three batters that he faced, they
go to Alex Vesia to face Jonathan India. I think ideally, if they
weren't all banged up, thanks Brad for your phone call, if they weren't
in the situation where they're at right now, that's a Bruce dark groutter all
situation. A one run game, tying run on base, two outs.
You need to put the hammer down on this inning. You need to close
the door on the Reds and stop whatever momentum they're getting to get to the
sixth inning and then to get to the final twelve outs that you need to
get to win this game. But as it was, the Dodgers go to
Johann Ramirez and Johan Ramirez couldn't find the strike zone. Johan Ramirez on four
pitches hit Stevenson. He goes three to zero and throws a ninety two mile
an hour ball. It is back. Then Espinal comes up and he walks
them on five pitches. So so far now he's thrown seven balls to two
batters. Then Martini and he throws three more balls, so he threw ten
balls. Of the thirteen pitches, he threw in ten balls, a strike
and two hit by pitches. Drills Martini, the left handed hitter, to
bring in the tye run two little too late. At that point, Alex
Vessia comes in. He fell behind three to zero. He finally got back
to back strikes three to two count. The only thing he could do at
that point was throw a fastball and hope that maybe he gets a little tail
on that fastball out of the zone outside part of the zone, and India
chases it, India gets under it, India pops it up, or he
just whiffs. As it turns out from the left hander, Vessia got a
little tail on it, the four seam fastball, little tail. Instead of
going up, it tailed in and a tail right to the bat of Jonathan
India, who turned on it by the way right down the third base line
for a Grand Slam. You tip your cap to him. Great piece of
hitting. If he doesn't turn on it like he did, that's either a
strike three swinging or he loses his knuckles at home plate because he just got
that bat sawed off on the handle for a ground ball somewhere in the infield.
It was a good pitch. It was a better swing from Jonathan India
for the Grand Slam, and the Dodgers go on to lose by a final
of nine to six. Now I can't believe what I'm seeing right now.
She's going right to the straight of the front of the line here. I
mean, I'm I'm gonna loss calling ye because she tweeted at me an hour
ago and said she was done, But now she's on hold? Is he
in Anaheim? Is he? You have completely flipped back to calling into Dodger
talk after you said you were done. What's going on? I well,
you see to call in, and you did say and I to call in
tonight. Trust me, I wouldn't go to call in tonight. You seek
to call in, so I did say to call You also tweeted at me,
Hi, Tim done with them this year? Talk to you next year.
I don't know if it doesn't sound like I'm not calling it. Yeah,
it sounds to me like you're not calling in the rest of the year
when you say that. Yeah, I know it did sound there. I
don't worry. I'll we'll be calling you complaining about the you know what it
were? They even Maddy. They have the pitch with tervor Will tonight they
hit the last day game with I mean, well, they actually out hit
the rest tonight. It is the eleven to six and they got a couple
of runs with the runners in scoring positions, so it wasn't as bad as
Wednesdays for eight eight men left on base. Certainly they left guys on base
tonight. Then you tip your cap to a couple of great defensive play to
Babe by Stuart Fairchild, in particular that to run home run from Will Smith
that he went up and robbed and brought back from being a two run home
run. You gotta tip your captain man. It'sy. I appreciate it.
I'm so glad you changed your mind because Colin and I were freaking out about
not having you part of Dodger Talk anymore this year because you tweeted at me,
I'm done talk to you next year. Those are your words, So
we're glad to have you back here on Dodger Talk eight six six seven,
five seventy. Before we get back out to the phones, we got a
check in with the Dodger skipper, Dave Roberts, who certainly did not look
happy during that fifth any in which Johann Ramirez was unraffling on the mound and
then the Grand Slam giving up to Jonathan India, Thank you India, and
he looked happy, did not look happy on the bench. Let's see if
he's happy postgame. Let's check in with this Dodger manager Dave Roberts. Dave,
let's start with the good. As far as the offense goes six runs
eleven hits, must be good to see that the offense came to life tonight.
The offense was good, you know, fair Child out there, Slummerfield
took some extra bases away from Mookie from will Rob the homer, but yeah,
we had some really good at bats, could have scored some more runs.
But offensively, I thought we played a heck football game. How tough
was it to watch that fifth in and get away from you? Yeah,
it's frustrating, certainly. I don't think. I don't think James just started
off had his best stuff. I think he was trying to find it all
night long, you know, with the four walks and four plus innings,
you know, and pitch count getting up, and I just didn't think he
had great command tonight. And then you know, you're trying to bridge to
get to leverage guys and you feel that you know, Hernandez can go on
there and get one of the next two guys and limit damage, and and
it just didn't work out that way. He just certainly didn't have feel and
couldn't find it tonight. Is that a situation where like the lack of bull
and options right now you kind of feel how to put a guy who I'm
sure you weren't imagining, you know, into what is kind of the leverage
spot there? Yeah, you know, I just well, I mean I
think the the lever spot was sort of induced. I think, you know,
with a two run lead with two outs and my man on first base,
I wouldn't consider that leverage. I really wouldn't, you know, Michael
Is. We don't have anyone anyone that goes with the right hand. You
know, that's not low leverage. I can do an updown. So you're
trying to figure out how to you know, get get to the game,
get through the game, and so unfortunately it just didn't work out. Could
you like tell right away when a guy comes in when it just like this
stuff isn't theirs, it's just kind of like hoping he can get through it
without having that kind of situation unful. I didn't foresee this at all,
you know, Yeah, I mean he was he was rested and and you
know, he's got to go out there and just do his job, and
he just didn't get it done tonight. And that's baseball. So I'm still
trying to learn, you know, Johan, but I still don't feel it
was too much of a leverage. I think that that was a good spot
for him, and we just didn't get it done tonight. All right,
There's Dave Roberts, you could tell in his voice just flabbergasted about the performers
tonight from his bullpen, in particular Johann Ramirez, and he just said it
right there at the end. Didn't feel like it was a high leverage situation,
even though the bases were loaded. It was only the fifth inning and
the Dodgers rubbed five to four, so he brings them in hoping to get
something because again it's one runner on with two outs. He didn't come in
with the bases loaded in two outs like Alex Vesi inherited thanks to Joan Ramirez.
Jowan Ramirez came in with a five to four Dodger lead, two outs
and a runner at first base, and he's asked to come in, get
an out, get the Dodgers out of the situation. And he hit,
the guy, walks a batter and then hits a bradder to bring in the
tie and run you you cannot do that as a major league pitcher, And
you could hear the frustration and I guess bewilderment in the tone from Dave Roberts
there about what he saw from Johann Ramirez, because I quite frankly, I
mean outside of Major lea the movie, I don't think I can remember anything
like that in which a guy comes out and hits a batter, walks a
batter, and hits a batter and thirteen pitches and it gets yanked from a
game, if not for the three batter minimum rule. You have to wonder
if he gets past the second batter that he faced the walk to load the
bases, because at that point he had no control. At that point,
it's a high leverage game, and maybe you go to Vessi at that point,
maybe you go to somebody else out of your bullpen. After he loads
the bases, you're putting that picture in a tough position, So you putting
a lot of strain on your guys behind you. When you're Johann Ramirez and
you face three batters thirteen pitches, you give up the lead and you load
the bases. Its just that cannot happen. There's a reason why Johann Ramirez
has been DFA twice already this season. There's a reason why Johann Ramirez,
who has been with Seattle, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, the White Sox, the
Mets, the Orioles, and now the Dodgers in the last four years.
Holy smokes. In twenty twenty two he was with three teams, Cleveland,
Pittsburgh and Seattle, and the White Sox he was with four teams. And
now in twenty twenty four, we haven't even played half of a season,
and Johann Ramirez has been with the Mets, the Orioles, and the Dodgers
already this year. He is now give He's looking at his strikeout to walk
Rasho and I cannot seem to find it on here. But there you go,
four teams in twenty twenty three and now three teams in twenty twenty four
for Johann Ramirez. I don't mean to pick on it, but certainly what
he did tonight cost the Dodgers, helped them give up a lead and Alex
Vessias three to one fastball over the middle of the plate was the game changer
to Jonathan India. Thank you India. A nine to five lead for the
Reds. Dodgers able to get one back. Hey, they had their opportunities
in the seventh inning. Stuart Fairchild rob's Will Smith of a two run home
run that could have made it a nine to seven game in the seventh.
In the eighth and that Dodgers had first and second, one out, o'tanni
popped out, Freddie Freeman hit by a pitch, loaded the bases, Will
Smith, Well, Will Smith was not able to get a line drive.
You got a line drive out. That was it. Dodgers had their opportunities
late, but when you're down in a hole light they were. It was
going to take a special inning, a crooked number, if you will,
to put up with the Dodgers in order to get back and it to win
this game tonight. As it is, the Reds win a nine to six.
Graham Ashcraft the victory. He's four and three. James Paxton the Laws,
he falls to five and one. Dodgers and Reds. We'll do it
again tomorrow. Game two of this three game series starts at four to fifty
while'm Wrongo Casino Dodgers on deck beginning at three o'clock. Walker Bueller looking to
duplicate what he did at his last start. Man, the Dodgers can get
what they got out of Walker Bueler tomorrow, what they got out of him
last time around against the Reds. Six shutout innings, three hit, seven
strikeouts, no walks, Grey it felt pretty good about themselves. Hunter Green
from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks. He'll go against the Dodgers Tomorrow
night at Great American Ballpark again, Ronco Casino, Dodgers on deck three PM,
first pitch at four fifteen, and then Sunday the final game of this
three game series. Dodgers lose tonight in Cincinnati nine to six is your final.
Thanks to Colin Ye. Thanks to all you Dodger fans for being a
part of the show calling in Thanks for all your tweets. You can always
send a tweet at me on x Twitter at Tim Kates, Tim c a
Ts. Don't forget podcast the show as well the iHeartRadio Network where you can
listen on demand anytime until tomorrow. Have a great, safe rest of your
Friday night. Congratulations to all the graduates out there, job well done. Soul everybody