Dodger Talk is sponsored by LA Care Health Plan, providing affordable healthcare insurance to
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Talking like back, David Basse. It was October in May at Dodgers Stadium
as Jock Peterson leads the way for his new team, the Arizona Diamondbacks to
beat the Dodgers tonight seven to three. Welcome the Dodger Talk, David Va
say with you until eleven o'clock tonight here on a five to seventy LA Sports.
And no, I'm not going to freak out over this loss. It
was just one of those nights. But I will say this, the Dodger
offense is not firing on all cylinders. Mooki has not had a great May.
He's cooled off considerably. Freddie Freeman, who hit a Grand Slam last
night, did not have a lot going on tonight. Really the show,
Hey O'tani show tonight. As Otani manufactured the Dodgers' first run tonight on his
own in the fourth inning, doubling and then stole third. The Diamondbacks catcher
Gabrielle moreno throw it, threw it into left field and Otani scored on the
air, So that's how the Dodgers scored their first run. And then in
the sixth inning, young Miguel Vargas, who got his second start since being
called up, let off with a double and O'tani drove him in, and
then Will Smith drove in Otani. But then the backbreaker in the top of
the seventh inning, Jack Peterson hitting a three run home run off of Michael
Grove four hundred and nine feet on an eighty six flat slider from Grove.
So a rough a rough night for Michael Grove. Gavin Stone takes the loss,
Brandon Fought the winning pitcher, and Christian Walker. I don't call him
the Dodger Killer for no reason. There are reasons that I have been traumatized
to put him in that category. Christian Walker has hit thirteen home runs now
at Dodgers Stadium since twenty eighteen. That's two more than any other visiting player
at Dodgers Stadium during that span of times. So Christian Walker certainly has a
name here at Dodgers Stadium. Coutell Marte he extended his hitting streak to twenty
games, and like I mentioned, Jack Peterson Jock Pop in the seventh inning
to beat the Dodgers tonight seven to three, eight six, six, nine
eighty seven two five seventy is the phone number. I thought it was fitting
and indicative that the Dodgers are not taking every loss like it's do or die.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, when Otani was due to come
up, Miguel Rojas and Taosca Hernandez played a joke on Otani. He had
all the armor on, everything ready to go. He had his bat in
hand, helmet on, and he was ready to go out onto the on
deck circle. And Miguel Rojas told him to stand the dugout that he was
being asked to pinch hit for him. And Rojas really sold it. He
had his bat, he had his helmet, and Otani and Rojas and Hernandez
all had a good laugh about it in the bottom of the eighth inning.
So that's good to see. And why wouldn't you laugh even though you lost?
Tonight? The Dodgers are thirty three and eighteen, an eight game lead
over the Padres, a nine game lead over these Diamondbacks, and again,
the Dodgers are the only team in the NLST with a winning record. So
tomorrow night they're facing a pitcher they should probably score some runs against Ryan Nelson
with an ERA of seven zero six. If the Dodgers win this series,
it will be a successful home stand before they head out to Cincinnati and City
Field to play the Mets. Eight sixty six, nine eighty seven two five
seventy is the phone number. I also was really happy to see Miguel Vargas
get some results tonight. Like I mentioned, he came around to score on
the base sit by Otani in the bottom of the sixth inning after he led
off the inning with a double. And here is Miguel Vargas after the game
on Sports net LA. I mean, you know, he think it was
really good. This stuff. He was, you know, using his possible
really good. So I think it was a good thing for him to get
time to get that big swing later in the game. And just what I
know, we talked about find out how much more what are you feeling with
your hands? Things like that? Was that just kind of one of those
hitsets perfect example, just the work even putting in and how confident and comfortable
you feel at the plate right now? Yeah, honestly, like you I
feel way better at the other th this year, and then you know it's
trying to be on base. You know, meg a run, a sporting
position, and you know, tried to make some rooms. Where do you
think you've gotten You've improved the most since the first half of last year.
I mean, I think a leaf last year about you know, being a
troubles So you know, now I just want to enjoy in the process every
single day, you know, enjoying being here. I mean, I'm on
the best team on baseball, so that's all I do is like trying to
you know, have fun and enjoy the time here. All right, there's
Miguel Vargas on sports net LA. He led off the sixth inning with a
double and scored on an RBI single by show Hey Otani, and Vargas told
me he did make an adjustment after the first start. He got here earlier
in the homestand he was determined to move closer to the plate. He felt
like he was a little too far off the plate, and he moved closer.
You heard Jose Mota bring it up regarding Indie Piz a couple of nights
ago that Jose feels like Paz is not able to cover a large part of
the plate because he's standing too far away from home plate. Well, Vargas
realized that himself and made the adjustment tonight so he was closer to home plate
and it paid off in the sixth inning with a leadoff double. And another
part of this for Miguel Vargas at this point in time, he's going to
be himself. He got confidence. He had a two ninety eight batting average
over one thousand ops eight home runs for Oklahoma City. He's feeling good about
himself right now. And since he's been called up, tonight was only the
second start he's made. That's not easy for a young player no matter what.
So I feel like tonight was a better swinging, better approach in his
at bats tonight than I have seen in the last year. So very encouraging
signs from Miguel Vargas, and he's a very easy guy to root for.
Eight six six, seven, two five seventy is the phone number. Dodgers
fall to the Diamondbacks tonight by a final score of seven to three. I
mentioned Otani's night two for four tonight with two stolen bases. He now has
thirteen stolen bases and thirteen home runs. Sho Hey Otani right now is on
pace to be a forty forty player. He's on pace for forty one home
runs and forty one stolen bases. Ronald Acunya Junior stole seventy three bases last
year and hit forty one home runs. Akunya became just the fifth player in
baseball history to be a forty to forty player. So if Otani is able
to pull this off, he will become just the sixth player in baseball history
to be a forty forty player. And I know I have said since the
beginning of spring training that I believe twenty twenty four was the season of Mookie
Betts. I am not going to come off that because Mooki's having a great
year, no doubt about it. But man if Otani goes forty forty and
he's hitting three sixty the way he's hitting right now, I mean three fifty
six, I mean, at this point in time, he's challenging for the
Triple Crown. I know he's a DH, but if he is at least
two out of the three leading of the Triple Crown categories home runs, betting
average and RBIs and he's a forty to forty player with all the acclaim and
hype around him, and how much Major League Baseball wants him to succeed.
I don't know it would be close, But right now you have to admit
Mooki Bets and show Hey Otani are the two leading National League MVP candidates.
I don't know who else would be up there, maybe Williadamis or Christian Yelich.
With the way the Brewers are going right now, nobody on the Braves
is really separating themselves. So right now it's a Mookie Bets versus Otani MVP
race. Eight six six nine, eight seven, two five seventy is the
phone number. The Dodgers fall to the Diamondbacks tonight seven to three, and
earlier today, Bobby Miller was throwing a simulated game to Chris Taylor, Miguel
Vargas, and Gavin Lux. Miller is going to go out on a rehab
assignment on Sunday with Rancho Kucamonga and Dave Roberts said that he plans on throwing
at least three rehab games before they consider bringing him back into the rotation.
And I know everybody's wondering what's going to happen when Bobby Miller is ready to
go. Who's the odd man out in that rotation. Well, a lot
can happen between now and August. You don't want to see injuries, but
the chances of injuries are you know, large and small can happen to pitchers
between now and then. And I really haven't got much clarity from the Dodgers
front office on what they would do. So if the Dodgers have six healthy
starting pitchers, and let's not forget you have to remember that Walker Bueller's coming
off his second Tommy John surgery. So that's part of the equation here with
tom with Tommy John and Walker Buehler needing some rest there. That's part of
this whole equation as far as this Dodger rotation. And as we do the
show right now, Clayton Kershaw's on the mound. He's looking to visit with
Jock Peterson, his former teammates. So speaking of Clayton Kershaw, he joined
us on the pregame show earlier today and gave us an update on how he's
handling the patience of rehab. Well, you know, this is a new
territory for me. So you typically I just push it until I'm stupid.
But now, like you know, with surgery, there's kind of like,
hey you got a you can't push surgery, you know. So I think
that's I think it's teaching me some things about how to how to work and
how to figure out what's good pain, what's bad pain, what's like you
need to slow down, or hey you need to work through it, and
just all kinds of new territory for me really. But you know, I
would say overall, the process has been great. Everybody here back on.
Everybody's helping me out a lot, and I'm getting closer, I really.
I know last year it was a grind for you to just do what you're
doing now, throw every day and between starts. Is it refreshing to know
that you don't have that pain anymore to go out there? Well, I
think you just take it for granted, you know. I think, you
know, health is something that you don't care about until you don't have good
health, you know, And that's the true in life as well. So
for me to be able to, you know, throw a baseball and have
it feel great, it's a huge blessing. I love it. I love
throwing a baseball. It's a lot of fun and especially when it doesn't hurt.
Yeah, So what are you doing in between the Dodgers being at home
and you being in Texas? Yeah, so, you know, rehaving Texas
is good. You know, obviously it gives me some more family time.
But thankfully school is winding down and we'll get to be out here full time
here and next week or so, which is awesome. But it's been good,
you know. Obviously not playing is no fun, but being able to
be home and have the kids stay in school, and you know, Cali's
in third grade now, so school kind of like is important to her and
she wants to be around and I think they're actually learning stuff. So it's
been it's been a blessing to be able to be home with them for a
while. At this stage of your career. What is the motivation? I
mean, because I know you care so much about being the best dad you
possibly can, and it hurts when you're not with them, But what is
the motivation to keep going with the Dodgers and pitching? Well, I mean
to win obviously, that's that's the motivation on the field, is you know,
we're we have a special group of guys and a special team and have
the opportunity to win. And so I think that that's the motivation on the
field and then off the field, like my kids are just now getting old
enough to like kind of think this is cool, you know, and so
for Calli and Charlie to kind of be around even Cooper who's four now,
Like I took him in the field for the first time this year, so
some of that stuff dad life, like, you know, let him know
that their dad did have a job at one point and like able to like
show him kind of the stuff is important, and like I want him to
know, you know, what LAS meant to our family. And so yeah,
I mean there's a motivation there too. All right, there's Clayton Kershaw
who joined us on the pregame show earlier today. In case you missed that
interview, you can find it on the iHeartRadio app. And today Clayton felt
good because he threw a forty pitch bullpen session and he kept on telling me
today is a good day. Today is a good day. So he is
making strides to return in July, and certainly he wants to be a part
of this because the Dodgers are well on their way to win one hundred games
again. After the loss tonight, they are thirty three and eighteen and have
the largest divisional lead in all of Major League Baseball. They have an eight
game lead over the second place Padres. They have a nine game lead over
these dime Backs and San Francisco Giants, so the Dodgers are the only team
in the NL West with a winning record despite the loss tonight. Thirty three
and eighteen, eight six six, nine eighty seven two five seventy is the
phone number Dodgers fall to the Diamondbacks tonight, seven to three. When we
continue from Dodgers Stadium, we'll check in with Jose Mota get his thoughts on
the Dodger offense and what he saw from the game tonight. The Dodgers are
not scoring consistently since Will Smith's home run yesterday in the third inning. The
Dodgers offense now is seven for their last fifty two. What can Jose Mota
do to fix that? We'll find out next right here on AM five to
seventy LA Sports on air at AM five to seventy, online at amfive seventy
LA sports dot com and available my podcast on the iHeartRadio app. This is
Dodger Tough with David Bassin. David Basse live at Dodgers Stadium with you until
the top of the hour after the Arizona Diamondbacks, led by Jock Peterson's three
run home run, defeat the Dodgers tonight by a final score of seven to
three. Brandon Fock, the winning pitcher for Arizona tonight. Gavin Stone takes
the loss. He is now four and two. Christian Walker with a home
run in the sixth inning off Stone. That's his thirteenth home run at Dodgers
Stadium since twenty eighteen. Jock Peterson with the big blow, a three run
home run off reliever Michael Grove, and that would do it for the Dodgers
tonight. The final score is seven to three at Dodgers Stadium. Daniels Jewelers
they are the official sponsor of the Trip Around the Diamond. Stop by any
Daniel's location and say home run for your free team racelet and fifty dollars gift
card toward any purchase of ninety nine dollars or more. Daniel's Jewelers own the
Dream. It's time to go around the Horn. With Jose Mota. Jose
Mota joins us and before we get to the baseball game, Jose Mota.
I was remissed last night to ask you what was going on with one of
the biggest stars in streaming television being in your booth before the game yesterday,
Cristo Fernandez, who played the famous Danny Rojas and Ted Lasso. What was
he doing in your booth last night? He wanted to take a visit at
the Espanol where he belongs, and it was great to see him. And
that guy is in great shape. Let me tell you something. We're talking.
Oh my god. He was great to see him. He was He
was kind of a shock to walk in and go they're actually paying attention to
me. I'm like attention to you guys. But it was it was great
to see him. Thanks for Patrick. Before we're going to buy he was
great. Are you a Ted Lasso fan, Jose, be leave it,
be leave it. Joe Davis called me out last night after he was walking
out of your booth. Patrick told me that he was in your booth and
I said, oh man, I love Ted Lassa. You got to get
a picture with me and Joe Davis caught me red handed and he said,
let the guy breathe. So I'll wear that all night long. We're gonna
bring bring him again an intervitation. I'm going to make sure they stop about
your booth and say, he Lodi, you or you can tell the talk
Spanish and you know, just hang out with us. David. You know
it is okay to hang out in our booth. You know that, right?
No, I wasn't sure about that. Oh welcome you got because you're
literally tuned down, so get in. You're a Latin. Oh yeah,
I was speaking a little Spanglish, a little Italian with Cristo Fernandez last night,
that's for sure. Jose. That's great. All right, Jose,
let's get to the game tonight. You were not worried about the Dodger offense
last night. Are you a little bit more concern now that more guys than
not are cooling off? I'm not concerned at all. This reminds me of
the series against the Mets, when all of a sudden the explode and score
ten runs and before you know they go to Washington, Toronto, Arizona and
they keep rowling. So it's one of those times they when you know,
things are not clicking obviously, I mean a wet a statement I just made.
But they run through a guy to that. It was on his game
and the guy that you can see from pitch number one, Brandon and fought
saying I'm going to get these guys again because I remember what I did against
him in the finals. And even though he came into the record one and
three and here before his stuff was electric, I mean, his thought was
disappearing. That there's very few adjustments lay in the battles box. And for
sure, you know, you can see where guys are kind up. You
know, they they when you go through stuff like this, you got that
oh for one, they got the over two and then your next that bat
Most times it's not very good. And that is what we're seeing a little
more expanding up his own, guys chasing sometimes a lot of wings. When
you see a lot of checks, wings and almost like undecisive swings. There's
something wrong with the mentality of hitting. And that's what they're going through Righthound.
I am quite sure they're going to come out of it just fine.
It was a one man show tonight for the Dodgers show. Hey Otani,
you know I know, everybody gets enamored with the home runs, but when
you get to see him play every day, Jose like you've had in the
past, you don't realize how hard he plays the game. And he plays
it with so much joy. And in the fourth inning he created the first
Dodger run by doubling and then stealing third. It's really a joy to watch,
it is, and that's why you know, before you joined the Dodgers,
people were asking about it, like was what is what is it that
he does? I mean, and I mean his home runs. He can
run like a deer, and I go, you just have to watch him
every day. It's one of those players that he can change the game so
quickly with his legs. He can be aer for four, he could be
one for four, change it with his legs. He can go out there
and just rattle a pitcher and fight off the best of pitches and before we
a one mistake and it's out of the ballpark. And then you know that
affects everybody around him because with the join which he plays, he takes a
four to three ground I liked is his laft at bat of his life,
And I think that's you got to tip your hat to that. And the
way he plays the game too, and it says a good tone. I
mean, show hey on the way he we're talking at about base running,
then the pressure on the infielders. He had a grandma second base the other
day, old roller were easy four to three, but with the pressure him
running with amt a third base, well you make a mistake and before you
know what, it's a base said, So hopefully that will continue. I
know that he takes a lot of pride in representing well the game of baseball,
and especially his people. Is a good example for a young players,
young fans that come to see the game to say, the best player in
the game plays a game like this, why should I Yeah, no doubt,
and he sets the tone for everybody else. And speaking of show hey,
o Tani, he drove in Miguel Vargas. I loved what I saw
from Vargas tonight. I know he only had the double to show for it,
but he seems to be a little bit more sure of himself right now.
And I mentioned earlier in the show that he told me that he felt
like he was too far from the plate the other night, and he was
determined to move closer. And then if you look at the pitch you hit
today, it was a pitch inside was so tells you that if you move
close to the play, don't be afraid to get beat inside because if you're
thinking middle of the plate and night, he's gonna bust me in. Listen,
No pitcher, no level is gonna be able to repeat and to repeat
fastballs in there on a constant basis s strikes, they might throw it off
the play, but for young players to know that play coverage at this level,
David is so important and the difference is double A triple A. You
might be that far from the play, but there's no consistency of location and
command on the pitch. At this level. They're gonna show you a lane
that says fastball away at the letters, aline that says fastball away at the
knees, and then at the waist, and then that same lane's gonna tell
the slider. So it doesn't happen in triple A. And it doesn't matter
how much experience a guy has, but so at this level, because you
know they're going to be repeating that, you make the adjustment and then you're
just according But for sure we have all play coverage. Trust me that Barrel's
gonna stay in there a little bit longer. You're gonna be able to fight
off pitches and go inside out, which is not a bad thing either,
But a lot of guys are so worried about I don't want to get jam.
I don't want to get jams. So they're flying open and you're gonna
have the mentality number one Freddie Freema mentality. Hey, you want to get
in there, that's fine, but I'm not gonna change who I am.
But I'm glad that Bargas did that because his short swing is obvious, and
hopefully, you know, the adjustments that he's made are going to pay off
here in the long run. Just to wrap it up, are you encouraged
by what do you've seen from Miguel Vargas. I like how short yes of
the baseball right now. Hopefully you know, as you mentioned, it's tough
to play and to produce when you're not playing every day. But what he's
done so far got him back to the big leagues, that's for sure,
all right, Hose, Before I'll let you go, Michael Grove has done
really well for the Dodgers coming out of the ball. There's been a couple
of hiccups, but every reliever has it, especially when you're new learning the
new role. It felt like Jock ambushed him in the seventh inning because Jock's
been around a long time now. He knows what righties are trying to do
to him. He knows that Michael Grove likes the slider to lefties, and
it felt like he knew the sequencing right there, just like a rise new
in San Diego, Jock knew. And Jock is a hunter man. He
hunts pitches and he doesn't miss. He look at it, look at home
ones. He's in the World Series, which I'm glad you brought out.
Looked at the swings and what he's hit, and you'll see that he hunts
pitches and when he does that, he does not miss. Michael Grove maan
another that pitch his He is over six. It was over six last year.
And you know he's given us glimpses of sometimes kind of coming out of
those things and those those bad stretches do. But us has nothing that consistent.
And we know he's pitch and leveraged innings because your high leverage guys are
hurt. But certainly does a great opportunity for him to actually get better and
have a little more consistency in executing pitches. But uh, for sure,
Tip, you're out to jocks. He said, I looked for this pitch.
I'm gonna set on it and I'm not going to strike and get a
fastball or you miss it. But he was still looking for that. He
knew he was going to get it based on the pattern and he just connected
quite nicely. All right, Jose, thanks a lot for the insight and
man, thank you for bringing Chris Sto Fernandez up to the booth. And
uh, I'm glad you didn't see me fanboy out outside of your booth yesterday.
Next time here with the first one. My friend will be the first
one. Okay, thanks a lot, Jose. We'll see you tomorrow night.
Getaway day for the Dodgers in some respects. All right, mate,
But cheerio, cheerio Jose. Eight six six, nine eighty seven two five
seventy is the phone number Dodgers fall to the Diamondbacks tonight, seven to three.
Yeah. I mentioned earlier that Jack Peterson is tied with Gil Hodges with
five home runs in the World Series. They're actually tied for second in Dodgery
history for the most home runs hit in the Fall Classic. The Great Duke
of Flatbush, Duke Snyder from Compton, California, has the Dodger franchise record
with eleven home runs in the World Series. So the Duke with eleven,
Jack Peterson, and Gil Hodges with five, that'll do it for us.
Tonight on Dodger Talk Tomorrow, the finale of this six game homestand for the
Dodgers and the rubber match between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks in this three game series,
Tyler Glass now will be on the mound for the Dodgers. He carries
a six and two record to the mount tomorrow night with an ERA of two
ninety, going up against right hander Ryan Nelson, who's two and three with
an ERA over seven. Morongo Casino. Dodgers on Deck begins at six o'clock
with first pitch at seven to ten. Thanks to Colin Ee back at our
Burbank Studios, Thanks to Dwayne McDonald out here at Dodgers Stadium, and thanks
to you for listening in case you missed any of the show or our pregame
com with the Great Clayton Kershaw. You can find it on the iHeartRadio app.
Coming up next it will be Ben Maller on Fox Sports Radio. I
heard Ben take some shots at me, but I'm not getting in the gutter
with him and his cronies over there at Fox Sports Radio. I'll stay above
it. You have a great show, Ben Maller once again. The final
score tonight the Dodgers fall to the Diamondbacks seven to three. Have a great
rest of your night. See you. Let's just