DodgerHeads Live: Jason Heyward update, big week for Dodgers & Lakers Weekend recap

e [Applause] magic Dodgers have won it all High Fly ball into right field she is gone he struck him out two balls at a strike to count on Taylor Reyes fires swinging a drive deep left this his right back t hi everyone and welcome into Dodger Heads live presented by Dodger blue.com my name is Matthew Moreno and joining me tonight is Daniel starkin which Daniel things have obviously slow down for the Lakers now for what a couple months uh maybe a little bit longer Dodgers are off tonight so how are how are things going for you how was the day yeah I was I was just you know watching a little tennis right before this just because I was you know uh obviously like you said no Dodgers and um not a whole lot else going on so um I I guess you know the baseball season is long and they play a lot of games but we we sit here on the nights that they don't play games and we're wishing that they did have a game so a little bored but I guess this will uh you know uh you know keep me going for an hour or so talking Dodgers with you yeah definitely there still this is a a big week coming up and we're going to definitely get in to all that I want to say thank you to everybody who is tuning in live on Facebook YouTube and Twitter bne car I see you in the chat DJ Jesse uh B was commenting early we set this we kind of set the stream up about 40 minutes ago and so it sent out a notification everybody and I came into the chat a few minutes before we started we actually started the live stream and I saw that there was a bunch of comments in here people had been going so I feel bad thank you to everybody who stuck around and waited for Daniel and I to come on here uh if you're watching via YouTube just a reminder to please be sure to hit the like button on this video also subscribe to the YouTube channel ring the notification Bell all that good stuff if you're not on YouTube with us totally fine but set some aide some time aside come subscribe check out the different videos we have up was it's been a big weekend you know the Dodgers have been at home Blake's been at the stadium getting a lot of postgame and pregame interviews so all those are up it was uh Lakers weekend if you will during the ray series and so we got a lot of that stuff up as well uh and also if you're listening to us on podcast want to say hello to you as well and be sure to subscribe and rate the show and all that good stuff there uh we're available wherever you can get your podcast Apple Spotify Google all that good stuff uh real quick just the plan for tonight it's Daniel we're going to kind of briefly recap the race series and since Daniel runs Lakers Nation for us we'll also touch on a lot of the Lakers stuff and some overlap which was fun to see uh we're going to discuss the latest Jason Hayward news that came out today and like I said also look at the week ahead you know they big NL West implications on the horizon Dodgers and Dbacks both off today Padres picked up another win you may have heard the Dodgers and Dbacks have have a four game series coming up that will Daniel and I will certainly touch on and of course as always we'll leave some time at the end to answer your questions but a reminder that if you are on YouTube and you want us to answer something right away or discuss a different topic Super Chat is the way to go not only will we put that up on the screen for you and for everybody to see but they help our Channel grow and we certainly appreciate that all right Daniel so uh let's get into things that like it Dodgers uh we're going to focus a little bit on the race series but if you want to go back a little bit further they swept the Mariners took two of three from the Rays six and one on the homeand uh rematch of the 2020 World Series got off to a historic start with SH Otani walk-off Grant slam to put him in the 4040 Club Dodgers lost the middle game before clawing out you know the rubber match of the series to take two of three like I said uh there's a lot of good things throughout the weekend some some bumpy Parts I know Joe Kelly kind of Drew the eye of a lot of people over the weekend uh like I mentioned like the Dodgers celebrated the showtime Lakers and Kobe Bryant you know in two different uh well every game basically against the race had some sort of Lakers or Kobe Bryant theme uh but let's real quick go to Otani uh you haven't you and I haven't had a chance to be on since he joined the 4040 Club obviously that that was coming like it was no surprise but to do it with a walk-off Grand SL could you have scri I know Joe Davis was saying if if Hollywood script writers tried to present that you know to pitch it for a movie people wouldn't buy it yeah it's you know pretty crazy like you said you couldn't have wrote it any better than that and like it it is shohi so it's like you're you're not super surprised like you're you half expect him you know to do stuff like that and he always seems to find other ways to to make history or you know to do something he's never done before which for a guy who's done basically everything is hard to do but um he makes it look easy and now I guess we could say the the 5050 watches on um you know it's crazy like it feels like the season is coming to an end but then every time I look at the calendar it's like oh we still got like five days left in August so it's like oh he has all of September to do this but he does still have those five days in August as well so he might be like at you know 42 42 by the time August and you know ends and then he only has to do eight and eight in September so um it'll be fun to watch and and monitor um you know this is only his first season in dodger blue and he's already doing this so I'm you know I'm not only excited for the months ahead but the years ahead as well yeah and if if he does get to 5050 uh he'd be the first player in MLB history to do so even 4545 that would also put him in a group of his own but of course 5050 is a little bit of a nicer you know round numbers in both of those categories uh you mentioned you know there are still games to be played in August the Dodgers are off tonight but starting Tuesday they have a three game series with the Orioles we're going to get into that and then right after that's a a four game set with the Diamondbacks that will technically bleed into September but you mentioned the time left in August is there a certain number of home runs you think Otani needs to get to before September in order to like really threaten for 50 the the thing with him is is he hits them like in bunches like kind of like we saw over the weekend like he he he was kind of cold for a while and then he he heats up just like that and hits three or four in a weekend or something so um honestly like I think where he's at right now 41 like even if we were on September 1st like he would still have a good chance like I think I'm pretty sure he has nine in August right now um he's hit 10 in some of the other months so that's kind of what he's he's averaging so I think he's right on Pace right about now but obviously um as he gets closer there's going to be more pressure just naturally so like it would be ideal if he could kind of Bank a bunch now and have plenty of games to do it where he's not going into the last weekend needing two or three home runs or something and then in that case he might be pressing he might be swinging too hard or whatever and of course the division's not locked up by any means so they still need to win these games so um ideally he could you know get hot hit three or four more in the next week and then he just kind of cruises into 5050 yeah I think uh not to look too far ahead because again I keep teasing it we will discuss the dond back series but I think once the Dodgers get to Arizona the uh the pull out there and right center field is going to become a little bit of a target for Otani uh real quick let's throw in this question from ha kir she wants to know how confident both of us are that Otani will get to 5050 uh I guess if we're not confident that maybe he gets there what's a realistic number for him I mean look you're not gonna find me doubting sh Otani um you know and the fact that at this point like it's on his mind so it's like he's going for it at this point so um if that's the case like um you know I'm not gonna say you know I'm I'm not gonna say I'm not confident that he's gonna get there um I I do think like we're just kind of talking about the home runs I do think that will be the challenge just because stolen bases you could kind of go after one like whenever you want like obviously you got to get on base but pretty much anytime show's on first base he's got the green light to steal so I'm pretty confident he'll get 50 swipes it's just a matter of um can he keep the home runs up or does he have a little drought where he goes you know 10 games or 15 games without a homer and then that really you know slows down his Pace but anything above 45 45 like you said that's never been done before so if he even gets there um you know that's already a historic season but I like like you were saying the round it's something about round numbers that just look way prettier um and even though like realistically 4545 isn't that much different from 5050 I do think the 5050 will just kind of pop off the screen so I think he'll get there um it'll just be like can he hit a few home runs to to to stay on that pace yeah I think the biggest thing will be he needs to have like at least 45 home runs by September 10th I would say and that's more than enough time to then get to 50 with the with kind of like that artificial deadline I'm setting I think to your point like we might see him though if it's you know going down the final week of the season the final 10 days and he's two three four home runs away is he going to start pressing and you know coming out of his shoes a little bit we've seen it kind of at times I know his uh his stats with runners in scoring position have sort of fluctuated and have been a big talking point but it wouldn't surprise me and it's human nature right you get that close and you want to you want to reach the Milestone you kind of press a little bit and so that's where I could see it uh certainly becoming a little bit of a challenge for him I think ultimately he might end up with like 47 or 48 home runs and you know 52 53 some odd stolen bases something like that uh and then next season he could maybe do do a 50-50 you can't go all out in the in the first year because then you know next year will be a little too challenging uh but we'll see you know it's definitely going to be something fun to watch obviously you know Otani hits well at Dodger Stadium they still have three more games against the Orioles this week before they go on a little bit of a road trip uh so will obviously be monitoring uh his 5050 Chase so we have our first Super Chat of the Nights from zip code zero thank you for this uh they say is this Kershaw's last season knowing that Otani is coming I'm assuming that knowing that Otani is coming means in the pitching standpoint uh Daniel do you see is there any scenario where you see this being Kershaw's final year look I I I think you know as he's said so many times like he kind of goes season to season and evaluates where he's at at the end of each season and I think right now we've only seen him for a handful of starts but he's kind of shown that hey you know I could still pitch at the big league level like he's obviously not the guy he once was but he's he's always been Elite at preventing runs and that's kind of what we've seen so far like we'll see what the next month kind of holds like if he could finish it out strong um and if that's the case like if he's healthy I would I would guess that he comes back next year honestly um and I I think he's got like a either a mutual option or a player option player option on his contract so the Dodgers have basically said hey if you want to come back it's right it's right there for for you um and I do think you know considering he went through that whole shoulder rehab like I don't know if he necessarily did that for like 10 starts like it feels like um as long as he's healthy I think he's gonna give it one more year and you know like this comment says with oton coming back pitching and all the other you know guys they have coming back that they obviously have a chance to compete for another world series even just sitting here now not knowing what other moves they're G to make so it's hard for a guy you know a competitor like Clayton Kershaw it's gonna be hard to pass up that opportunity um I know he's teammates with Otani now but you know if they could be rotation mates you know as you call it um I think that would be something he would want to do as well so we'll see about the health but if it was you know if I was a betting man I would bet on him uh coming back next year yeah I think like you said health is obviously the biggest question here if he you know were to not some whether his shoulder or elbow or something like I don't know if he would want to kind of climb back up that hill again whether it was surgery or not I do think though that if the Dodgers win the World Series that I think he sails off into the sunset writing that high I don't know even if he is healthy I don't know if he would want to I want to say risk it because kersa like he is a competitor and you know I think that's why we've seen him at his age be able to come back from a significant shoulder surger I mean I well I've said look any shoulder surgery for a pitcher is significant doesn't matter if you're 22 32 Kershaw's age like if you're a pitcher and your having surgery on your throwing shoulder that's significant so to come back from that at his age considering everything he has already accom like it would have been theoretically like easy for him to say you know what like I just I have my kids are getting older they're like it's harder to take them out of school in Dallas like I'm I'm ready to just retire but he does have that burning desire and I think that has fueled not only his return but like you said like he actually can still pitch and that was I know what Jeff and I and I and you did as well like we're kind of sort of hanging on to and banking on look last year certainly did not end very did not end pretty for him at all like I I get that like it it was awful but before Kershaw got hurt last year he was in dis consideration discussion arguably the favorite to start the All-Star Game yeah and so it was obious it was a big if you know can he get back is he is he going to be healthy can he get back to that point and so yeah I think we've seen you know he took uh got off to a little bit of a bumpy start which I think was to be expected he's coming back from a major operation not pitching for several months uh but yeah what we've seen from him now is certainly encouraging uh ZIP Code Zero that was my longwinded way of saying I think I don't necessarily think this is Kershaw's final season unless the Dodgers win the World Series uh I'll leave it at that and you know for at least the the more immediate future it's certainly encouraging that he has really uh bounced back from kind of a rough beginning to his year yeah no I I think I actually agree with you if they do win it all like I feel like that's the perfect just right off into the sunset you know it'll be his second ring like you said his kids are starting to grow up um so I do think that would be kind of the perfect ending if they do win it all so um as as much as I don't want Clayton Kershaw to retire like if that's the way he goes out then I feel like that would be pretty perfect yeah that would definitely be cool all right let's ship gears uh if you missed the news Jason Hayward cleared waivers and was released on Monday from the organization he's now a free agent able to sign with any team uh Daniel I know you and Jeff did a live breaking news video the day that the Dodgers DFA Hayward last week have your thoughts or feelings uh toward that decision changed at all over the past few days uh I wouldn't say they've changed um just because I think my overall thoughts and we talked about this at the time like you said like it was like we felt it was the right move but we we were just kind of our surprise came from the fact that the Dodgers actually did it and um I do think you know now it's been a week or whatever it's been um you kind of see how the roster has come together they're obviously you know playing really good baseball every you know everyone's been producing and there just wasn't really a role for him like outside of the clubhouse leadership type stuff which I know everyone you know keeps harping on but there is a lot of you know veteran type guys in the clubhouse so it's not like the clubhous is gonna fall apart um because hayward's not there so my thoughts haven't really changed um obviously it's it's a bummer for him just because um a who knows where he's going to end up if anywhere at all like this could this could be the end for him um and also obviously when you're on a team that's about to compete for a World Series to to not be a part of that um you know can't you know can't be very fun I know Freddy spoke on it as well so um tough situation but I I do think at the end of the day it was the right move and um when your team as good as the Dodgers when you have that much Talent on the roster you're gonna have to make some you know tough decisions and um that's just kind of what happened here yeah for I've been surprised multiple times now with this one like you alluded to is I just didn't see the Dodgers making this decision with Hayward because of the clubhouse uh presence and how much that was valued in his his influence there two he is obviously very close friends with Freddy Freeman and the Dodgers I think typically uh you know Barnes has had a little bit of resurgence season this year if you will but we've seen the Dodgers basically kind of I don't want to say appease their stars but take care of you know stars on the team in that regard uh and look Hayward like Hayward signed a minor league deal last season and then earned his way onto the roster and had a great year so credit to him for that but there is no denying that he he signed with the Dodgers to begin with in large part because of Freddy Freeman uh Freddy Freeman has been on record that as soon as Hayward was released by the Cubs in 2023 that he right away went to the Dodgers and started kind of planting the seeds and then they were working out during the offseason and kept you know following up with Andrew Friedman so it surprised me that you know it is it is out there that fre Freddy and Hayward are very close friends and so I didn't think that they would necessarily do that but yes from a roster standpoint like it did make sense like just you know Hayward pretty much only plays right field even though a day or two before the DFA they had him uh Taking Flight balls in center field and Dave Robert said yeah you know it's just to kind of give us some options there uh it it there just wasn't going to be a fit I think all of that being said though the easy solution would have just been to delay Chris Taylor's return by like a week uh I guess the first sort of indication that that wouldn't necessarily be the case was Dave Roberts during one of his pregame interviews on the home stand before the the Hayward news came out sort of unprompted said you know mentioned Andy pz and September 1st as being the guy that who would kind of come back up so maybe we should have paid we should read the tea leaves a little bit more I know with Dave Roberts sometimes the stuff he says isn't uh with injuries isn't always accurate uh yeah so that surprised me then I was also a little surprised that he then didn't get claimed off waivers and I know that if a team had done that they would have owed him the pro-rated amount of his $9 million salary for the year but I mean look we're almost to September like I don't know how much that would have necessarily been I'm assuming it's going to be less I guess than or I'm assuming that that total is still more than probably what the min minimum would be if a team signs him at this point uh but that surprised me a little bit were did you expect him to get claimed or did you think he would clear I I guess I would say no just because if like if he doesn't get claimed then obviously like you said you could sign him for the minimum so I guess the only risk would be like if someone else claims him but I guess I don't know I feel like there's like Whispers around the league where it's like teams catch win like hey no one like no one's claiming this guy we don't need to bother and then obviously also like with a veteran like Jason Hayward like I I don't know how you know what his thoughts would be if he gets claimed by like the Cincinnati Reds or something like I don't know if he'd be rushing to get on a plane to Cincinnati or you could probably name 20 cities that he probably doesn't want to go to right now so um I feel like you know with veterans like him like um you know they just go unclaimed and then they could kind of choose their next team or who knows maybe he doesn't maybe he doesn't even want to join a team this late in the season that you know that would be kind of awkward or or whatever so not not totally surprised he didn't go un claimed now I I'll just be curious to see does he even catch on with another team because if he's going to be um eligible for the postseason that would have to be before September 1st he would have to sign his new deal so you know the clock's ticking there he's got like five days or whatever so I'll be curious to see are we gonna have to you know be playing against Jason Hayward in the playoffs or is he just gonna be kind of hanging out maybe rooting on Freddy and and his former teammates yeah that'll be definitely interesting to watch uh the other sort of ler to this is the clubhouse stuff and we've alluded to it a little bit with his close friendship with Freddy Freeman uh Freddy did tell Fabi and Ard of the athletic and Mike diovana of the LA times that you know it's decisions like that aren't up to him it's obviously in the front office's hands uh but Freddy also sort of revealed that there hasn't he didn't to the best of his knowledge there really hadn't been much contact between Hayward and now his former Dodgers teammates uh Freeman did say that you know they've text each other maybe three times and then made some want to get the direct quote incorrect but alluded to that those three text messages being more than basically anybody else in the clubhouse had heard from Hayward uh a little surprising I could understand from Hayward standpoint if you're upset like you know you're you're out of a job right now and so I can I can get that but I wouldn't have guessed that that would have necessarily been uh kind of the result Miguel roas also came out and said you know it's going to take the Dodgers a little bit of time I mean he was he was generalizing and speaking for the club but say it's going to take them some time to really kind of understand that decision and move past it are you worried that there might be some lingering like Clubhouse I don't want to say Rift but something kind of in amongst players where you know they they obviously are either shocked and or upset by this I mean I mean I don't think there's any denying like the impact that Hayward has had in the clubhouse in the couple years he's you know been with the team he's one of the most respected you know veterans in in the game and um he obviously had a lot of close friends there whether it be the older guys the younger guys like he was kind of in the middle of everything so I do understand like where they're coming from um and obviously like the fact that they're speaking out just kind of shows that like it's not something they were required to do like they could have easily just said no we've we've moved on like it is what it is it's a business or you know whatever the case may be um but it's clear he he's made an impact and you hope that doesn't necessarily affect anything like um as far as on the field goes like they still have all the talent in the world and even in in the clubhouse there's still a ton of you know veteran guys to lean on there you know Kershaw mooki Freddy um you just said Miguel Roos has has been viewed as a clubhouse leader as well so um it shouldn't be an issue and um I guess you know we we'll see down the road but I don't I don't anticipate it you know having much of an effect um I guess like if there's if there's like an injury or two like in September then you might have guys questioning like hey why did we get rid of Jason when we could have thrown him on the iio or something and then gotten them back right now but until you know unless that happens there's no there's no room on the roster so there's no reason to really you know keep sulking over this or whatever yeah my hope is that some of it I mean from Freeman's standpoint I was stuck between calling him Freddy and Freeman uh from his standpoint like I can I understand you know maybe the emotions being a little bit ra just because they are such close friends and uh Freddy even said that it reminded him of when the Braves traded Hayward and you know that kind of broke up not broke up their friendship but they weren't teammates anymore uh the Miguel Ro house one surprised me a little bit I'm hoping that it was more just you know it it kind of just happened these are the first few games they're playing emotions are a little bit raw because yes like you said and it is no secret that Hayward was valued in that Clubhouse uh but the further away we get from it hopefully you know it kind of becomes more normal and yeah like to your point hopefully the Dodgers aren't in a situation in a few weeks where they might need an outfielder and then guys are going to start looking around again like hey you know we could have had we we had one uh yeah that'll definitely be something to watch moving forward all right our next topic is the uh the suddenly resurgent not suddenly resurgent the the NLS as it says here on the banner if you're watching on YouTube is absolutely uh the top three teams at least are on fire the uh the Rocky and the Giants you know we we don't need to necessarily worry about them right now uh if you haven't had a chance to read our standings update on Dodger blue.com definitely be sure to check that out uh the gist of it is Dodgers have the best record in baseball right now and are three games up on the Diamondbacks uh Padres are now four games back of first place in the NL West and that's factoring in their win tonight against the Cardinals uh this week's stretch of games Dodgers like I mentioned earlier play three with the Orioles before starting a big game a big four game series with the Diamondbacks out at Chase Field Diamondbacks were off tonight they start playing the Mets tomorrow before hosting the Dodgers audre as I mentioned are playing the Cardinals and then they're going to face the Rays later this week uh Daniel I know I we've been seeing you know the comments in the chat all night and over different shows everybody wants to look ahead to the dimeb series and we're going to get there let's talk Orioles first like that's next on the schedule for the Dodgers and no opponent can be overlooked and I know that they are struggling a little bit but they still are a talented group that uh they're only two and a half games back at the Dodgers right now and so in theory the best record of baseball could be up for grabs right I mean it is like mathematically up for grabs right now yeah I mean that's that's going to be a fun series obviously the Orioles are a really good young team and um who knows like that could be someone you see in a potential World Series if you do make it that far and like you said with with how you know with the NLS doing what it's doing right now Padre's winning every day Diamondbacks winning every day like if you're the daughters you need to keep Pace with them and and they to their credit they have done a good job of that like considering how hot the Padres and Diamondbacks have been for them to gain some ground but not you know get over the hump and catch the Dodgers um that has to be a little demoralizing for those teams so credit to the Dodgers there but it's not over yet obviously a lot of lot of baseball left here and some some tough series coming up and it starts um this week at home against the Orioles um you know you mentioned the Padre's are playing the Cardinals and the Diamondbacks are playing the Mets who I guess the Mets have been playing okay but I'm fully expecting both of both the baders and Diamond Backs to win those Series so if you're the Dodgers you kind of have to keep Pace by you know even though the Orioles are a tough team you got to beat them um when you're at home yeah and if you uh missed it the Dodgers did adjust their rotation a little bit Jack flare is starting Tuesday in the series opener Walker bu was pushed back Wednesday uh little bit of a a Revenge opportunity if you will for flarity he was traded to the Orioles at the deadline last year struggled B like it was awful they moved him to the bullpen so he didn't even finish the season in their rotation uh so he's getting a chance to kind of face some of his former teams I know Orioles have a lot of young Talent is there anybody in particular you're looking forward to seeing at Dodgers Stadium this week um I mean they're they're they're young guys um you know gunar Henderson Adie Rutman and I know Jackson holiday has been struggling but it would be cool to watch him a young player trying to find his way um so similar to the Dodgers like they have a really deep lineup I wouldn't I wouldn't say like their star power at the top like quite matches the Dodgers um they got a lot of young guys who you know might get to to to where the Dodgers stars are at in a few years but I wouldn't say they're there yet um and I do think the Dodgers are they're going to face cor Corbin Burns I want to say in the second game so that'll be um um a tough pitching matchup mixed in there as well so um yeah I mean the Orioles they got a lot of young guys and obviously you hope that the Dodgers pitching could shut those guys down I think you said the Orioles have been struggling a little lately so guess you're catching them at the right time so um if you're the Dodgers you know looking ahead to the Diamond Back series you kind of want to be rolling going into that so if you could take two out of three or maybe we'll bring out the broom again like we did um you know last week that would be fun um but yeah it should be a should be a fun Series yeah that Wednesday game is uh Walker buer for the Dodgers Corbin Burns for the Orioles and I expect there's going to be 55 56,000 in attendance because it's the show and decoy bobblehead giveaway night and I guess the Dodgers are doing I'm assuming it's just one Gold version not maybe mult I know the last Otani bobblehead they did I don't know 100 or something or 200 of uh a road gray instead of the home white uh they've been teasing a gold a Gold version I'm assuming it's just one if they're going based off of kind of like the the Willy Wonka golden ticket type thing uh so yeah that that could be an interesting game you know ber did Trend up a little bit in some regards he said he's tired of of saying it but he does feel like he's getting closer and this is the closest he's been uh so that'll be interesting to see if you know if if he struggles there's going to be a lot of fans there that might unfortunately let him hear it so hopefully you know to Walker's Point he will be uh back on track if you will the schedule is what it is if all things were equal though would you prefer that maybe the Dodgers played the Orioles Monday Tuesday Wednesday were off Thursday before the Diamondback series or do you like the off day now play the Orioles and then just keep rolling straight through into Arizona I mean I I think you'd rather get the Thursday off day just to kind of reset your Bullpen and have your top guys ready to go but it it is a four game series in Arizona so it's like you're going to have guys you know some arms for some games and won't have others for others so I don't think it makes that big of a difference um and I will say I guess like that the the Dodgers will be traveling less than the Diamondbacks who are like you said they're playing the Mets so they're going to be flying across the country whereas the Dodgers are just going from LA to Arizona so they'll have a slight Advantage there um and also you know the Diamondbacks were off tonight and then they're playing the next threes that's actually a home series for the so they're at home also okay scratched that then I must have read that wrong um I thought that was in New York so never mind yeah yeah I mean yeah the point still I agree with you I think you know in a in a perfect world you would have played tonight Tuesday Wednesday been off Thursday uh and then go in Arizona the wraparound series those are I didn't realize that it was that it was one of them I every year you know it's hard because the schedule for the next year's season comes out in August right like we're in the middle of getting through one year and they're saying here's you know next season schedule so when it comes out you kind of look at it you see okay like some interesting games you see that it's a wraparound series and at the time it sticks out as just like oh like those aren't common obviously and so it you don't think anything more of it and even what two months ago we weren't really thinking much of that series necessarily and now here we are uh you know Diamondbacks have the best record since the All-Star break at 26 and 8 and right behind them are the Padres at 25 and nine uh as you mentioned Dodgers haven't been too bad themselves they're 22 and 12 in the second half which is the third best Mark in baseball uh you know but hey you throw that all together like you mentioned the NL West has suddenly become a three- team Race and you brought it up and that was one thing that I wanted to point out to when we were discussing this is credit to the Diamondbacks and Padres for I just mentioned their records for having the two best records since the All-Star break they've been playing well there's been I think healthy share of good of good uh Fortune mixed in with crazy comebacks and things like that for both of them but hey they're winning the games you said it though the Dodgers have not lost their lead in the NL West so one that's a testament to them playing well kind of from the outset and building a big enough lead that if these teams go on these crazy runs you still have a cushion but two even when it did seem like you know three weeks ago stuff was you know the Dodgers maybe lost two of three or three or four whatever the case was they kind of found a way to stabilize again and go on some winning streaks they have been in first place in the NLS this entire time that the Diamondbacks and poers are doing this like I don't know if that can I want I can't like stress that enough and I feel like as much as people are saying oh the Dodgers are in an NL West Race net like yes that is true and I think you would much rather have a a bigger cushion than they do the flip side is if you're the Diamondbacks and the Padres like how do you feel you've got 26 and8 and 25 and n and you're still not in first place in your division mhm like that's like you you're fighting an uphill bet like you wouldn't you almost feel like what else do we have to do yeah no and and they they have to pretty much keep playing at you know the way they've been playing to even have a chance and obviously that's not sustainable like they're you know if they've been playing at 120 win Pace since the All-Star break or whatever like that's GNA slow down eventually and I do think like this this weekend series like um it's kind of a chance for the Dodgers to deliver the knockout blow if they go in there and take three out of four or you know I don't want to say four game sweep but if they were to do that then this is the last two time these teams are playing um in the regular season so if they could end that series with a five or six game division lead then that's going to be really tough to overcome in less than a month's time if you're Arizona so um it'll it'll be a good test I I feel like the dot the Diamondbacks have kind of had the Dodgers number going back to last season and the playoffs of course um but this is a chance for the Dodgers to kind of go in there take it to them you know maintain their division lead like right now um Arizona's Best Player catel Marte he's he's on the eye out like I don't think he'll be back for that Series M maybe I'd have to you know I haven't looked up any updates on him recently but if they're without him um that's a great chance for the Dodgers who have been playing well um to go in there you know take three out of four and then um they have they'll have one more series with the Padres a couple weeks later you do the same thing there then who knows maybe we're sitting here with two weeks you know to go in the regular season and that division lead is back at seven or eight games yeah and I I think uh you mentioned it the Dodgers it's just the one the one four game series with the Diamondbacks that's it and then one three game series with the pad R's next month I think in general the balance MLB's shift to a balance schedule has been great like I think it's it's good for fans to you know play everybody and it just brings I think more par and lit and literally more balance to schedules and leagues and teams and stuff like that part of me wonders if you know MLB is looking at it and thinking kind of kicking themselves because in a normal year before this the Dodgers were probably playing the Diamondbacks two more times and the Padres probably two more times and given how the NL West Division has become a three- team Race like it would be more entertaining like it would be better for baseball if they could hype up more of these matchups right but yeah I mean it's pretty much you know putting all your marbles into this one this weekend and then when the Dodgers and Padres who knows at that point I mean look the Padres are in third place and I know that they're uh competing for the wild card but who knows what the division sort of looks like by that point uh so it'll be fun to definitely see the uh the wraparound series stuff like well here let's are you ready to uh and again I I know I stress we can't look past the Orioles but we're going to do we're going to put one I keep one Island Diamondbacks right now are you ready to make any sort of series prediction for that H it's it's tough just because the Diamondbacks do play really well against the Dodgers and the way they've been coming back late in games kind of worries me just because we've seen the Dodgers you know the back end of the Dodgers Bullpen hasn't exactly been lights out recently so that could kind of be um you know a recipe for disaster there but I I do think overall the Dodgers are are kind of playing the best they have in a while you know they're full lineup is back um you know you know guys in the rotation Gavin Stone has been pitching really well um Kershaw has had a few good starts you know um even Bobby Miller is coming off a good start which we got to see more of that like I'm not getting too excited there but um I I do think um the Dodgers you know should go go win three out of four I think that should be the goal um I you know at worst like you definitely want to split it just because you don't if you lose three out of four or get swept you're losing two two or four games in the division and then considering that it's a three-game lead now you you it's possible that you leave you leave Arizona without you know in second place or maybe even third place so um you need to at least get two wins but I I you got to shoot for three for sure just because with how close it is in the division you want to you know at least make it a little comfortable like I know we're we're all expecting a division race to the end here but is it a division race where the Dodgers are losing you know the division or a game up or is it like you know we're three or four up where it's close but you know still pretty comfortable I I I would prefer the ladder personally so this is it's a really big Series yeah I'm not sure uh I'll go I think they end up splitting I think it they end up I don't know what order I'm not going to necessarily give you a game by game prediction but I think at the end of the day after the four games in the Monday uh the Monday Monday's game is as Bob nightgale has joined the chat Bob thank you little little late we're talking about your Diamond Backs right now Bob uh Monday's game is I think a 110 starter like 105 or something like that so just make a note of that uh Rod let's we'll close the book on the Diamondbacks with this Diamondbacks haven't had Christian Walker all month that's correct and I don't I don't think he's going to be back yet either yeah for this match up and he's Babe Ruth against the daughters so that's that's huge that might even be I mentioned kto Marte that Christian Walker not being in there is a bigger deal against the daughters yeah uh SU Super Chat says not a comment but thanks for the show Sue thank you for the Super Chat thank you for tuning in thank you everybody who's been with us tonight on YouTube Facebook and Twitter we've gotten to uh up over a thousand people on on an off night with nothing else nothing going on but to sort of look ahead uh so thank you everybody and if again if you're listening to us on podcast thank you as well we appreciate all of our listeners and the support you guys continue to give us uh all right well let's turn it over now to everybody do some questions just as a reminder if you could uh start it with the word question in all caps that helps Daniel and I pick it out uh while we're waiting for these to populate Daniel Let's uh go back a little bit to this weekend did you have kind of a favorite uh aspect of the Lakers celebration that the Dodgers put on I mean um I thought it was cool seeing all all you know not all of the showtime team but six or six or seven of them were there um and and we had video up but they they threw out the first pitch and they were all like right down the middle great pitches so that that was pretty cool just because you never know with basketball players they're always um it's a to it's a tossup if they're gonna actually be able to throw a baseball or not or just look like they've never done it before in their life so I thought that was cool um but to me the Highlight was was um Sunday with with Kobe's family there and giving out those jerseys which um my roommate was at the game and he came home with one they're really nice jerseys um you know pretty good material like as far as giveaways go that's probably um the best one at least in my opinion like the bobbleheads and stuff are obviously great but if you could get um a jersey that's you know not only um looks cool but is like good material too that you could wear to games and such I think that's great and his family was there um his daughter Bianca throughout the first pitch to Muki so um that was cool I was the one thing I was hoping for and we were talking about this a little bit but um they talked about when Otani came they talked about how filmed um a recruitment video for him back in 2017 um and then they they actually used it when they were recruiting him this time around and no one has ever seen that video so I was kind of hoping maybe they'd they'd play it um you know in honor of Kobe day um I think it would be really cool to see just you know what he said to Shi um and Shi said like that was um probably like the coolest aspect of the whole recruitment pitch was that video um so maybe one day maybe in in on a future Co day they decide to show that video but um other than that it was it was a really you know fun fun weekend um you know we our company we're both Lakers and Dodgers so when we could have a crossover like that um it's always really cool yeah yeah that's all yeah that's what I was going to mention is it's always fun when we can sort of uh cross promote and cross brand and all that and help each other out with uh different content I uh I agree with you you know it all of it honestly was was well done every night had a little bit every game had a little bit of something I was surprised I didn't expect uh last year when the Bryant family was at the game the Dodgers like announced that they would be there they didn't announce that this year with all the different details so I just assume they weren't making it up there and so that was you know a pretty nice surprise uh and yeah I think uh you know I don't know if we'll ever necessarily get that Kobe video out released publicly it would be cool to see it I agree with you but uh maybe I mean maybe at some point the Dodgers will sort of update and refresh kind of the different uh Co videos that they play because this seems to be kind of a sort of an annual thing and deservedly so uh all right so we got some questions [Music] here David says do you guys think the Vibes in the clubhouse are high chemistry has any questions or concerns uh we talked about this a little bit with the Jason Hayward stuff and some of the comments that came from Freddy Freeman and Miguel roas uh a little worried about it from the standpoint of like I didn't necessarily Freddy Freeman I understood roas I I wouldn't NE neily uh expect to kind of come out and say it but I think he's also pretty honest with the media and shares his thoughts so and that's what we want right like we don't want people to just give us PC answers so credit to him uh long-term big picture I think the clubhouse is fine I don't know if we'll necessarily have too much to worry about there uh Orlando wants to know is it possible that Dustin may Tommy John surgery was botch leading to his second one so quickly no I mean Daniel you're a pitcher pitchers unfortunately suffer injuries yeah yeah that's um especially when you got a guy like Dustin may who throws as hard as he does um yeah it's gonna happen did he have two Tommy Johns though I was it one his shoulder and no they they're both uh I thought they were both Tom I'm pretty sure they they're both Tommy I think one the more recent one is um like the internal brace which I don't know if it's technically considered Tommy John but it sort of is still called Tommy John uh I mean possible that the first one didn't didn't do the trick if he's you know back on the Shelf um again but um at this point nothing you could really do about it either way um hopefully he's he's back um next year and something else we haven't really talked about I guess was some slight news over the weekend was that Tony gonin might might be returning this season like that was not something I was expecting and still not expecting I would say like that I would be surprised but um that was I guess a little pleasant surprise just to hear that he's in the mix and he's been throwing and doing well and such yeah if uh if you're worried about the bullpen maybe worry no more because Tony gonin might be coming back and if he does pitch this season Dave Roberts said it would be as a reliever uh noisy ninja 91 says if his next outing doesn't go well is this bu's last chance or do they keep running him out there it it's it's a good question and a fair question I think like um I think out of a certain point you're going to have to pull the plug if things continue to not go well and I do think it's we got to see like what happens like when you say an outing doesn't go well like Why didn't it go well and how bad did it go like if he just completely blows up then I could see it but outside of that I would say he's probably got at least a few more starts like they want to at least give him a chance and until you know as long as they still have a division lead like they're not it's not they're not in like a Do or Die mode every night at the moment um and right now let's face it like um get they have a lot of injured starters so like when a Tyler glass now comes back when Yamamoto comes back then you could probably talk about Walker losing his spot in the rotation but I don't think it's as simple as just call up land and knack to take his spot just because they could have done that a long time ago and um so so we'll see like how it goes but I I do think the leash is a little bit longer than just one start but look we're getting to the point where it's put up or shut up time like you either got to produce or or it's just not going to happen yeah and I think not that it uh like can count atone for some of the bumpy performances he's had but ber is aware of that like he keeps saying like he knows that he needs to pitch better especially with this type of team with the Dodgers having World Series aspirations I agree with you I think I felt going into it they'd give him about three starts to maybe see I think River Ryan's Tommy John surgery has changed that I think Tyler glass Nell's elbow injury has also changed that so like you said they're not necessarily in a position right now where they can you know pick and choose their starting pitchers and so in some sense maybe ber is getting a little bit more opportunities than uh he might have if everybody was sort of healthy right now uh let's see our next question is from Christopher says since Will Smith can't be rested with the DH spot do the Dodgers need to keep rushing as a catcher to get more offense from backup catcher Dodgers rely heavily on Will's bat too much I'm gonna take it down just because it covers us a little bit uh I mean I there was a stretch where Austin Barnes was out hitting Will Smith for for kind of a while so I don't know you know you're looking at the backup catcher you might have needed to be looking at Will Smith uh and and even you know relying on his Bat I think in some sense they have but also they haven't really been getting much from him and they've been fine for the most part yeah no I agree and I also it's worth pointing out like Dalton rushan hasn't really been catching like at all in Triple A they've mainly been wanting him to learn the Outfield so like I would say if we do see Dalton rushing this year which I'm not expecting to happen it would be more so for for the Outfield and that type of role like I don't think they would feel comfortable at all even for one inning putting him behind the plate to catch pitchers that he's never caught before um you you know and just the fact that he hasn't been catching recently like who knows he his days as a catcher could very well be over um we've seen it like a a guy like he's been compared to a guy like Kyle schwarber who came up as a catcher and then um you know wound up in the Outfield slash DH type so I think that's kind of um where things are trending with rushing like I don't think I don't think he's in the mix for to to play catcher like at all to be quite Frank yeah I agree uh we see the the Dodger blue channel has been hijacked saying you know promising a haircut I do need a haircut so if like you guys can you can if it gets one more like I promise you I will get a haircut this week um let's see we had a a super chat from Hawaiian Kira since since someone mentioned Mount Rushmore who is on your baseball and or basketball Mount Rushmore this is a great question baseball I don't I don't know if I can if I really have one just because I've never like it I feel like this Mount Rushmore is always like basketball heavy maybe fo NFL a little bit too Daniel do you have you want to say yours you are you able to put one together I mean like just kind of thinking off the top of my head like I think um Jackie Robinson is a no doubt um guy there I might could I just do a Dodger R Mount Rush more like I feel like that would be easier like um it would Pro it would be Jackie Robinson s kofax Clayton Kershaw um and probably Vin Scully in that fourth spot I'd have to say like there's obviously a lot of um really good candidates for this but I think those four kind of stick out yeah I agree that's uh it's definitely uh the right call there David has the same one ha Kira likes your choices uh yeah throw your guys Dodgers R Rushmore in the chat and we'll throw some of them up uh as we kind of go long yeah Tommy sters mentioned Tommy Lor that would be I'm not sure who you take off though from Daniel's list like that's that's tough but Tommy is definitely deserving of being on on a Mount Rushmore uh all right let's see what other questions we might have saw a few Jason wants to know if it's 2000 likes while I let Blake cut the hair there are no number of likes or super chats that we could up that would allow that I would then let Blake go anywhere near my hair with scissors or Clippers that's just not happening I don't think that that wouldn't be good for anyone we wouldn't want to be seeing you on this channel with a a BL you wouldn't see me or or I'd finally put a hat on i' i' join you guys with wearing hats for probably about a month with the way Blake would probably botch me up um let's see I do I know we have dong Kim I did see your Super Chat I'm kind of saving it for the end since it is a food question so just bear with us here uh here dong is saying that Jackie Robinson does have to be on a Mount Rushmore and I think that's both Dodgers and for baseball like as a whole yeah uh Kenny says Vin Jackie Sandy and Tommy so he put uh Lort on there instead of Kershaw I think that's a generational thing and I'm not sure Kenny what I'm not necessarily grouping you but I think something like that could probably come down to if you grew up like you and I did kind of watching Kershaw then yeah he's probably as much respect as I think we both have for Tommy like it is different getting to watch an alltime great kind of do it rather than you know mainly hearing reading about them stuff like that I think I I just kind of thought of a good question um if if you had to pick one of like the the big three that's on the roster right now of who who would be on this Mount Rushmore in the future um which which of those three would pick and the big three are sh mooki which I guess Freddy is probably not it's not going to be Freddy like he's not gonna be here as long and um so I would say mooki it's between mooki and Sh I think it's Otani pretty EAS I think assuming that the Dodgers if they win two World Series in otani's 10 years then he's on it like complet like no questions asked yeah if they win one World Series and he individually has just crazy Seasons the way we saw with Kershaw in 2014 winning the MVP and all like his at his Peak even though maybe the Dodgers were falling short I think that puts him into the conversation the the problem is that at that point like how how obscene and I I'm saying obscene just because he he's so ridiculous with being able to pitch and hit like how obscene were his individual Seasons at that point because who are you taking out like to me like Vince Scully is a lock like he's yeah never getting bumped out of that I think Jackie Robinson because like you said not only for the Dodgers but Major League Baseball like his importance like he's pretty much cemented in there as much as I uh have enjoyed and appreciated watching Clayton Kershaw I do think that there is an argument for Sandy kofax being the best left-handed pitcher ever so he's so then at that point to me it boils down to okay what did Otani do with the Dodgers what did Kershaw do with the Dodgers then you kind of compare those individual and that'll be hard because Otani is a two-way player so he has kind of an Fair Advantage yeah no I agree and yeah like if Otani ends up having you know three or four MVP seasons and they win a couple World Series and he goes down as maybe the greatest baseball player like of all time which might sound crazy but I don't like that one surprised me at all then I do think um he has a chance but it's a tough it's a tough Mount Rushmore to crack like you really have to be incredible and historic for to to to get one of those four guys off of it yeah definitely uh let's see I didn't well here's one from Joe Tori should Dodger fans give duer the Tre Turner treatment and give him a long-standing Ovation on Wednesday will that turn his season around uh no because Dodger fans haven't and I guess the Phillies hadn't necessarily ever done something like that but I think that would really throw ber off and you would wonder like what is happening uh and I don't know if he wants that honestly like he's like he's again not that it makes up for struggling through his starts so far but he's not run away from the expectations or his performances and he wants to be held to that high standard I think that's what makes this kind of so hard to watch is you you know it wasn't all that long ago that he was the pitcher a lot of us were picking in basically a must-win playoff game if you said you know look at the staff you can pick one pitcher game seven type thing we'd be a lot of us would have probably said ber at at different years like even you know and I think that's kind of what has at least for me has like made it like man like he just feels bad for him yeah no and and I don't like you were saying I don't think he would want that and I don't think it would really help if anything like I'm just thinking like from my perspective if I was him like that would just kind of draw more attention to it and it would be it's like a Pity Applause like um you know everyone feels bad for you so if I like if I was him and I know the competitor that Walker beer is like he would rather have fans like you know tell it to him like it is like he'd rather get booed when he sucks than to get a Pity Applause in hopes that he'll turn it around like I don't think I think hitting and pitching are a little different like I think I don't think an Applause can get a pitcher going the same way it would a hitter maybe just because you know there's a lot of mental stuff going on when you're at the plate and sometimes one hit could kind of turn things around and I don't really view pitching in that same light so I don't I don't I don't really think it would do anything yeah all right I didn't see any other questions so dong thank you for being patient with us and we can end with a food one unless we get some last minute questions thrown into the chat I think Laura had another Super Chat as well wanted to do food last oh yeah she did okay uh well here we'll just do this then we'll do Laura's we'll do Laura's last thanks for catching that uh don Kim says thoughts about langers possibly closing and do they have the best pastrami in LA uh so if you missed it I caught it because Bill shaken retweeted the LA Times article either yesterday or the day before uh kind of this long sort of interview with Norm Langer the owner of langers kind of detailing a lot of the challenges that that area in downtown in MacArthur Park has kind of underc with you know unfortunate drug use and homelessness and stuff like that uh yeah and I it would be sad like I hope that langers doesn't close uh I do think that some of this was a bit uh strategic with getting some media pressure and attention on local government officials to maybe take action uh Laura saying relocate that that idea I did wonder about that also like why maybe just move somewhere else uh Daniel have you been to langers I I had it one time um just because everyone I like listening to espnla and stuff like they talk about it a lot so like I think one time I was um downtown for whatever reason I was like I need to try this I I got a pami sandwich it was from what I remember it was it was is really good so if if it does close down I think that would be a real shame like that's one of you know the landmarks if you will in the city or place that everyone loves to eat so hopefully they could figure this out and if they do you know hopefully I'll get back down there for for another uh another taste soon yeah and like uh the article said I forgot what year Langer's open but they've been here longer than the Dodgers half which is crazy to think about that way like right like the Dodgers obviously for you and I have been here before well before we were born so to think that there's this restaurant that I already viewed kind of as an you know an I la icon has been here longer than the Dodgers like to put it in those terms was uh shocking and not something i' had realized as for the second part of the question is it the best pastrami in La I go back and forth uh between langers and caners I think both are very good um I think caners might be a little bit better though okay I mean it's it's like it's 1 a and one B like it it's it's a close call for me yeah I mean I I I haven't had it enough to really say this I know I've see people in the chat mentioning the Hat as well I like I've I've had that a lot more than langers i'mna I know no we're we are not putting the Hat pastrami in the same conversation as Langer and Canter we're not I'm not allowing I will end this stream before we keep going all right fair enough I was I was going to ask you your opinion because you've had it more so enough said I guess yeah no we're not yeah we're not doing that like no that's drive-thru pami we're not come on uh yeah m i old is asking about Bren Deli I haven't had Bren Deli I know that there are other places out there so I can only speak for langers and caners uh but anyway yeah we'll have to uh I'm gonna make Daniel do a taste test one day I'm gonna I'll take you to langers to caners and then you can get py from the hat and then you'll understand why I feel so strongly about this so sound sounds good to me uh all right let's get to Laura's Super Chat she wants to know do the Dodgers win the division and by how many games yeah I I still think they do like I I think um eventually you know the demon back or the Diamondbacks and Padre's are going to have to cool off like at least a little bit and I do think the Dodgers like we've been talking about they did a good job kind of withstanding this run and you know maintaining at least a small lead so I think I think the Dodgers will win it by I'll say five games like I think um you know it stays pretty comfortable the whole time like I don't know if um I don't think they'll get caught um maybe it gets within a game or two but I think they'll be able to maintain it and then win the division by um five games and and look it's pretty funny like the way things have been trending it could very well be um you know the the three n teams with the best records in the NL like at this rate like with the the Phillies have been struggling a little the Brewers have have um you know kind of come back down to earth as well so um it'll be like it the the um you know the difference being like either the number one seed or a wild card team um is like it's unfortunate that that's the way it works but that's just the way it goes so um I I got five games yeah real quick not to completely Sidetrack but I do Wonder like the Phillies you know every we you and I are focused on the Dodgers like team we follow team we cover like we're we knew these live shows were inra so we see the fans like going crazy over the Dodgers play the Phillies were up five or six games on the Dodgers while the Dodgers were struggling and they somehow like fell back behind them in the standing so I do Wonder like is it just that we're not necessarily in tune to all the Philly stuff or did that somehow just fly under the radar but yeah anyway I I don't that's a complete tangent I don't want to send us down that road uh I do think the Dodgers still win the NL West I say excuse me it ends up being probably by about four games uh I think the closest the smallest their division lead is going to get to is going to be this weekend and it'll either be you know kind of one or two games type thing uh like I said earlier I think that they end up splitting and so that sort of becomes a wash and then to your point I think some of the um Luck Good Fortune that the Dbacks and potteries have had maybe kind of wear out wears off in things even out a little bit uh all right let's see I was trying to read this last question let's see well here it's a little bit critical of Blake so we apologize for that but Daniel since you're a pitcher Jason wants to know uh how would you be managing this Bullpen I'm not 100% sure what Blake said I know the I'm guessing Blake might have defended some of Dave Robert's decisions and that's why it's not necessarily popular uh but is there anything you would have done differently either back in early in the season or more recently uh I mean look it's not it's not an easy job and it's it's really easy to criticize after the fact and Overlook it when things go right so I do definitely do not envy Dave Roberts there m maybe he's talking about the the game they lost to the Rays where they went with copc and the eighth and Phillips in the ninth so if I had to guess the question is asking like should they have more set roles in the Bullpen where hey copc the ninth is yours like Evan Phillips you're the fireman um or whatever the case may be and um like I do think eventually it would be ideal to get to a point um where you know it would be like that where hey copc you're our closer like you know be ready for the ninth maybe we need four outs out of you and and then you know Evan Phillips and tryan and all these other guys that Daniel Hudson like you're more of our firemen and whatnot I do think an IDE world that's what they do um but but you know that's that's just not where they're at right now I I do think we need to see a larger sample from copc I I see the Kelly comment here like I think I think we're all in a similar place with Joe Kelly where um if if he continues on this path he's been going down he probably shouldn't be on the postseason roster I don't I don't I don't I'm I don't not going to go as far to say as he won't be just because you never really know with the Dodgers um but he has not been he has not been pitching well enough to Warrant a postseason roster spot especially when you know guys are coming back and someone we haven't really talked about is Ryan braer who's looked really good since he got back as well so he's in the mix so I do think as more of these guys come back um a guy like Joe Kelly could be on the outside looking in yeah and it looks like uh what Blake's comment may have been about Joe Kelly and David did say Blake had a good point due to usage who was available that's what I was going to bring up is look like I get you know Joe Kelly isn't maybe he's not the first option he's probably not the second third fourth option but the Dodgers are trying to get through a long season right now and unfortunately like I know it sounds like a broken record but at times like they Robert's hands are tied a little bit and you kind of go with who is available and who is not available uh maty man I do want to address this he's saying Blake has relationships to maintain and he doesn't think Scott does uh I can tell you that we don't do these shows like and kind of hide behind stuff and not want to say things uh we can critici we do criticize the team fairly when it's warranted we also I know it's not popular on Twitter or in these live streams if we say like hey sometimes a player just actually has to do better like it's not always Dave Robert's fault that a reliever goes in and gives up three or four runs uh the other thing is Blake has relationship Scott has relationship we all have relationships that we maintain from a professional standpoint because we are professional and we're not going to go out and personally attack people uh M man I'm not picking on you I know you're in here a lot with us but that is a a an accusation that has been lobbed at us a couple different times by different people that we are worried about our credentials or this that and the other we're not necessarily going to want to say certain things and I can tell you as the person who oversees our staff and our website that that is not the case that we aim to bring you accurate analysis and fair reporting and things of that nature uh and just to kind of add on to that like if like if even if we're being critical like if we're being fair and not necessarily going over the top and like disrespecting a player then as far as maintaining relationships go then there's nothing to worry about like as long as you're being fair and and just kind of telling it like it is like I don't think any of us are worrying about criticizing a guy and then him not talking to us or whatever the case may be like as long as you're not going as far as disrespecting players um then then there's no issues yeah definitely and I'll Circle back now to the bullpen stuff and the closer thing that you were discussing I do think that it is warranted to at least try um copc as the closer at this point I think because like Phillips became the closer because it like kind of out of necessity and he handled credit to him early on for succeeding in that role and being able to do it but I think also it's uh no secret that the Dodgers prefer him in kind of a fireman role instead so to me like just let copec be your closer and if you know the heart of the lineup is due up in the eighth instead of the ninth then okay use him in the eighth and then you have Phillips hopefully if graterol is back Ryan brazer or somebody you mentioned I know Daniel Hudson has struggled recently Blake Tron has struggled recently but you know those are guys that can be trusted typically in high leverage situations so for me I would say like hey copc is our closer use him in the eighth or ninth depending on how you need it and then you have everybody else kind of you know filling in with especially Philips kind of trending back up if he becomes your fireman again then I think that really can solidify the bullpen moving forward yeah no I I agree I think in a perfect world like you do have set rolls quote unquote and a set closer but I do think those those spots are kind of earned and I know copc has been great but it has been a really small sample and if you look at the overall sample of his entire season like he hasn't been lights out the whole year so I do think it's trending to that and the more he continues to have success and shut it down in the ninth he'll continue to get those opportunities and like you said like Evan Phillips is better served in that fireman role and same with Blake Tran Daniel Hudson Ryan brazer like they got a lot of really good options which is good to see so you know we'll see in the next month if those roles kind of formulate and come together like I I'm hoping it does but at the end of the day like as long as you have talented arms like who throws what inning doesn't matter all that much so um yeah we'll we'll see you know what happens over the next month as far as health and and who's pitching well like that's that's the key with the you know Bullpen guys because they're so volatile like one week they might look like the best you know reliever in the game and then next week they might give up four runs so it's it's kind of like who's hot at that time but hopefully all those guys continue throwing well and it's just kind of a non-issue yeah and as Blake always says uh never trust any reliever ever Edo is saying based on what Matthew is saying the Dodgers don't like to have set roles then pretty much Dave Roberts has been pretty open uh since Kenley Jansen left that the Dodgers you know a closer bike committee approach type thing and however he feels uh the bullpen can best be matched up with the opponents that's what they'll do on a nightly basis Los doers wants to know bruar graterol may come back soon could you see him as a closer I mean I guess it's possible but he would have to work his way back up there I mean he had he basically has not Pitch this season his debut ended eight pitches into it because of the hamstring injury so I don't know if there would be enough time for him to pitch well enough in enough appearances to where the Dodgers would feel comfortable putting him in his closer the other thing that has always been sort of the downside uh for gradall in that potential role is that he doesn't get a lot of strikeouts whereas if you have somebody like copc if he isn't walking people and he is getting strikeouts that's kind of a more natural fit and then you let graterol kind of be one of your late game uh options I think that's going to do it I do want to acknowledge we did get we were getting uh here truck and Cali 63 says love the show thanks guys thank you for that um there was other Iris says were her favorite Dodger show Iris I know you're in here with us pretty much every single night so thank you for the support uh and thank you to everybody and I you know I apologize Matty man again I wasn't specifically attacking you by any means uh I just wanted to make sure that there is an understanding of what our goal is and how we approach our coverage at Dodger blue and at Lakers nation and kind of with our uh entire network of websites and I know that you guys uh can appreciate that I we may not always agree but we like to have healthy conversations on these shows and on Twitter and stuff like that and so we want to thank you all for being respectful uh and for continuing to join us night in and night out uh this we got up to 1300 people across Facebook YouTube and Twitter tonight it's a Dodgers off night big series tomorrow with the Orioles and then this week can wrap around four games with the Diamondbacks uh Jeff and Anthony will be on with you guys tomorrow night Tuesday uh with a postgame show and once again that is Daniel and I'm Matthew and we'll see you next time