Welcome to another episode of Dodgers Dougout Live! Ben Casparius joins the show! Join DMAC as he previews the National League West showdown between the Dodgers and the Padres. Plus, a look into the potential post season roster, who makes the cut & more!
Dodgers Nation Podcast Network
Dodgers Final Postseason Roster, Who Makes the Cut, Dodgers-Padres Showdown, Ohtani & More!
what will the final Dodgers postseason roster look like and we got a special guest Dodgers pitcher Ben conspiracy joins the show that's going up next on Dodgers dugout live this is the golden age of Dodger baseball they're going to make big side they're going to make impact trades this is the most anticipated season of Dodgers history blue blue blue and I'm out what is up Dodgers nation and welcome to the Dodgers nation Dodgers dugout live my name is Doug McCain credential member of Dodgers media you can follow me on X and Instagram at DMACC underscore LA now if you haven't yet do us a huge favor join the party subscribe to the Dodgers nation YouTube channel the number one Dodgers YouTube channel in the game the number one Dodgers showing podcast on YouTube Dodgers dugout live but let's get right into it because we've got a special guest Dodgers pitcher Ben conspiracy is joining us today Ben thank you so much about the head of Dodgers stadium but yeah thanks for joining you on Dodgers dugout live my man thanks for having me it's going to be here Ben so let's get right into it because I want to have you on Monday off that excitement that we saw on Sunday but I mean what a game on Sunday you got the back to back home runs first show hated tie it then Mookie hits his first walk off as a Dodger but what I was telling everyone on the post game show is the Dodgers dog of the game was Ben conspiracy is he's the guy who went three innings allowed just one run on three hits had the five punch outs is how excited was it for you to be a part of that and kind of where does that rank as far as your big league your baseball experiences so far I mean I think it was I think it's got to be up there obviously one it was good to be back at home and pitch in our life for the first time and just on the cusp of winning the pennant and you know getting ready for the playoffs I think it was obviously a huge series to win especially with the Padres coming to town today so it was an unbelievable day I thought it was fun being in the dugout to the last couple of innings and see show and Mookie do their thing and cap off a really good week so it was it was pretty awesome yeah and you made the most of your opportunity to so far in your debut against the Diamondbacks in late August you went in inning you got your first big league win did you do anything special do you keep anything from that game the jersey I don't know the paper with the win on it you keep anything bang because I know you got to keep something yeah I have the I have the first I have the ball from the first out recorded the jersey that gave me with the I think it was the top's patch as a patch in the line of card also unbelievable stuff unbelievable stuff and bad I just want to get your take because look I mean you're someone who's made it through the ranks you continue to improve your minor league crease to the V low go up and we talk about your pitch mix in a second here but not a soft landing a lot of players they'll go on and make their debut with teams that aren't really expected to make the world series you enter a situation with the team that not only is expected to win the world series but also they're in a division race they're in a race to finish with the best record in baseball just have you been able to deal with that going into this situation and handling it so well then yeah no doubt I think part of it comes from just being prepared like I think the Dodgers are as good as they are just because it starts from from the bottom up honestly our player development with the personnel that they keep around and kind of you know are coming in and out of affiliates I think having those relationships and you know bouncing ideas off of certain people and trying to understand like the experiences they went through has been pretty cool so I think in terms of just being ready I feel like this is a really good opportunity obviously for the team but for myself just to you know try and make the best case for myself to help right now obviously and then in the postseason if there's a chance to absolutely and I always like to ask to just kind of what your first impressions of that Dodgers clubhouse because you go in there you look around not just all stars but future first ball Hall of Famers guys like Clayton Kershaw Freddie and Mookie the list goes on and on and then of course you have show hey in the year that he's having just kind of what are your initial impressions as just being around those guys yeah I mean it's there's a lot of star power in there but at the end of the day like they're all great guys there's great chemistry on the team the staff everything and I felt right at home to be honest in the short amount of time I've been up here I feel like I've been taken care of and like guys have definitely like helped me like I feel for everything and kind of just you know what they do around there and is there a picture or two that kind of has taken you under their wing or given you a piece of advice that's really helped this transition to the show yeah for sure I think I think I've had really good conversations with Anthony Bonda Alex Bestia and Phillips I mean to be honest with you I think every single one of them down especially since I've been spending most of my time down in the bullpen like they're all great guys they all I think part of it too is they've all been in my shoes before and understand like the feeling that I'm going through and just everything being new and up in a little bit more intense so I think everybody's been great and then obviously Landon Knack who I've played with for the better part of the last two seasons and I'm close with him so it's been it's been a good mix of just different personalities and different routines and how everybody kind of handles their business and what works best for everyone yeah and I think that that has to be important right I mean there's the bond within the bullpen you guys feeding off each other lots of elite arms that do a lot of things that really a lot of other bullpen's can't really do when you look at the high velocity the nasty sliders and all the different stuff you got Brent Hollywood throwing a screw ball fearing the turtle neck up there so just kind of how much you feed up that and how important is it just have a chemistry as a bullpen because when you're on the mound you're out there by yourself but you guys have this ability to pick each other up no doubt I think it's cool I think everybody's ready to go every single day whether it's a back-to-back or three days in a row everybody's really hungry in the bullpen and I think everybody feels down there that they have a huge part in this team and I think that goes a long way absolutely yeah I mean you can see it the veterans and the young guys is a great mix out there now as far as you're welcome to the show moment I always like to ask this question I mean it's such a big day did you have family there they came to see your initial debut with the Diamondbacks on the against the Diamondbacks so I had I had my friends and family out in St. Louis for the first the first time I'd gotten called up I ended up not throwing in those couple of games and then I got recalled I think it was I think it was August 31st I think that was the official day I made my debut so my parents were there for that and it was it was special I mean it was I think I it was the first time I've I've really come into a game that late too so I came in in the eighth inning so I was kind of just jittery the whole day down in the bullpen but it was really cool and it was obviously a different experience hearing my name called through the phone rather than just knowing I'm starting that day so it was pretty cool that it all happens at once and like that fast yeah not only that you go into the game you enter in the eighth inning and you go one two three one two three inning for you you took care of business in a six six game so yeah I got to give yourself a lot of credit for executing that situation but was there a specific moment where you're kind of just soaking it all in or you just kind of in the zone locked in at that point I think running onto the field I kind of soaked in a little bit I was trying to just like keep my heart right down not like overanalyze anything but I think running out onto the field same honestly with Sunday like when I ran out from the bullpen onto the field I was like I can't believe any people are here this and that not that it bothers me but just like it's just a different atmosphere especially being with the Dodgers and how close the pennant was at the time to in Arizona it was a really cool environment I think I kind of took it all in once once I kind of started heading out to the mound yeah now and you look at your pitch mix in how you would continue to increase the velocity on that fastball what has been the biggest key to that? I think I think the biggest thing is just like understanding my body mechanics wise obviously like I've toyed around with different windups different set positions with my hands and I think that's a really underrated part of pitching that people don't fully understand is if one thing is a little bit off it kind of messes with timing in another spot so for me I think it's all kind of a package of one when everything's flowing my command is better my v-low is better the shapes of my breaking balls are better and my command and like I'm commanding the zone better so I think I think just finding a couple of cues in the last couple of years that have really just helped me stay consistent in my delivery that's kind of propelled just the stuff in general I think yeah just talking to coaches and people that have been close to you it seems like if your fastball kind of opens up everything because it kind of plays up in a different way because of just how nasty your slider is with the spin rate on it just how important is that slider for you and just kind of how that fastball has allowed that to be even better and play up more at this level yeah I think I think obviously the sliders kind of the bread and butter centerpiece of my arsenal so I know that the slider the biggest key for me is kind of just the v-low floor of that so if I can keep it kind of 84 plus I know it's gonna play better than some days where it might be a little bit bigger and slower just with the lower extension but I think it's also helped me understand that the fastball doesn't need to be anything crazy metrically if guys know I'm throwing a slider you know 35-40% of the time if I just locate my fastball kind of towards the top of the zone and you know I don't really stay in the heart of the plate I'm probably gonna have success that day yeah you've also developed a curveball too right for against letees yep so the curveball the curveball work in progress kind of started at the back end of last year in double and then I kind of used the fall league to get a little bit more comfortable with it in game in like actual game settings so I spent a huge piece for me I think kind of earlier on in my career like I want to say the second year the second year of pro ball it was kind of you know I'm taking care of righties the slider I'm not walking as many righties so I need to find a way to kind of limit damage against lefties and I think the curveball has been a huge front to back option for me and I think too like once I got with the Dodgers we kind of were looking for a more north south approach to pitching like to help my fastball ride a little bit better and just like match my throw and you know create a little bit more velocity so the feel for the change up hasn't been necessarily where I wanted it to be but I think the curveball took the place of that and then I started kind of mixing in the clutter the last couple of weeks also I'm working on that so I'm definitely a super nader for sure in terms of my arsenal and I think the next step going forward is just like playing around with some different change ups to soft season see kind of what works whether it's a Vulcan split whatever it might be so that's kind of the next step in terms of the arsenal interesting stuff yeah because I've seen that slider almost get recorded as a cutter is that just a hard slider in that situation or is that a cutter I think I'm in leverage counts I kind of just put a little bit more adrenaline pumping yeah yeah I think too like in general the harder I throw it it's it's a little bit harder to throw it in the strike zone so if I'm in an O2 or once you count I can kind of rely on that to be out of the zone unbelievable stuff now you talk about the development in this organization I'm sure that you benefit heavily from it but is there one thing specifically that you can point to as the biggest reason why you've been able to make these leads that you've learned from this development in this organization yeah I think I think it's I think it's more just the understanding of what I needed to do specifically to have success where it's if I'm if I'm trying to force swings with my slider I'm in the strike zone you know I'm getting O1 I'm getting ahead in the count the fastball obviously for me is gonna play better up in the zone not necessarily just for swinging swing and miss but just creating different paths off my pitches especially with the curveball coming into play more recently and like the last year and a half or so but I think honestly just having a solid game plan kind of symbolizing everything that goes along with it not trying to do too much and and just trying to flood the strike zone it's kind of been the biggest takeaway I've had and then obviously when pitch shapes are off or something doesn't feel right then it's kind of like okay let's dive into things but let's try to again like not over complicate things in season because things aren't a good spot right now yeah and it's great to have that early success that you're having and just when you look at that how much confidence does that give you I think gives me all the confidence in the world honestly baseball I mean baseball is an interesting game like you've seen you know Cy Young winners go and do a rehab assignment low and they don't pitch well I could go to Rancho right now and you know give up a four spot and ending and that's just the way it goes and I think it's the game speeds up the higher levels there are but it's still at the end of the day like you have to execute make good pitches get ahead of guys so I think just having the same mindset as if I'm pitching in triple eyes pitching in the big leagues I think is going to ultimately give or set me up to have the most success whether I do or don't awesome stuff and your teammate mr. Shouhei Otani he's not hitting this year I mean he's hitting he's not pitching this year but he of course the best two way pitch in the history of the game you though mr. Bank experience you were at Staples high school Westport Connecticut the records right a construction worker mascot I love that mascot you guys got right there you set the state's all-time hits record you led into a state title in 2017 you had some two-way action yourself just how did that go yeah it was interesting I I honestly can I thought I was the hitter I was I did more hitting obviously up until I started pitching full-time when I transferred to Yukon but it was fun it's a it's a really it's hard to do especially in college and so I can't imagine when Shouhei is doing both like how he's able to take care of himself the way he does which is pretty remarkable and hats off to him for being able to do it at such a high level but it's difficult and I think for me at least it took away from a little from each side of the game a little bit so for him to be able to you know not skip a beat in the batter's box around the mountain it's amazing yeah you talk to players and they just can't wrap their heads around what he's able to do when he pitches at a sigh on level he hits at an MVP level but for someone that's done it at a pretty high level yourself just what is the most impressive thing about that yeah I think I think just this consistency you know like he's kind of taking this leadership role and obviously there's mookie freddy chaos for everybody in the lineup is contributing it's just amazing to see him in a year where he's coming off of surgery just you know put up a 50/50 season I don't think it's I know it's really not fathomable and you know to see it up close in person for the last couple of days has been super special I'm like he really like he's really one of a kind for sure and just saying he doesn't have an opportunity to tie the game and mookie doesn't have an opportunity to get that walk off if it wasn't for your three strong innings right there but talking about this postseason mix I mean you got a bullpen lots of big time arms lots of veterans have a lot of experience but as far as your mindset heading into this final week of this season how important is it for you to just go out there show these guys what you can do and be ready if you're called upon in the postseason yeah I think the biggest thing is just you know not telling myself that anything needs to change I think that's that's kind of normal for everybody I know the atmosphere everybody's gonna be a little bit more juiced up but for me it's just taking care of each day not looking you know too far into the future about my next outing or if I'm gonna make playoff roster or anything kind of along those lines but for me it's just simplifying the game every day to day just taking care of what I need to feel good for whatever my name is called next and tell you the stuff you got I mean if you're gonna call someone I mean it's definitely gonna be someone like yourself now as far as kind of the end of this season two and you look at the offseason what do you have as far as your goals heading into this offseason things you might want to improve upon things you want to focus on what are you kind of looking at kind of zeroing in in the offseason heading into next year yeah I think we talked about it a little bit with the idea of throwing the change up again and kind of just finding a consistent grip going with that not trying to you know make it the nastiest pitch in the world or something that's supplementary to the slider and curveball just changing eye levels to righties and kind of run something into them other than that I think just fastball command in general kind of just picking quadrants trying to get a little bit more just detailed and oriented with where my fastball is going at certain times and to I want to dive into a little bit more just like how I can utilize like throwing fastballs down in the zone a little bit to just where I feel like I've had a couple outings this year where guys were really keying in on the fastball up and for the first for the first time and I think it's interesting how I in those games I could feel some strikes at the bottom of the zone which is usually kind of a no go the no zone go for me so just kind of diving into that so I think a lot of it will just be like specific reports on certain guys and you know figuring out you know what guys are looking for in certain counts in certain situations that's exciting because it has to be I don't care what anyone says it has to be very different heading with that offseason knowing that you've actually had that experience in the show that you have peach under those bright lights because I'm sure you're thinking about it forever and ever what's it going to be like do I belong well now you know you do belong at this level so that definitely is going to be big now when I talk about this series against the Padres really quick because look some people don't think this is a rivalry I tell people there's juice between these two teams the players the current state 2022 they beat this Dodgers team 2020 when the Dodgers won the World Series they beat the Padres and rude to a championship how much are you looking forward to just this if you want to call it a rivalry a matchup for the moment I mean how much are you looking forward to this matchup with the Padres especially when you look at what's at stake you guys win two games you guys win the division they went out they win the division a lot on the line it's going to be like a postseason like atmosphere tonight at Dodger Stadium yeah no doubt I think it's kind of similar to a couple weeks ago when we were in Arizona and they were kind of I think they were I want to say they were three or three and a half games back and they were tied with the Padres back in late August so in terms of the atmosphere I think it's going to be pretty much as close to a playoff atmosphere as you can get obviously it helps both teams being in California will be at home tonight and we draw great so I mean it's going to be I think it's going to be everything I could probably imagine and it's going to be a lot of fun for sure and do players kind of talk about that stuff as far as is this a rivalry I mean or is it just hey there's a lot at stake and it does feel like these teams kind of bring out the best in each other sometime but would you consider a rivalry for sure I mean same division division rivalry yeah yeah division rivalry they're one of the bigger market teams and they have star power you know across their lineup in their rotation so I think it's I think it's probably as close to a rather rivalry as it gets if it's not already so it's going to be it's going to be a fun time good atmosphere and I think it'll be a good test prior to obviously the postseason to be exciting I also have to ask about trying to jinx anything not trying to jinx anything Ben but do you have goggles for a champagne celebration are you gonna be a goggles guys some people say they like the feel of the sting I mean I don't know if the Dodgers are gonna celebrate like that for division title but hey I mean they got to be lying around you got to be ready right yeah I think I'm gonna if the time comes I'll probably play around with it a little bit but I think towards the end of it they'll probably they probably won't be on to be honest yeah yeah you got to celebrate okay so we'll get you out of here on this one couple of here one I want to ask you what is the best advice you've ever received about pitching I heard I heard this more recently and I liked it I think if you if you're on if you're standing on the mound and you look the hitter in the face and you feel any sort of emotion you're already kind of in trouble so you know when I saw jock Peterson walk in the air walk into the batter's box I did everything in my power to just pretend it was any other lefty that was in the box just because me over analyzing the guy that's standing in there isn't gonna give me the best chance I think to just be in attack mode and get strike one so I think just kind of neutralizing everybody who's at the plate obviously this might change if it's in the ninth inning and you know we're intentionally walking that I obviously but like I think just having no fear you know I think guys in the big leagues this is another piece of advice I got to pretty recently is just I think big league hitters kind of smell and feel fear on pitchers and take advantage of that and I think just you know being even keeled poised with control and just kind of just go about your business and pretend it's anybody else in the box in any other situation just in keeping that heart rate down is gonna you know do wonders yeah the way that your fast balls continue to play up I mean you have a more of a margin for air right I mean you can attack that zone with conviction that's how you've had a lot of success all right last one here Ben give me your mal rush more your top four favorite pitchers who's your mal rush more Ben I'm gonna go curse the Grom nice I gotta go Derek Cole too I he's probably my favorite pitcher to watch just in general and last one probably going Nolan Ryan no one Ryan nice I love that man all time no hits leader you gotta love that almost 6,000 strikeouts I mean that guy didn't make any sense I my biggest thing about knowing Ryan is I wish we had accurate radar guns when he was at his peak that's the biggest question the biggest question I mean was it 110 was it 102 we'll never know but I mean honestly I bet you could still hit probably in the 80s at this point I mean the guy is unbelievable but Ben we thank you so much for joining us here on Dodgers dugout congratulations on making it to the show on your success we hope to see you in this series and you ever know postseason can have a big moment you could be a big part of it either way your big part of this team's future so thank you so much for joining us here on Dodgers dugout live my man yeah thanks so much for having me I appreciate it awesome man there he goes Ben conspiracy I'm telling you this guy he's nasty he's for real I mean the velocity increase it increases the margin for error but the slider when you look at the spin rate on the slider the way it plays at this level I mean I think it's a bright future I mean I've talked to some people that say that if you're gonna have the conversation of who has the best stuff in this organization he's a part of that conversation we know certainly that is what this team looks at when you're looking for high leverage arms when you're looking for guys that you can put in big situations and you got to give the guy a lot of credit I'm telling you this not easy to step in and make your debut on a team that is expected to not just go to the world series but if they don't win the world series it's gonna be considered a failure and then on top of that it's not like we're looking at a 100+ win Dodgers team for the first time in a full regular season since 2018 we won't have that and they're in a division race they want to secure their seating they want to finish with one of the top two spots so you can get that break but special thanks to Ben conspiracy man I was really I was nerding out about the things he was talking about about his pitch mix and found that fascinating and I think it's cool that he's had success but he can point to things that he wants to get better at when you look at the curve ball some of the different shapes just continuing to increase the command on that fastball I really think this guy is a bright future but Ben conspiracy hey by the way no well it feels like by the way guys we're back in the mix in studio shout to noise by no well we got Tony Taters will talk to in a second he's been killing it if you haven't watched Tony Taters video of the highlights of the week I definitely recommend doing that but it feels like when I ask all these Dodgers players these pitches for their Mount Rushmore there's something in their mind that goes better say curse better you don't want to get in trouble you got it it's not like he's not on there right he's deserving of being on there but they don't want to get caught on social media and see curse looking at your Mount Rushmore you don't include his name right it's like it's like when Austin Reeves what had that tweet about LeBron back in the day like if I didn't him and then he had to tell him before he saw it on social media just to make sure there was no bad blood. Hey man I like that list I mean Garrett Cole UCLA legend you got Nolan Ryan Nolan Ryan doesn't make sense like no one Ryan is ridiculous yeah I mean he's someone that you'd probably I'm like I said I mean they're people that they think you threw a 110 mile per hour fastball but all time you know he's like he's almost like the Brett Favre of baseball in the sense that far as all the touchdowns we also has all the interceptions exactly it's a funny stat to lead so he's the all-time leader Nolan Ryan is with 5,714 strikeouts so little context here we're doing the Clayton Kershaw countdown to 3k this guy's almost had 6k it's crazy the funny thing too is he also has the all-time lead for walks his 2,795 career walks also leads in hits per 9 interesting we went on a Nolan Ryan rabbit hole by the way are you in on the the Astros rainbow jersey that I haven't seen I know you know you know they're all-time classic a lot of time yeah that don't Ryan were yeah knives the throwback what Antonio I think Antonio has one don't you know I would have probably had a Astros jersey from like 2005 a Lance Berkman one oh with the star on it yeah yeah star in the rainbow it's a it's a classic I mean I like the hat but the jersey just it's like orange what's that funny delight kind of vibe you know they've had some sunny delight by definitely some sunny divide by the way guys like I said if you have not watched Antonio's highlights of the week those drop on Monday and it's not your normal top 10 I mean he puts a lot of time and effort in curating these videos and I think that Antonio we got some on the last in the last video they're gonna make the house of the year right oh for sure yeah so expect that y'all expect that y'all definitely be looking for that but let's dive in the comments actually guys welcome to Dodgers dugout live we get a DMACC loving some rainbows right now from Houston at the time when I was a baby and they took me out there and they're taking some baby pictures and they originally got me an Astros uniform set and then my parents like hell nah that's like yeah they're like no it was back in the day when you take like your kids like Sears and like JCPenney you know for like those pictures you know I mean and they were gonna put me in a Astros uniform and my parents like nah we gotta give it some Dodgers gear they tried to help you they really try to poison me imagine if they took that picture and it leaked dude it'd be over me it'd be over for you in the show you got it you got to catch the fans of what you been at you got to let them know let them know you are covering well you got it oh yeah no I've been on the IL they know we talked about it you talk about the post game show guys I'm getting better things to you guys but yeah I mean I'm like a Dodgers pitcher you know I had to do spend some time on the IL Rogelio Rosales a 199 super chat if the Dodgers sweep do a giveaway do it do it yeah we're gonna talk today about our next giveaway like I said if you haven't yet comment giveaway down below and then we'll tie you into that we're also going to make a little change to our giveaways where we're gonna do like an email thing where you have to email to register but yeah we're still doing tons of giveaways and let us know down below what do you want to see us give away and we'll talk more about that we got Daniel conspiracy shoved on Sunday yeah I mean this kid is for real I mean and I know everyone wanted to see Eduardo and Ricas come up because he's throwing 110 miles per hour obviously I'm just kidding but he's pumping some serious gas down there the truth is the command isn't where you need it to be to just throw him into a situation where he's not gonna have success I mean it's a tall ask to go after Eduardo and Ricas and put him in that situation but Ben conspiracy is nasty I mean honestly if a couple guys go down I mean the Dodgers love their seniority there's no doubt about that but if a couple guys go down then it's something that he's one of those next man up and I love the fact that opposing teams they don't have familiarity against him but he has stuff that plays up in the postseason the spin on the slider the fastball velocity is the real deal Alexander Rose says inside source from the Dodgers D Mac is back off the IL got me scared with only a week of the week of the regular season baseball left this should be fresh for a long playoff run yeah no doubt about it amen look I I didn't go I didn't use a Fernando Tatises ringworm cream to to get back I'll tell you that much a nano 390 conspiracy and Godson might be secret weapons definitely a secret weapon vibe I mean for sure the way that Godson is pitching he's pitching extremely well and conspiracy I mean let's say during this series they have a situation where look it's going to be close right this Padres team which is beyond us this is their world series they want to knock this Dodgers team off and yes the odds are stacked against them but hey the truth of the matter is is they do control their own destiny and if they went out because they have already taken seven of ten games from the Dodgers this season they will be the NOS champs so they have that on their sides yet to basically play perfect baseball they ultimately have to play the dime backs who by the way the dime backs have been eliminated from NOS contention but they still can make the postseason and to do that they need to play some good baseball and take care of business against the Padres in their final series of the season but right now the Dodgers their chances per fan graphs of winning this division are 91.1 percent to win the world series it's down to 13.4 percent which is kind of insane when you think about it the Phillies are at 14.1 percent a little higher and the Yankees actually have the best odds per fan graphs to win the world series at 19.1 percent but the Dodgers still in the top three still in a pretty good spot for that but come next we're going to talk about the postseason rotation the postseason roster talk more about the Padres and Dodgers series and also drop your comments we're going to do a lot of comments and read a lot of your takes in a little bit that's coming up next on Dodgers dugout live. What up Dodgers nation D Matt here to remind you that if you have not yet be sure to subscribe to the Dodgers dugout live podcast you can find it wherever your podcast so if you want to listen to the show in audio form when you're driving to Dodger Stadium when you're driving from Dodger Stadium when you're commuting to work wherever it is you definitely want to lock into the podcast we're to start featuring some podcast exclusives interviews so definitely even if you do watch the show daily on YouTube be sure to subscribe to the Dodgers dugout live podcast or every year podcast so be sure to do that really supports the channel and as always think blue leave blue and I'm out and welcome back to Dodgers dugout live the number one Dodgers show on YouTube by the way if you haven't yet do it's a huge favorite subscribe to the Dodgers nation YouTube channel hit the subscribe button hit the notification bell hit the like button comment giveaway down below so you're eligible for our next giveaway and also a reminder that today's show is brought to you by our friends at underdog fantasy take a swing at pick him this baseball season on underdog I personally had a great time on underdog so far this year and it's really simple to use and it takes a great look at stats and projections for my favorite players this week I'm taking higher than 228 and half passing yards for Sam Darnold and higher than 72 and a half rushing yards for Kyren Williams underdog is super easy to play and it's even easier to get started go to their easy to use mobile app to use underdog fantasy dot com sign up with promo code DNP and underdog will give you a mystery special pick to use on your first pick him entry plus a first time deposit offer of up to $1,000 in bonus cash that's $1,000 in bonus cash that's underdog fantasy promo code DNP to claim your new customer special of a mystery player pick of your deposit offer must be 18 plus 21 plus at Massachusetts and Arizona and 19 plus in Alabama Nebraska and present in a state where underdog fantasy operates terms apply voided in Colorado are you concerned with gambling call 1-800 gambler or visit W dot NCP gambling dot org now back to the action let's get your comments we got strider here you Dodgers nation D Mac Dodgers need to handle their business this game versus the Padres and now rely on other teams they control their own fate if we mess up got nobody to blame but themselves arcade lights as I disagree with you DMAC this is a rivalry look by nature by definition it is a division rival I think I've said it before I say it again it is contingent on the players that they have a true rivalry that stands the test of time it doesn't matter who's on each team that when that player is wearing a certain hat uniform going to get to play with a certain hat uniform that it's going to go down as a rivalry that's what the Dodgers and Giants have the Padres and the Dodgers is a rivalry right now because of tattoos and made a Machado and the fact that teams constructed to beat the Dodgers but when inevitably the Padres do fall off it's not going to be a rivalry anymore if the Padres are a last place team and the Dodgers are a first place team it is an a rivalry if the Giants and the Dodgers have the two worst records in baseball it still means something that's the big difference it is a fling type of rivalry to me it's what the Lakers and the sons were back in the day the Lakers and the Kings were back in the day that's what this rivalry is if you want to call that but having said that I mean it doesn't matter what you want to define it as the truth of the matter is is when these two teams play you get some wild stuff you see electricity coming from both sides and now it's going to be magnified even more just because of the circumstances because of the fact that you're looking at two teams that are fighting for division and all you have to do is win two games two games to win the division and you look at the pitching matchups for this Dodgers team tonight he got landed at going and a big opportunity for land and act to really really make his case improve that he belongs in the Dodgers postseason rotation and you look at now next last start in Miami when five innings give no runs before that a rough start against the Braves where you have five runs in two innings and before that has best start as a big leader against the Guardians we went six had eight strikeouts and gave up to run so I think the biggest key for land and act is just staying in the zone competitive pitches not leaving stuff out over the plate using that fastball command using his off speed pitches to keep hitters off balance and I think with him you want to keep the ball in the yard against the Guardians he gave a home run against the Braves give him two home runs we know this Padres team they like to swing for the fences and that's something that you want him to manage in you look at another big key to the series is the Padres they have struck first blood a lot in the match of this year in the seven of the ten games against the Dodgers they have scored first the Padres have scored first in seven of those 10 games and the Dodgers have lost these matchups in large park is jam to fight back and if you look at the series the Padres have out scored the Dodgers this year 53 runs to 43 runs and we see some big fair first innings I mean you saw the Padres in Seoul Korea put a five against the Dodgers in that wild game that ended up a 15 to 11 win for San Diego is Yoshinobi Alomoto's first start in the show and you've also seen the Dodgers score five runs early to I mean on July 30 the Dodgers came out they scored five runs early but they lost they lost six to five so he had to find a way to avoid those early runs if you're the Dodgers and also another big key is the Padres have come through in the clutch in this series this year the Padres have been big with runners in scoring position the Dodgers are suffering from a bad case of riskitis against the Padres this season the Dodgers with runners in scoring position in 10 games versus the Padres this year they're slashing 174 to 78 to 72 with a 46 weighted runs created plus so the Dodgers hitting 174 runners in scoring position against the Padres this season whereas the Padres against the Dodgers with the runners in scoring position are hitting 314 with a 410 on base in slugging 465 with a 143 weighted runs created plus so you look right there the Padres have been 46% above league average with runners in scoring position as the Dodgers this season whereas the Dodgers have been 54% below league average so all those are reasons why the Dodgers have lost this season getting behind early not coming through the runners in scoring position and I think it's a big series of the Dodgers will be locked in game to you got Flaherty versus cease so Flaherty he's the most dependable starter for the Dodgers at this point he's a guy that looks like he's going to be the game one starter and you have Dillon Cease who's been outstanding in parts of this season Dillon Cease is someone who's certainly a guy that has that frontline stuff so all this is to say this has big time major postseason vibes big time postseason vibes and Dillon Cease has a 249 ERA in his last four games in 25 and a third inning so it's not going to be easy to put runs across against him and then the final game is going to be the wild card Walker Bueller versus Joe Musgrove we know Joe Musgrove and the Dodgers have some history but just can you trade for Justin Turner just for one series can he say that he's irrelevant and he's not a threat remember when he called to the Justin Turner wasn't a threat then JT exploded and has gone off on him his entire career we got Musgrove going up against Bueller and Walker Bueller is interesting as well I mean you take out Bueller's start against the Cubs and he has a 3.91 ERA which is definitely serviceable from your number four starter basically at this point so big series a defining series for the Dodgers this season and for everyone out there that said hey you want postseason baseball you want meaningful baseball late in the series of the Dodgers aren't complacent when it matters most well hey here you go here's this series you all wanted let's hope it works out for the Dodgers because look best case scenario the Dodgers take two out of three we have a champagne party guys are going crazy we get to see Shohei Otani win the first division title of his big league career but then there's not any other team out there majorly baseball that would love more to play spoiler than the San Diego Padres it's not just the division for them it's the opponent can we slay that Dodgers dragon once again and put them in a tough spot and reduce those odds of winning the division championship because I think that what we see in this series is gonna go a long way to what we're going to see when the postseason begins because the way that Dave Roberts is going to manage the bullpen the way that the Dodgers are going to face postseason level pitching we're going to learn a lot about this team in this next three days I think we learned a lot about this team on Sunday I had people tell me hey D Mac it's a triple A team in the Rockies dada dada look they're still big leaguers Rockies haven't been terrible lately I mean not easy to hit home runs just on call like that like they were and I think that that feeds into this series because this bullpen they need the rest if the Dodgers don't win the division they're not going to win the World Series I think that's I mean the chances of going and winning the World Series is a wild card with the state of this rotation the state of the Dodgers pitching it goes down significantly and they believe that because they want those top seeds they want the rest and the truth is that there's not enough pitching that you can guarantee me to feel comfortable with that so the way I look at it is this series has a World Series implications those are the stakes in this one you got to go out there and beat little bro right because at some point we saw little brother he came back from college in 2022 and played us in one on one and he beat big bro and it was not a fun Thanksgiving for big bro because little bro is talking smack about it all off season long right you got to show who's boss you got to show who's division this is you got to show them that we don't care that you think that you can beat us we got to go out there and do what we do and play Dodger baseball and have a successful series now as far as the postseason roster do a quick little rundown because you know I think about this pretty much all day every day the postseason roster I think show has a good chance of making it and he's a lock here's the locks postseason roster shoyo tani mooke bets Freddie Freeman Tausker Hernandez Max Muncie Will Smith Gavin Luxe Miguel Rojas Tommy Edmond and you look at the bench right now Austin Barnes you need the backup catcher Kiki Hernandez Kiktober is the thing he's versatile he's earned his spot on the postseason roster you can plug him in different situations I mean look at Sunday Sunday is a perfect example of why Kiki Hernandez is so valuable he's a perfect example of why winning teams teams that win the World Series have players like Kiki Hernandez because it doesn't matter when you want to play him he has the ability to step into a situation and you look at Kiki's numbers this year hitting 219 a 77 weight he runs created plus that isn't great at all it's 23% below league average but guess what is batting average is going to be at the beginning of the postseason 0 he's going to have a chance to have a clean slate and you saw Sunday they needed to play third base he steps into a role you plug him in there hits the big two run shot they got the Dodgers back in it that led to the game tying bomb by shoyo tani that led to mooke bets hitting his first walk off as a Dodger so he's a lock and then honestly at this point I'm giving Andy Pahas lock status I'm giving Andy Pahas better be on this postseason roster I feel like I've been driving the the the Andy Pahas train all year and we've had some lows I've had to just outright defend him on the show when I said that it was good that he had a slump you want a slump in your rookie season because you want to see if you can get out of the slump and Andy Pahas has the potential to be the Dodgers best bat off the bench he does he really really does and for me defense is great but it was either Aristotle Socrates one of those guys said if you want the dub you've got the slug and Andy Pahas has the ability to do that you look at any Pahas in September the question is when he gets got sent down and you're going to send Pahas up in the September call up it was okay is he going to make the most of his opportunity or should we look elsewhere should we go to the Dodgers Myrli player of the year and use Dalton rushing well guess what Andy Pahas has passed the audition Andy Pahas has taken this opportunity and ran with it in September 32 at bats he's 10 for 32 hitting 313 with a 333 on base a 531 slugging percentage in an 865 OBS has two home runs and a double seven RBI's it's a great mistake hitter can hit fastballs and he can rake against left handed pitching and in a certain matchup you want a guy up there that you can throw against a South Paul and you can feel good about it you can feel good about that I mean couple of nights ago against the Rockies I was outraged in the post game show because you like Gavin Lux bat against a lefty hadn't done that since early September and yes the umpiring was awful and he really should have drawn a walk in that situation but when you have guys that can specialize against lefties you have to use them in those situations this year Andy Pahas against lefties he's hitting 357 he's a 917 OBS against righties not as great a 216 average a 637 OBS but the OBS goes from 637 to 917 against lefties so I've laid this out on the show a lot of times seen it parroted around the game in recent weeks and months but the truth of the matter is is with Andy Pahas in center field the defense is bad in right field it's pretty solid and if you have a lefty on the mound or you have a lefty pitcher you can throw Andy Pahas in right and put mookie bets at second base you can even have him bat in a certain spot and then have a defensive substitution this team has that optionality that versatility and that brings me to Chris Taylor look I always say don't listen to what they say watch what they do and I know I did ask Dave Roberts about Kevin Kiermeyer and he told me that he was trending in the right direction when it comes to making this postseason roster and staying in long term but I would say don't listen what they say watch what they do what have they done not give Kevin Kiermeyer very many opportunities in September Kevin Kiermeyer has 14 at bats 14 at bats and no hits triple zero batting average and what can Kevin Kiermeyer do well he's elite defensively he can be a pinch runner he's fast but if he's going to be a dead bat and you already have Tommy Edmond who can play above average center field I'd rather take the bat over the glove at this point and Chris Taylor he can hit a mistake he'd run into a fastball he has postseason success in the past we see Octaler hitting three home runs in the NLCS in 2021 he in the walk off against Alex Reyes in the wildcard round in 2021 they also owe him another year on his contract so around 16 17 million at this point and he's had success in the postseason and he's had a lot of opportunities to 67 games for Chris Taylor in the postseason and 805 OPS wasn't great last year wasn't great in 2022 but 2021 in the NLCS had a 1589 OPS against the Braves and look like I said they're just going to go to Chris Taylor for the simple fact that he's still on the money it's a big part of this core that's been with this team for a long time I mean Chris Taylor is a one of the longest 10 year Dodgers at this point got cursed you got Barnes and you got Taylor it's been with his team since 2017 2017 NLCS co MVP MVP there so I mean he definitely has a lot of pedigree there and the biggest difference between Kevin Kermier and Chris Taylor if you want to compare the two okay can they both be good pinch runners yes they're both fast can they both lay down buns if you need it to yes they can both do that can you both what Kermier is a lefty and Chris Taylor is a righty right so yeah it limits your left handed bat off the bench but the big difference here is Kevin Kermier does you play out foot at an elite level absolutely but what he doesn't do is play in the infield and Chris Taylor can play on the dirt if you need him in a pinch but the truth of the matter about this team is this is not a team that's going to rely on their 13th man is not a team that's going to rely on the end of their roster this is a top heavy team with the mv3 and the truth of the matter is is if Shohei Mookie and Freddie don't hit this team is not going to win the World Series bottom line end of story and teams are going to pitch around Shohei they're going to take their chances with Mookie and Freddie in the World Series in the NLCS in the DS right and you definitely need guys like Tommy Edmund to step up in the bottom the order to put some pressure on pitchers and give Shohei some run creating opportunities but I don't think we're going to be in late October in November saying man the reason why this team lost is we didn't get anything from Chris Taylor the reason this team lost is we didn't get anything from Andy Pajas could those guys come up and have a big moment sure they could they're capable of doing that and sure that can flip a series but the truth of the matter is is the reason why this team has not advanced last couple seasons is because their best players haven't been at their best when they need it the most if that changes this year you're not going to be as concerned about the guys on the bubble now of course talking about Dalton rushing my league player the year it's not going to happen this year we see it I think we will I think that you're going to see him and Pajas in left field next year and now if I had to bet on them resounding a tasker I wouldn't bet on it I would take that he's not going to be with the Dodgers next year just the way they do things as far as the pitching side real quick Yamamoto flarity Bueller Bueller's a lock at this point because David said that he could see him making a playoff start like I said you take out that start against the Cubs a three 91 ERA then landed NAC I think makes it for sure at this point then Copec is a lock Phillips is a lock Trenen's a lot grader all brazier vesia those are locks Anthony Bonda could be back this week he likely is going to be back this week I think there's a chance that he makes it Joe Kelly I think they still like his stuff and I think that there's a good chance that he makes it Daniel Hudson is interesting because I don't think he's high leverage anymore right now I think that he needs the layoff and possibly maybe the NLDS off to and then you could revisit that in another series claim Kershaw I don't see clay and Kershaw making the NLDS roster just because one have an easy out they can blame it on the toe so it doesn't look like oh the Dodgers are leaving out their legend clay and Kershaw oh my goodness the Dodgers are saying Kershaw's washed no they can both lean on the narrative that hey the toe isn't ready and you keep him warm for the future rounds but I do think Tony Gosling is the interesting one I think Tony Gosling is one of the big storylines heading into the final week of the season because you got a fresh arm you have a very fresh arm that's continuing to pitch well in his last rehab start it was his third that he's done so far he retired nine of the ten hitters he faced he threw three scoreless frames he looked really good and I think Gosling has been putting some bad situations in the past that have led to that bloated postseason ERA I mean he didn't pitch like 26 days in 2020 and that's not how you use a guy like that in the 2020 postseason in 2022 he was still dealing with an injury when he went in ending in a third in game three and didn't have it that game but if he's fresh and he's healthy and he's pitching this way and we like what we see from him I think you can see Gosling in a piggyback situation potentially and he threw forty five pitches had ten swings and misses on Saturday and that's pretty freaking good and I would love to see more of him so I'm definitely in on the Tony Gosling in the NLDS train a hosian Machado a ten dollar super chat give me some let's go Dodgers for that call me crazy but I feel like we are the nineteen at the only had Corbin and Scherzer they didn't know what they were going to get from Sanchez and their bullpen was not like ours but they won it all I like that comp I mean here's the thing though I mean but with the 20 I mean how you didn't mention Stephen Strasburg I mean that run for Stephen Strasburg was was a was incredible in 2019 I mean you look at Strasburg he basically died for that World Series title got a big contract but in 2019 I mean Strasburg was ridiculous against the Dodgers and twelve innings I mean he twelve innings they got out of him I think Jock went deep on him but I mean he was great I mean the World Series in 2019 14 the third zinnings he had a 251 ERA and he was the World Series MVP and do I think that Flaherty can pitch at Strasburg's level in the postseason in 2019 I would say probably not I don't think he'd be really good but this team is going to rely heavily on their offense the offense and the bullpen the bats and the bullpen arms are going to be the keys to their success you're not writing a guy seven innings to postseason glory right you're not gonna see Sandy Kofax in 65 against the twins doing things like he did when he's doing complete games and pitching on short rest and pitching game five they come to pitch game seven you're not gonna see that but I definitely think that the vibes are I mean that was a good team man he had Soto young Soto you had Anthony Rendon well I love that because he seems to impose that me with the Rendon the 50/50 what is it 50 I. L. Stence 50 suspension 50 games suspended yeah Anthony Rendon hates baseball they completely flipped it on him you got to love it a tieos Serrano five dollars super chat appreciate you what up DMACC a.k.a. Torta abuser oh come on now man edit those uh Otana did more last Otani moreland last week than what CT three did last three years Otani is dropping more homers and bombs then oh come on man you got to add those Tony I'm gonna get canceled here but yeah I mean he's been fantastic I mean what more kids say sissy all-star break show hey Otani 24 home runs that's the most amazing baseball 32 stolen bases that's the most major league baseball you look who second you look who second in that stretch it's Aaron judge with 21 home runs and then Xavier Edwards has 27 home runs in that in that uh category so yeah it's pretty incredible to see what he's done uh I mean he's only played a lead major baseball and home runs and stolen bases for the second half since 1933 and Willie Mays in 1955 so he's doing something's never been done ain't Nathaniel Nunez 499 DMACC if the Dodgers sweep the Padres will you get a torta live on stream instead of a shoey yeah maybe you have a torta and shoey combo Diego Hernandez high DMACC my birthday was two days ago love your show what's up Diego give you a little comment the show for that one Dylan McKay King was nasty in his last start against the Dodgers hopefully hopefully we're due for Michael Square yeah yeah absolutely and more people time with a postseason bullpen yeah we're gonna do a deeper dive I think Honeywell hasn't been in those situations right you're not gonna put Honeywell in the postseason bullpen when you've been mainly using him as an innings eater a guy that can be a long guy for you and then Michael Grove had he pitched better all season long in his opportunities he does have stuff he does have Vilo he can pump 98 and he's got a nice 12 six curve ball the slider as well but I don't think that he gets the gets the call I mean it has not ran with those opportunities for sure but you're right up Michael King though Michael King went seven innings had eleven strikeouts and three walks against the Dodgers just two hits just two hits in that one but no runs allowed yeah Michael King has been really affected that was a tight game a two one game against the Dodgers in that one I mean I was back in like the James Altman days and feels like two years ago a hosie Gary Kiermer gonna chill in the dugout get a ring and retire like a boss to fire take I like that I like that I think he just wants to be a part of the mix right a hosie a Gary I definitely expect benches clearing in one of these games these teams don't like each other at all Sammy Boy Smith can't wait to see may Gonzo Shohei Frazzo breed and a full year bueller pitching next year let's go to go with glass now yam stone nak and robo man you are I want whatever whatever is in your michelada this morning because yeah those uh those that have lived through the Dodgers pitching injuries would take half of what you're saying right there for sure may it does to speak to the town within this organization for sure Jonah says Dodgers bats are gonna get fire excited for the final week we got Claudia what's up Claudia past stats are not always reliable mindset is everything CT3 is mentally struggling yeah I mean look I mean anyone will tell you that past production doesn't get guaranteed future results for sure but I mean there are guys that come through in the postseason and the guys that look like they don't want to be there Chris Taylor has shown that he's wanted to be there and the truth of the matter is is would you rather have someone has the potential to be in a bat of some sort or Kevin Kiermeyer who just doesn't have a bat at all I think for me I was so high on Kiermeyer because we hadn't seen Tommy Edmund yet would change my opinion was Tommy Edmund and center field you're already getting that premium defense and with Chris Taylor look let's just let's just be honest here I mean money talks I mean you guys you have to have to accept that that Chris Taylor I mean they still owe him some money and you got to get the most out of that and I think for me the biggest the difference there is that he just fits in with the optionality and that's huge for this organization I mean Chris Taylor you sold 15 16 17 million dollars in that range he's under one more year of contract we got to Padres fillies Yankees in a perfect world excited for the final week from Pedro over there people talk about Otani I saw that the Otani tops baseball card it would it would they sold 653000 of them do you guys see that was the most that tops had ever sold was this a digital card yeah crazy do you see what it passed no I did not so it passed the LeBron Curry Durant Olympics baseball card no way yeah that's what card obviously that one just dropped to yeah and the that one had available for a week the Otani was like one day and it crossed that yeah Otani is huge biggest start that's what I said hey when I was asked by you guys who's a bigger star in LA right now I'd say it's it's LeBron it's a show hey over LeBron just because you're getting peak show hey do and we got like Cabs LeBron through the whole career sure but the truth of the matter is is people aren't traveling here from all over the world to go to a game to see LeBron James anymore I mean there's some for sure and this is no slight on LeBron but yeah I mean show he's in his prime show he's at his peak but you guys we're gonna be back after the game tonight for the post game show and we'll do more comments tomorrow special thanks to our guest Ben conspiracy us let's root for him and he's got a you know what he's got on his side right he's got the Dodgers dugout karma the Dodgers dugout karma has worked for land and neck and it's gonna work it's work for Miguel Rojas this is the best this literally the best year Miguel Rojas is career and it's not even close and he's 35 okay I think it's a work for Ben conspiracy because Ben conspiracy I think he's right in that mix of those next guys up but another super chat drew four nine I we better come with some intensity tonight because we be acting too cool let's win tonight and set the tone I like that to fire take and then I'll be the last take of the show but thanks again guys joining us here on Dodgers dugout lives thank you to Ben conspiracy us and let's hope he kills it this series and definitely he's gonna be a part of the future of this team but thanks again guys my name is Doug McCain you can follow me on X and Instagram at DMACC underscore LA if by the way actually real quick we gotta get some predictions Antonio what do you got for this series let's go to a two out of three I'm gonna be at the game and Wednesday hopefully it's the clincher so I'll be five Megal cards deep ready to rock two out of three the Rockies broke my eight eight series streak I was on fire I picked eight series on in a row I don't have a great feel for this one but I know you got Padres thick sweeping right now I got I got I'll look side I got Dodger's sleeping you got a Dodger's sweet I got I just I got them setting the tone I got them coming with all the energy this week and just going crazy why are you crossing your fingers under your desk well what's up with that dude I'd like to think I'm a Padres fan but now we have the brown tones in the shirt I'm just saying I mean no I got look I got the Dodgers taking two out of three like Antonio I think we see Mookie Betz as the player this series I think he's gonna put himself in a position to heat up and I think landed neck really makes his case to be the Dodgers game three or four started in the postseason and that's one of the big storylines you got nack going tonight seeing a good start from dealer would be massive too but two out of three my home run shot tonight I got to go show hey man I got to go show he goes I mean look 60 60 I need it I needs a 60 60 that's my that's my pick to click how about you Antonio who's your who's your shot tonight I'm gonna go with Freddy Freeman once again Freddy Freeman okay I like that go ahead to run home run we need that be great because Freddy has been struggling he like 250 around that for the entire September how about you Mr. Young Lotto Will Smith is playing right Will Smith is good we'll be in the lineup I'm gonna go will Smith go on Smitty I like that you know you know I like that that's a big X factor yet that you certainly in the season profile so he's on the juice what now he got that juice oh yeah yeah no you're on the juice right yeah you're the only Will Smith on the juicer that's for sure that's for sure by the way whoever posted that thing on X a picture me saying this is second half Will Smith yeah I like your sense of humor we get along and then smitted a home run like it and smitted a home run I know we always joke about that it's all good and yep guys asking to do over this episode like I said my name is Doug McCain you can follow me on X and Instagram at DMACC_LA hit the subscribe button hit the notification bell if you really want to support the channel do your boy a favor hit that like button remember nothing brings us together quite like Dodger baseball until next time think blue, bleed blue and