Dodgers checkup w/Bill Plunkett

00:00:04
Speaker 1: Bill Blankett covers the Dodgers for the Orange County Register and joins us right now on Foul Territory.

00:00:09
Speaker 2: Bell.

00:00:09
Speaker 1: Great to have you on the show. Thank you for joining us. I like to do this anytime we bring someone on and a team is going through a mini rut. They've lost about four or five. They had a tough series against Pittsburgh. Are the Dodgers.

00:00:22
Speaker 2: Okay, it's not a mini rut. They're twenty two and twenty nine since the fourth of July, and I think that's about eleventh or twelfth best in the National League during that time. It's not a mini rut. They've been fairly mediocre for a good two month stretch.

00:00:44
Speaker 3: No matter what's wrong, Bill, Yeah.

00:00:47
Speaker 2: It's mostly the offense. You know, you don't like to point fingers, but it's mostly the offense. The starting pitching has been pretty good, in fact, it's probably their strength right now. The bullpen has been up and down, hasn't been great, but the offense has just thoroughly underperformed. Based on the names in you know that they put out there every day. You could go down the lineup and really the only guys who are living up to the back of their baseball card are Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Shoheo Tani and even he is down from last year's ridiculous performance.

00:01:34
Speaker 3: Does it change? Does it change without them getting Max Munsey back, because I've always said Max Munsey's at bats really change how this lineup is approached by other teams. They at bats just are not the same. They don't put together a grinded at back.

00:01:51
Speaker 2: Absolutely right. The effect that Max has on the lineup is outsized. You can't can't explain it that that easily. I actually asked him last week. I told him I was going to start calling it the Max Months the effect, and I wanted him to explain it, and he said, just what you said. He he has the kind of it bats that wear out pitchers, that allow other guys in the lineup to be themselves. They don't have to try and you know be the guy who does that. Will Smith is the only other guy who sees a lot of pitches. So when you take Max out of there, we've seen a lot of nine to ten pitch one, two, three innings. It's it's no coincidence last year when he went out for three months with rib injury. They never really replaced him, and the offense dragged a little bit this year. He's been out for all but eight games since that early July, and it's not a coincidence that the offense has suffered.

00:02:59
Speaker 1: He's going to back and so that'll help the offense. So my question might be lazy, but I'm gonna ask it anyway. Isn't this what the Dodgers wanted? And get yourself off to a nice start, cruise, prepare for October. Someone's out, someone needs a little blow, il take extra time. Let's just make sure our October roster is stacked and try and solve the ultimate problem in Major League Baseball in the two thousands, winning back to back championships.

00:03:30
Speaker 2: Yeah, you're right. You've defined the arrogance that is the Los Angeles Dodgers. That is exactly how they operate the regular season is not do or die. Other teams when they play the Dodgers, it's the most important games on their calendar. That is not the case for the Dodgers. They don't match that intensity or urgency. The problem is, and I've been saying this since the trade deadline, I don't think they're as good as they think they are. They didn't make any big moves at the deadline because of what you're saying. They thought, you know, we'll be fine, we'll be stacked when everybody comes back healthy. Well maybe they you know, these guys come back healthy, maybe they don't come back to the same level. You know. A good example, Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates both came back from a short stint on the IL and haven't looked good. They didn't look great when they went on the aisle. They don't look great now. And there's just too many guys having down years. I mean, ta Oscar Hernandez is not the same hitter he was last year. Mookie Betts is having the worst season offensively of his career. The bottom of the lineup is pretty thin right now with Max Muncy out of there. So yeah, they're gonna make it to October. They're gonna have a pretty good roster when they get into October. Over in like we like we've seen for twenty five, twenty six years, it's a crap shoot once you get there, all right.

00:05:08
Speaker 3: I have two questions for you.

00:05:09
Speaker 4: One, Will Smith is doing this again where he hasn't unbelievable first half and then he kind of falls off.

00:05:15
Speaker 3: Is it wear and tear on him? Is it?

00:05:17
Speaker 4: I mean, I know it happens to a lot of catchers. Happened to him, I had, it happened to me a lot. You just kind of get worn down mentally.

00:05:27
Speaker 5: But what can they do?

00:05:28
Speaker 4: Because they brought up rushing, they've tried to use him more, but it hasn't seemed to help that much.

00:05:32
Speaker 2: With Will, the drop off isn't as bad this year as it has been the last couple. There were physical issues that played into it. The last couple of years. He had a rib injury one year, I think it was a concussion, another year that kind of lingered for a little while, and he hurt his ankle on a slide. It just little things that you look back and you can kind of point to them. But you're right, they've done everything they can to keep the workload down and it's still happening. I asked Dave Roberts about that the other day and he said, no, it's not the same thing. It's not the same thing. There's a little mechanical issue that he's working on. Well. Then the next day he hit a pinch at home run to win a game. He had a three hit game Tuesday here in Pittsburgh, and then last night foul ball off his hand. Won't be in the lineup for a couple of days, so you know you played the position. It's hard. There's a lot of banging and wear and tear. And that's the problem with counting on a catcher to be a key offensive piece in your lineup. It just demands so much.

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00:07:48
Speaker 3: This is probably a story that's about a week and a half old. But is there a chance that we see Mooki going back to right now field?

00:07:56
Speaker 5: No? Zero, Chick's just stop just nope, no, Well, so then on a.

00:08:04
Speaker 3: Tao can move to left and they upbraid somehow and right okay.

00:08:09
Speaker 2: Yes, I can see that. Honestly, the best right fielder they have defensively right now is Andy pie Has and he's playing center field. So when Tommy Edmund comes back from his injury, his ankle injury, and that'd probably be next week, they plan on playing Tommy in center field. Well, what does that mean for Andy paie Has. Does he go to left field and bump Conforto out of the lineup or does he go to right field where he would you know, he belongs where his defensive skill set would be best. And Tao moves to left where I think he does less damage defensively. He's not a good left fielder either, but he does less damage over there. The problem is Tao isn't hitting very well regardless of where you play him. But the outfield does doesn't need Mooky Betts. They can they have other ways of doing this. Mooki is a good shortstop. I'm sorry people don't seem to be getting this. You can look at the numbers and it reflects it. He's a good shortstop. Remarkable that he's made that adjustment. But he's not hitting. He's not hitting, and you know, does going to right field free up the offense a little bit, then it'd be worth it. But I the Dodgers don't believe that's the case. He's not moving not this year.

00:09:32
Speaker 4: He's not. That's for sure. If you're right, he's not, he's not this year. Two things. One, you know you talk, you mentioned Colforida. Dodger fans are clamoring for Canforida to to not be on this team. So what what I mean where he's been a good player his whole career, what's going on this year with him?

00:09:50
Speaker 2: Yeah, he has not been a good player this year. That's for sure, it's his numbers since his shoulder surgery a couple of years ago have not quite rebounded, is it. Bats this year have just been terrible. He seems to step out of the dugout and be owen too. They gave him plenty of time to find his way out of it. He tried some changes mechanically, he tried a different bat style. It's not working. He's you know, even his little hot streaks have lasted, you know, two three games. So it's a bust. They signed it from one year. They just got to cut their losses now. And you know, maybe some of those other outfield configurations work. But boy, you right about the fans. There are what we would call one issue voters out there who want to blame him for everything.

00:10:46
Speaker 4: True, true, All right, So I want to know can the Dodgers turn it on and win the World Series? That's kind of what you said at the beginning. They just kind of float through the regular season and oh, here it is the postseason.

00:10:57
Speaker 3: Can they turn it on?

00:10:59
Speaker 4: And when the world's with the way the team is constructed and when you know, obviously they're getting everybody back, But can they win the World Series with this team? The way it's constructed.

00:11:08
Speaker 2: Absolutely. I mean, is there a powerhouse out there in either league this year that you say, you know, they're clearly the World Series favorite. I don't think there is. Ironically, after the way they had the teams they had in the playoffs the last two years, they've got great starting pitching this year and that can carry you a little bit in the postseason. They also, when you get their attention, they're still a good team. You saw that with the Padres when the Padres closed on them and tied the division, took the lead, Dodgers swept the Padres at home. That that was the one time where they kind of got their attention, got some urgency. So if that's the team you get in October, absolutely they can win it again.

00:11:58
Speaker 3: Do they need to get to buy They're two games behind the Phillies right now. Phillies aren't playing the best baseball. Do they need the buy for a team that has battled injury or like the team is just kind of sheltered guys and made sure everybody's healthy to get back and not rushing back.

00:12:14
Speaker 5: Do they need those off days they want them? I don't know if they need them. The last few years when they had the five days off. They've had some trouble with how to handle it.

00:12:29
Speaker 2: Last year they managed, but you know, two years before that they were out in the first round. I don't think a first round wild card is that bad a thing because as it would play out, they would probably have it at home, and they're a very good team at home, so the danger of losing two out of three is less. But yeah, I think they would much rather have the five days off, line up their pitching for whoever and take it from there.

00:13:00
Speaker 3: But that is exactly my point. Yamamoto is not going to pitch on five days. To me, there's nobody that needs more time off than the Dodgers, because if Yamamoto throws, you might not see him until Game four of the NLDS.

00:13:20
Speaker 2: Yeah, the way it lines up, I think what you get is Blake Snell in the first game of the best of five and then Yamamoto in Game two, which sets him up for the Game one start in the next round if you move on. I think the interesting thing is going to be how they use Otani as a pitcher in the postseason. You know, the last couple of times out the way he's pitched, he's not exactly one of their four best. You got Snell, Yamamoto, Glassnow's pitched well since he came back, and Kershaw? Where does Otani fit in there? The other part of that is the two way player rule. A lot of people are saying, pitch Otani out of the bullpen. Well, if you do that, it's problematic because he has to finish the game as the pitcher or you lose lose him as the DH. The other way you do it, if he starts, he can, he can pitch for a while and then go to DH. So do we see him piggybacking with somebody? Do we see I've been throwing out this scenario for a while. Do we see Otani starting a game and Kershaw coming in in the fourth inning or the fifth inning? Uh? And and they kind of uh, you know, that's a heck of a contrast in styles for the opposing opposing team. So how they use Otani as a pitcher I think is going to be a fascinating part of the postseason.

00:14:45
Speaker 3: Right now September fourth. Is Showani a better option to start than Clayton Kershaw?

00:14:54
Speaker 2: He I can't say he is. Uh, you gotta show me some con consistently good starts. He was terrific when he was going two or three innings. Since he's stretched out four and five, there's been more trouble. He's you know, he's extending his pitch mix a little bit and doesn't have quite the same effectiveness. So you know, right now, I think there'd be a lot of examination of the matchups with whoever they draw. Let's put it this way, the Dodgers have a good history, a solid history of overthinking their pitching decisions in the postseason. I'm looking back at when they used an opener for Julio Urias, when they moved, used Max Scherzer to close out a game in the NLDS in twenty one, and then he was useless in the NLCS. They just have a way of overthinking these things, and I think the Otani situation gives them ample oppertunities to overthink things once again.

00:16:04
Speaker 1: Hey Bill, last one from us, which team do you think is the biggest threat to take down the Dodgers.

00:16:14
Speaker 2: Well, I think I would have said the Padres until this run of injuries that they've had. The Padres were clearly the best team they've faced in the postseason. Last year, and the rivalry. The intensity of that matchup is terrific. It's something that the Dodgers don't always handle well, but their injuries have kind of taken the edge off of them. You know, Philly sticks in my mind a little bit because the Dodgers just don't have a history of playing well in Philly for whatever reason. So if they have their pitching in order, if they can get a little bit healthy on that side, I could see the Dodgers in Philly being the showdown series in the postseason.

00:17:00
Speaker 4: I love it.

00:17:01
Speaker 1: Sign me up for that one. I'm pumped for the playoffs bill. This was great. Thank you for catching us up on where the Dodgers are at right now. And you're right right from the jump, it's been anytime.

00:17:14
Speaker 2: I want to see AJ in the Arizona Fall League. I'm looking forward to that right now.

00:17:19
Speaker 4: You know what, you know what, I found the perfect thing for me. Banana Ball All Stars play against a college team.

00:17:25
Speaker 3: I mean, how can I not be on that game?

00:17:28
Speaker 5: You're a natural, That's what do you mean?

00:17:34
Speaker 4: I wasn't an All Star and I played banana Ball.

00:17:37
Speaker 3: Doesn't that make me an All Star? I thought you were a Banana Ball All star like you had to play good for the banana ball.

00:17:44
Speaker 4: I've caught great. No one stole, no run scored. I caught great Peter Peter.

00:17:51
Speaker 1: Thank you, Belle, Appreciate you.

00:17:53
Speaker 2: You got it, guys,