Dodgers Territory - De Paula Arrives, Sheehan Shines, Bullpen Stumbles; State of the Dodgers

Episode Date: September 14, 2026

Alanna Rizzo, Katie Woo, and Clint Pasillas dive into the state of the Los Angeles Dodgers following a series loss in Miami. First, the good. Rookie slugger Josue De Paula has arrived after connecting on his first MLB home run. The hosts hype up JDP. (4:46) Emmet Sheehan was terrific again, tossing 6 scoreless innings against the Marlins. Is his re-emergence coming at the right time with the recent ups and downs for the Dodger bullpen?  (16:37) Katie shares updates on Freddie Freeman, who is dealing with a knee issue, and Edwin Diaz, who has been lit up while on a rehab assignment. (27:34) And final thoughts on "letting the kids play" when it comes to De Paula's exuberance on the field. To explore coverage, visit aspcapetinsurance.com/FOUL. The ASPCA® is not an insurer and is not engaged in the business of insurance. To get your new wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to MintMobile.com/Territory. That’s it there’s no catch. Subscribe on YouTube!https://www.youtube.com/@DodgersTerritory  Follow our social media channels for more content!https://x.com/LADTerritory https://www.instagram.com/ladterritory/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578546105253  Check out DT merch at https://dodgersterritoryshop.com Support Guidry's Guardian at https://guidrysguardian.org Find Clint on YouTube at https://youtube.com/@alldodgers Follow Katie's work at The Athletic https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/author/katie-woo/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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And like we've said before, this bullpen that we see right now is not the bullpen we're going to see come October whenever their first postseason game is. Welcome to this live, brand new edition of Dodgers territory. We are psyched that you are here. Let us know. Comment in the chat. I'm Alana Rizzo.

That is Katie Wu. That is Clint Paseous. Happy to be with you guys on this Monday. It is Monday night football tonight. That is why I am wearing this. I can wear this because they do not play against our Los Angeles Dodgers. All right. Katie Wu was in Miami.

Almost a clinch miss. When is this team going to clinch? We'll get into that in a moment. but not necessarily the best series against the lowly Marlins. What's your biggest takeaway? Yeah, we'll start, and I know he's going to headline this show, Josue de Paula can swing it. And that's what I'm choosing to take away from what was ultimately a disappointing series,

mainly because you hope that the Dodgers could check the first box, which is clinch the postseason. Maybe even had a chance to win the division. It looks like that's, you know, all things, fingers crossed going to happen in this four-game series in Cincinnati. But to me, this was just a question of the health and balancing guys still wanting to stay in the lineup versus keeping them as healthy as possible come October as an extension of the Shohay Otani conversation, right? The Dodgers want to make sure that Shohay is at his healthiest.

We know all about the IEL saga. He's finally on it. Freddie Freeman's banged up. He's not in the lineup today, just like Dave Roberts said he wouldn't be pretty obvious on Sunday. He was playing through some significant pain. McGee Roe is in the lineup. It just dropped about a couple minutes ago playing second. but he said after the game to reporters that it's something that he's going to have to play through

in regards to the labrum shoulder injury that he kind of re-triggered making that diving stop or attempting to make that diving stop on Sunday's game. So health is a big thing for these guys who keep in mind, you know, dating all day back to 2024, they've started their season internationally twice. They've been the last team standing twice. They are wiser, but also older now. And this is all about keeping them healthy while still winning games. They have to win the division.

And guys, they have to get that first round by. We've talked about it all season long. We're seeing why now the boys are tired. They are old. We are all old. We have played a lot of baseball so far now as we get to September 14th. Yeah, it is painfully obvious watching this team that they need that first round by. But I do want to focus for a bit on JDP because the kid is here and we need to glaze them.

Okay, I'm not going to say glaze them up, but I guess I just did. That was a good way to get your first big league knock, by the way. Not a cheapy, 416 feet second deck job there in Miami, 108.2 miles an hour off the bat. And how about an 85 mile per hour swing speed, bat speed, like holy hell as advertised when it comes to the eye, when it comes to the swing. We saw him make a play in left field as advertised on defense on that as he reaches all the way up to make it. It doesn't matter. Ball went in glove. Ball went way up, went into a Dodgers fan's mitts and ultimately back into DePaul's hands.

But that was a lot of fun to watch. The only thing that could have made it better was a Dodger win. Sadly, that did not happen. I love the infusion of youth and excitement that he has injected into this lineup that seems a little bit tired, right? And you can understand while the remainder of the lineup is tired. It's a long season. We get it. Everybody at this point in the year, guys, is dealing with some sort of ailment.

But he is, he knows, he knows, he doesn't know what he doesn't know. I mean, he's young. He's excited. He's so happy to be here. I mean, you have a lot of expectation. Obviously, if you're coming up from AA, that doesn't happen very often in this organization. Emmett Sheehan was one on the pitching side, but certainly on the position player side, it doesn't happen very often. But it was awesome.

And I love the celebration. And you, the three of us talked about it on our text thread. Sometimes we get out of the chat, you know, and talk to each other. But we talked about it on the text thread that hopefully he continues with that exuberance and that excitement, right? Because that's so fun to see. And it might remind some guys that have been playing for a very long time that this is still a kids game and we're having a good time. But good for him. Way to get his first home run.

As Clint said, a huge one. I don't know what the situation is going to be for him. I don't think he'll obviously be on a postseason roster. but the more playing time he can get at this level, and the future certainly looks bright for him. So good on him. We were talking a little bit, too, guys, about Emmett Sheehan. Or we need to talk about Emmett Sheehan.

He looked good. Six scoreless on Sunday, 11 and 2 innings pitched, one earned run. He looked good. 15Ks, two walks since returning from AAA last week. So, Katie, what do you like about what you've seen so far from Emmett Sheen? I was talking to Emmett about this after the game, actually. And it sounds so simple to say, but it just looks like Emmett Sheehan is pitching again and not thinking.

And we spent most of the first half, both here on the athletic, talking to Emmett himself, about the inconsistencies with his velo, the mechanical changes he was making. And it felt like when things started unraveling towards when he was eventually optioned to AAA, that his performance on the mound was less about just going out there and pitching, but thinking his way through. Like, where is my delivery at? Where is my velocity at? Am I mechanically in sync?

And when you start spiraling that way as a pitcher, the results spiral as well. And we saw that with Emmett. Now, it's a small sample size, but these two games have been really strong. And Emma just looks like he's pitching again. And talking to him, he said maybe that's what this AAA reset was for. Obviously, no one wants to go down to the minors after spending most of the year up in the big leagues. But he went down there for a few weeks and just kind of refound himself and remembered what it was like to pitch again. and now we're seeing Emmett Sheehan, the pitcher that we thought we were going to have for most of the year.

Sometimes, guys, it is just as simple as the reset, clear your mind and just go out and throw the ball again. Yeah, there's one of the reasons. I mean, I'm always, if somebody's struggling, I'm always going to be that guy. He's like, yeah, maybe give him a little bit of a mental reset. Send him down to AAA. Everything's going to be great when he comes back. And this is one of those situations, one of those occasions where it did work out for Emmett Sheen. He looks good.

He looks nasty. The change up looks absolutely. disgusting right now, but he has some other pitches kind of working in the arsenal that he didn't necessarily have, it feels like, consistently earlier in the season. The fastball velocity is still not where it was last year, but the spin has been really solid over these last couple of starts, these last two starts in particular. So love that, love that for Shan. And for me, obviously burying the lead of the Dodgers lost the series in Miami. The bullpen looked on paper, absolutely atrocious yesterday.

So having somebody like Emmett Sheehan getting right, you know knock on desk, barring a few misfortunes, Emmett Shean is not going to be in that postseason rotation, but you get that weapon to give you one or three innings or something like that in the postseason bullpen. his re-emergence could be coming at a great time with the state of this Dodgers bullpen. You've heard the chaos. Now you can see it. Hello. My gosh. Watch all your favorite podcasts from start to finish, right inside the free IHard Radio app.

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That's a good point that you bring up, and I was going to actually ask both of you this question. The back end of the Dodgers bullpen looked very problematic over the series with the Miami Marlins. Six earned runs from that back end. Edgaro Henriquez, which absolutely gets a pass. He has been so good all season long. He was due for a clunker.

I'm not lumping him in. But Tanner Scott and Beef, Rock Stewart, didn't look great. So Katie, we'll start with you. There has been a lot of conversation and a lot of comments about yesterday's loss, particularly the lack of production by the bullpen, is it an overreaction or is it warranted in terms of the concerns

specifically with Tanner Scott and with Brock Stewart? I think I'm willing to give the bullpen a pass overall yesterday. Totally agree with you said Alana on Eduardo Enriquez. He's been nails. He's allowed to have a clunker given how few he's had all year. But there were a couple of defensive misplays in the 8th and 9th that certainly didn't help things. specifically to the lead-off single in the ninth of

Tanner Scott was a slow roll at a first base that should have been an easy three-one put out. Tanner Scott's hustling to cover the bag. Freddie Freeman, again, not 100% we know this, but that lob that ultimately ended up behind Tanner Scott cost them what should have been the first out of the game and things spiraled from there. It's rare that we see Tanner Scott do an up-down.

And I think that was just a sense of Dave Roberts really trying to win the game, understandably so. So am I concerned about the Dodgers bullpen? I certainly didn't love what I saw from them on Sunday, but the defense didn't help. And like we've said before, this bullpen that we see right now is not the bullpen we're going to see come October whenever their first postseason game is. They're going to restructure it. I like Clint's idea of maybe the right-handed version of Justin Robleski and Emmett Sheehan in the bullpen. Roki Sasaki could be back in the next couple of days, though he'll be a starter at least through the rest of the season.

They can finagle some stuff. We'll get into this. Chris Bubich is coming up. There are still concerns. Don't get me wrong, whether it's how hard Tanner Scott's been hit lately. Edwin Diaz has not looked good at all down in the minor leagues. So my concern level right now is like a six out of ten. We'll get there once the Dodgers clinch and we can kind of start to see the rolls restructure.

Then I think it's more fair to properly evaluate what the relief roles are going to look like in October. Yeah. yesterday, Edgaro, I fully agree with you, Alana, he gets a pass there with the weird transfer issue there with Mookiee. Weird to see Mookiee make that kind of error.

But yeah, just generally, it felt like some bad luck there for this team. Tanner Scott needing to come in. The series of events that started in that eighth inning with, we don't need to rehash at all. But Henriquez should have gotten out of that inning,

but he doesn't. So Tanner Scott has to come in. He has to do the up, down. Things don't go right. Basically immediately, you get the bun hit. And then the worst guy in that whole scenario. And of those three relievers end the game was Brock Stewart. And he said after the game, yeah, it was supposed to be up.

But it was middle, middle. And you don't throw it to his name Augustine Ramirez. Augustine. Augustine Ramirez. You don't throw that there because it's going to go a long way. And that's what it did. and our heads were hanging low on a game that should have been won, on a series that should have been won.

So with all of the good that came from that, I mean, I'm kind of curious both your guys' thoughts on this. Like, is the overreaction from yesterday's loss, like, is it kind of, is it overreaction or is it kind of warranted concerns with the greater feeling of struggle in the bullpen? Curious your thoughts first, Katie? I go back and forth. I mean, they're fresh off. They had an eight-game win streak heading into Saturday.

They played much better baseball overall. Bullpins are imperfect. And again, like we talked about, I think a lot of Sunday's loss was some defensive miscues that aren't going to show up in the box scores, errors, but are certainly plays that you expect to be made given the caliber of the Dodgers infield. I think, again, it just goes back to it's hard to evaluate what the bullpen's going to look like because it's going to be so vastly different in October. And this is the strength of the Dodgers.

When you have a rotation of literal aces, and your number five starter in Roki Sasaki now looks like he could possibly be your best option to close. I have a hard time freaking out about the bullpen, but I'm not saying that the concerns aren't warranted. I think, again, this is a team that has a up to what, 10 game lead in the division right now, maybe nine. Doesn't matter. They're going to come to the next place anyway. And then once they do, when they get that first round by, which remains their real big box to check, you'll start seeing how Andrew Freeman, Dave Roberts,

want to pair that bullpen together. And I think we're going to feel a little bit better about it, although there are a lot of question marks around their $69 million closer right now. That's the biggest thing. Yeah, that's the biggest thing for me is what is the deal with Edwin Diaz? Because he's not, you want guys to go out on rehab assignments or be at the minor league level and be good and have results at that level before they get called up. I don't know what's going on with him if it's a mechanical issue,

if it's a mental issue, if he just doesn't have the stuff anymore, this could be, I mean, if he doesn't come back and produce, and what if he doesn't make a postseason roster? I mean, Katie was saying it earlier, and I don't want to put words into her mouth,

but, you know, if he doesn't make a postseason roster, that's almost a bigger bust than, you know, any other guy that's not performing, whether that's Kyle Tucker or whatever. But that being said, as far as whether or not the concern is warranted, I really honestly think at this point, guys,

we just have to get to the end of the season. I really think that you just piece it together however they can to get to this point. I mean, where are we sitting right now? We're at 90 and 59. So, you know, that's, you know, they have what, 10 games left, 11, whatever the heck it is. 13. 13 games. Okay, 13 games left until the end of the season.

Just get through it. You know what I mean? Nine games in, you're going to win the division. Just get there. And then they can set, hopefully, you know, first round by type of situation would, be great. Then they can set they're exactly the way that they want the rotation. Who's going to be the fourth guy that ends up in the bullpen? I'm okay. I'm not, I'm not worried at all. I just think that at this point of the year,

literally the dog days of now September, they're just trying to keep their heads above water until they can take a breath and reset for the season that this team was built for. Yeah. The postseason. Yeah. Also, I had an incorrect topic bar on there. trying to get to a scene to show some of where the stats are at, but things happen along the way. No,

I just like that you just weren't counting the last two games. That's fine. You really shouldn't. Miami doesn't count. They were supposed to clinch. You know, Katie had plenty of beverages in Miami and had a good time, as you're supposed to do in South Beach. We got plenty more to talk about because one of the things that escaped my brain

when I was talking about how the eighth and ninth inning got away, Part of it was, as you mentioned, Katie, Freddie Freeman, not really looking stout, not really looking Freddie Freeman-esque on defense at first base. So we're going to talk about the state of Freddie Freeman, and that balky, what is the right knee there, that is coming up after a quick break. But before I do that, I want to tell people, like the show, give us a thumbs up, all that kind of stuff. Subscribe to the channel if you haven't done it yet.

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I said we'll talk Freddie Freeman first. Katie, again, not looking super-duper. there. You wrote a column today, released a column today. I'm sure you wrote it yesterday because that's how it works. Hashtag journalism. But part of it is the state of Freddie Freeman, that knee. It looks like it's obviously affecting the bat. He's won for his last 26 over the last seven games, but defense also an issue. It's just clear he's playing through stuff. And he said this over the weekend. This is the knee issues. I think it's Pateller tendonitis. And there's going to be some load management going forward. And this is something that I think really indicates how much

pain Freddie's in, because this is not a guy who takes a day off quite literally ever. He fell down the stairs and was in the starting lineup the next day. And you commend that. It's the same thing we talk about with Shoah. You want guys that to be in the lineup every single day and take it seriously. But this is ailing him. And you can see it in the lack of slug. Freddie Freeman still been able to hit for average. Like he's still most likely going to finish this season with an average right around 300. But the slug has been virtually non-existent guys, just two homers since the 4th of July. The slugging percentage starts with the three in the second half. And now it's factoring into his mobility at first base.

So going forward, we're going to see maybe a day in, day out for Freddie Freeman. Again, he's not in the lineup today. Dave Roberts said that he wouldn't be yesterday. The plan is from him to be back in there on Tuesday. And then they go back and forth. And maybe it gets to a situation where once the Dodgers clinch and lock down that first round by, they shut Freddie down for a little bit, give him a couple days off, just off his feet to recover. He's not going to go on the aisle, is what Dave Roberts has said.

He said that they haven't really even talked about that. And if they have a way where they can manage this load, he got treatment on Friday, too, Friday Freeman did. I can see it. But we can also see that he's not 100%. He did say that he was feeling better. But going forward, it's about managing the workload and making sure that come October,

Freddie Freeman can be Freddie Freeman with the slug. I agree with you, Quint, that offensive power has been ultimately zapped. It again reiterates the need for a first round by, giving these guys three, four days off their feet, no travel, just workout days, is going to do wonders in ensuring that an Otani, that a Freeman, that an Andy Pot has, adult and rushing perhaps,

can all come back as healthy as possible. It's going to be really tough to do that if they end of having to play a wildcard series. And that's the thing, too. That's exactly, I could not agree with you more. And that's what I was saying earlier. They just have to get to the end of the season. Obviously, one is win as many games as you possibly can

of the remaining 13 with a nine-game advantage in the division. But if they can just get there in one piece, So if he's not going on the IL, it probably means his legs about to be amputated. Let's be honest. But the point is get to the end of the season, get that rest to set the, you know, the rotation the way you want it, your lineup the way you want it, and just give these guys a breather. Because remember, I mean, Freddie was playing through some crap the last couple of post seasons, you know, obviously. So this is, he's no stranger to having to play through the pain. And God bless him, he wants to be in there every single day.

But because he is hurt, he's compensating or overcompensating because it doesn't feel good. with that leg and that knee, and his offense is paying the price. So, I mean, let's do it. I don't, I can talk about this until I'm blue in the face, but just, I can't wait until this season is over, and the postseason starts, because I really feel like it's that whole reset. I mean, the regular season, guys, is so long I can't express to you. I mean, obviously, you know this, and Katie knows this being on the beat,

but being on a beat reporter or a sideline reporter for a team, and obviously we're not even doing the physical, stuff other than the travel. It is so long. It is so long. You just cannot wait to get to where it's almost like the end of spring training, the six week spring training mark where you cannot wait for the games to count because it's just so difficult to get up for every single flip and game. And I feel like that's where we're at in this in this point of the season. Just get to the postseason. Yeah. Yeah. Be and ideally healthy. Down at AAA, you could argue that technically Edwin Diaz is getting healthier in that he is throwing a baseball.

The problem is that baseball is being hit all around. Has not looked good during this latest rehab assignment. Yesterday, five earned, surrendered by Edwin Diaz at AAA. Katie, there was an expectation that he could be activated, you know, potentially during that Miami series. Maybe he was going to be the guy to be activated, you know, during the Cincinnati series. Now the real question is,

should Edwin Diaz be activated at all? Because the numbers, the stuff, the, what is it, seven walks over three in a third innings on this rehab, are telling me, no, he should not be activated. So I think the first red flag

was talking to Diaz and the Dodgers before he started his rehab assignment where everyone was kind of an alignment and optimistic that he wouldn't need more than a couple. So that should have been, a side number one that this was not going to go according to plan because anytime the Dodgers say, oh, this won't be that big of a deal. He'll be back up soon. It doesn't go that way. Now, the tentative plan was that maybe Evan Diaz joins this team as early as yesterday, Sunday,

provided he came out of a back-to-back with OKC. He's Wednesday, Thursday, a couple days of recovery. Thursday didn't go so well. So he was going to throw again on Sunday and then maybe join the team in Cincinnati. As we saw, it did not go well. He allowed five earned, walked three or excuse me, We walked two hit a batter and then didn't even get out of the inning. The command is all over the place. It's really hard to look at the metrics from AAA because you're working with limited resources, but I asked around. The arm angle is still a problem.

And at this point, it's a mechanical issue with Diaz. We've talked about the arm angle. It's much lower, which means that instead of the vertical break for both the fastball and the slider, everything is moving kind of east to west and not north to south. Or in Edwin's case, he has no idea where it's going. Sunday, it was made very clear. This is not a guy who's ready or mechanically sound. He might be healthy enough to throw the baseball.

He's not mechanically sound for him to come up and really be a factor because the Dodgers don't need M&Dia's to come up and be the guy that they throw out there in the six. He's the guy that's supposed to close the ball games. So instead of having him join the team in Cincinnati, which was the hopeful plan, it's going to be Chris Bubich instead. He's slowly been having a pretty encouraging rehab assignment, I believe, nine punchies and five and two-thirds scoreless innings over six outings for okay c so bubich is up because he threw yesterday i don't think he'll be available or active today maybe tuesday uh for mattie lee

reporting that but the bigger thing for me is yeah this is exciting because this is kind of what the dodgers were hoping would be best case scenario for boobitch they're reaching worst-case scenario for dyes who has no idea where the ball is going and right now can't be trusted to pitch in a major league or a minor league game let alone a major league game this is their 60-9 million dollar closer guys and they're running out of time to ramp him up to see if he's even going to be able to get out at the major league level. All right. Final nugget before we get to break, Katie, I'll ask you on this. We talked about it a little bit as far as Roki Sasaki was concerned, but Roki knows what it's like to come out of the pen in the postseason. He did it last

year. Obviously, they would like him to be a starter, but is the starting role just coming out of necessity because of what's going on? And how do you see it playing out for the remainder of the regular season and his role into the postseason? Yeah, this is a necessity thing for Roki. He could pitch as early as Thursday against the Reds, kind of an open door. It's going to depend on, you know, they have scoble today, Yama tomorrow, Snell Wednesday, and then depending on where things stand with their pitching, maybe Roki slots in Thursday.

Maybe he starts Friday against San Francisco at home. But the reason he's starting, even though he's most likely going to be needed in the bullpen, is to keep that rotation healthy and on point. That's why what MHG has been able to do has been helpful as well. We talk a lot about keeping the position players healthy, but there's a reason the Dodgers rolled out a six-man rotation for most of the season. They want a healthy Snell. They want a healthy Yama. They want a healthy scubal. All these guys blast now as well. So keeping Roki there not only buys these guys an extra time of recovery,

but it's also an insurance policy for the Dodgers because knock on wood, if one of those starters has an injury or isn't ready to go, the Dodgers needs someone built up to slot in in that rotation come October. Perfect world. Roki Sasaki goes to the back end of the bullpen where the stuff can play up. and we're seeing a much more confident version of Roki Sasaki, even dating back to last year. But the Dodgers can't leave themselves unprotected where they don't have someone that can fill in, should one of the,

and again, knock on wood, those starters that they project to be in their rotation, not be able to take that spot. All right, Katie, we always appreciate the information. A plethora, if you will, make sure you guys catch Katie, all of her stories or columns and everything on her real job, the athletic. All right, much more to come here.

on a fair, Fowell territory, Dodgers territory, Dodgers, all of the territories. But first, a word from our actual friends at Fowl. Hey, today's episode is presented by the ASPCA Pet Health Insurance Program. Crats, we love our pups. Yes, I love my mini golden doodle, Bella. But you can't miss this opportunity. Just like Bella misses the ball when you bounce it to her. Oh, Bella, you're almost there.

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Fire Insurance Company and produced by PTZ Insurance Agency Limited. The ASPCA is not an insurer and is not engaged in the business of insurance. You've heard the chaos. Now you can see it. Hello. My gosh. Watch all your favorite podcasts from start to finish right inside the free IHIR radio app. Gets the blood going up.

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that way I apologize anything for the pups 32 auctions.com slash bobble thank you very much to ultimate pastime sports collectibles for donating this to be auctioned off right now the high beds at 300 again all $300 goes to the pups you can bed in $10 increments it is incredibly incredibly helpful because we are 100% a donation-based foundation helping dogs get off of the streets and out of high kill shelters the auction ends on the So we appreciate it very much. All right. Thought for the road.

And I know you guys want to give a little bit more love to Hossouet, DePaula, Katie, and the celebration I loved it. I don't know what you guys thought about it. It was a lot of fun. But what say you about him and just the youth infusion? So something really cool about my seat at Lone Depot Park over the weekend was that it was a gigantic pillar directly in front of home plate. So I did not see the homer, but I heard it.

I heard it. I think everyone in the city of Miami heard that. And what struck me was the confidence and the way that that bullpen, or that dugout responded because, I mean, this is a guy who all things considered, even though the box score didn't reflect it, his first two days in the big, it's pretty impressive when you talk about his control of the strike zone, how he was able to work the walks,

get on base without actually recording a hit. And then he was like, well, let me give the people what they want. We waited a couple days for a hit. Let me just hit it, you know, 6,000 feet to the second thing. deck at the Marlin Stadium. And watching him kind of like pound his chest and he said after the game, he's like, I'm not sure what I said, but I'm pretty sure I can't say it on TV. And the way that the veterans kind of responded to all of that.

I mean, even the next event where he doubled off the wall and he's pounding his chest at second base before he does their little Dodgers double celebration, I mean, Mookie's at the front of the rail, Tay Oscar's taking him under his wing, they're together pretty much all of pregame. McGee Roe hyping him up. I thought Dave Roberts was spot on when he said what Jose de Paula can bring and his youthful energy, his exuberance, is exciting for a veteran clubhouse that's accomplished a lot and, you know, could provide or benefit from being a jolt of youth with with Jose. Because this is a guy who does not lack confidence and already in his very short time in the majors is making a case for why he should stay up here. And when you have your veterans around you, he said it.

He was like, one thing I wasn't expecting was these guys to be. so cool up here for them to embrace me for them to like really show me I belong this Dodgers clubhouse knows when they have a guy that belongs it doesn't matter what their status is or how much service time they have for these veterans to to look at this kid and say yeah he belongs up here that's exciting and more bat flips please more celebrations it's fun let the kids play and that was the first thing after I saw the joy and we kind of already talked about it earlier in the show once I saw the joy I was like don't do to him what they did to Puege don't

take the joy away from him. Don't say he's not playing the game right or whatever. When he was coming up for, you know, that next ad bat after the homer, I said in my brain and then out loud, like, don't be soft and hit him here. I was really hoping the Marlins wouldn't do that. And I'm pretty sure, you know, Clayton McCullough led club wasn't going to do that to a Dodger player.

But just don't take that joy away because, Riz, you saw the, essentially the denutting of Yassio Pueg as a player. And, you know, be, myriad Rieb. reasons that he is no longer in the big leagues. But that's a big factor that it kind of took his joy away, him trying to play the game the right way, get rid of the old crotchety dudes and let these boys play and have some fun. Yeah, I don't know Hoseway DePaula's personality at all. I've never met him personally.

I do know Yassio Pueig's personality as I was there, of course, when he got called up. Actually, his first full year. I wasn't there the second half of the year that he got called up. But anyway, I know him well. And he's a different cat, right? I mean, it was the late great Vince Scully that, you know, called him a wild horse. And he was.

He played game with a fervor and a vengeance that's interesting. There's a lot of reasons why Yossiel's not in the big leagues. It has nothing to do with them killing his vibe. But to this point, Hoseway, you know, you can't have it both ways. You can't have players weekend and then say, no, you've got to, you know, round the bases with your head down and your tail tucked in between your legs. So I think there's a balance. You can act however you want to act as long as you're producing.

And I think that's the biggest thing. If he continues to produce, if he's a good teammate, if he shows up to games on time, Gassiel, then you're going to be fine, right? But you can't have certain antics and act silly, especially as a rookie, if you are a distraction versus a producer. So I love it. I hope he continues to do it. And I wish him nothing but the best and nothing but success.

But like I said, there's a lot of reasons that the wild horse has been reigned in. Yeah. And it's something we talked about last night on my All Dodgers show, too. The important thing for JDP is that his joy was to his dugout, his clubhouse, all that kind of stuff. Don't show up the other guys. It's not about them. It's about you doing your job and having fun with your team. Whatever he said is like, I'm about that.

I'm a bad man. Whatever the hell he said. He is. He's a bad man and he's here with the Dodgers. And, you know, maybe he can find a way to earn a playoff roster spot. We'll talk more about that. Probably Thursday when we are all back together. We will, Alana and I.

Friday. Friday. Which is like Thursday, but a day later. Alana and I will be back with the post game on Wednesday. So make sure you guys are subscribed for all of that kind of stuff. Katie's home. Good on her. That's it.

I'll be sleeping for the next four days, and then we'll lock in for a real big showdown with those scary San Francisco AAA Giants. Oh, yeah. Hey, if you guys want to support the show and be ready for the postseason, go check out Dodgers Territory Shop.com. Scan that QR code.

Get yourself a mug for your postseason whiskey. Get yourself a baby, a shirt, clothes, onesies, all that. I can't help it every time I see the kid. I'm going to say good. How many times do I have to tell you, the baby is not for sale? Well, maybe that's the problem.

But do check that out. That does support the show directly and subscribing all that kind of stuff. We will see you on Wednesday and then Friday. Bye. Hi, this is Kylie Breakman. Angel Geratana. Jeremy Colhain. Patrick McDonald.

And we're the hosts of the Artists on Artists on Artists on Artists Podcast. The improvised character comedy podcast where each week a new panel of artists discuss their craft. Join us for a panel of Eurovision participants. And we do a little Halloween sometimes. Does the Pope dress up? He winks on Halloween. He gets right up next to the microphone. I hear you can almost hear the eyelashes hit each other.

You never seen Italy so quiet as when the Pope gets up to wink on Halloween. Listen to Artists on Artists on Artists every Thursday on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Self-care September is your reminder to slow down, check in with yourself, get off your phone, and maybe ask, why am I like this? I'm Jemisbeg, host of the Psychology of Your 20s podcast, and this month we're helping you make sense of the person that you are becoming, from setting boundaries and navigating friendships to understanding anxiety, confidence, relationships, and attachment. Sometimes our biggest decisions, without us even realizing it, aren't driven by what we truly want, but by what will prevent us from feeling lonely or being alone. Listen to the psychology of your 20s on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Whether you're a seasoned NFL fan or new to the game, there's one place to keep up with all of it, the league's newest podcast, the NFL report, hosted by me, Andrew Siciliano. It is your home for everything football, breaking news, expert analysis, game picks, and hear from your favorite players too.

Join me at an all-star cast of experts for everything you need to know from around the league. Get new episodes of the NFL report Monday through Friday all season long. Listen to the NFL Report podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.