PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - Will Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto Pitch Again For Dodgers This Year? | On the Record With Jack Harris

Episode Date: August 30, 2024

This weekend's series against the Los Angeles Dodgers is perhaps the most important series of the year for the Diamondbacks. LA Times Dodgers beat writer Jack Harris joins to discuss the pitching matchups for the series — including Clayton Kershaw's first game against the D-backs since the NLDS — the Dodgers getting several key position players back from injury and more.An ALLCITY Network ProductionSUBSCRIBE to our YouTube: https://bit.ly/phnx_youtubeALL THINGS PHNX: http://linktr.ee/phnxsportsMERCH https://store.allcitynetwork.com/collections/phnx-lockerALLCITY Network, Inc. aka PHNX and PHNX Sports is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by the City of PhoenixPHNX Events: Get your tickets to PHNX events and takeovers here: https://gophnx.com/events/bet365: https://www.bet365.com/olp/open-account?affiliate=365_03330244 Use the code PHNX365 to sign up, deposit $10 and choose your offer!Disclaimer: Must be 21+ and physically located in AZ.  If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-NEXT-STEP, text NEXTSTEP to 53342 or visit https://problemgambling.az.gov/Sanderson Ford: The Sanderson Ford Summer Sales Event is here and they are teaming up with the boys of summer for a final Playoff Payoff Sale. You get the payoffs like deals on 24 Ford Bronco Sport Big Bend. Lease one today for as low as $299 a month for 36 Months with only 10 percent cash down.Zbiotics: Go to https://zbiotics.com/phnxdbacks to get 15% off your first order when you use PHNXDBACKS at checkout. Pre-Alcohol is backed with 100% money back guarantee so if you’re unsatisfied for any reason, they’ll refund your money, no questions asked. Empire Today: Schedule a free in-home estimate today! All listeners can receive a $350 OFF discount when they use the promo code PHNX. Restrictions apply. See https://empiretoday.com/phnx for details.Branded Bills: Use code PHNX at https://www.brandedbills.com/ for 20% off your first order!Mint Mobile: To get your new 3-month unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to https://mintmobile.com/diamondbacks.  $45 upfront payment required (equivalent to $15/mo.). New customers on first 3 month plan only. Speeds slower above 40GB on Unlimited plan. Additional taxes, fees, & restrictions apply. See MINT MOBILE for details.Gametime: Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code PHNX for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply.Circle K: Join Inner Circle for free by downloading the Circle K app today! Head to https://www.circlek.com/store-locator to find Circle Ks near you!Shady Rays: Exclusively for our listeners, Shady Rays is giving out their best deal of the season. Head to https://shadyrays.com and use code: PHNX for 35% off polarized sunglasses. Try for yourself the shades rated 5 stars by over 300,000 people.Check out FOCO merch and collectibles and use promo code “PHNX10” for 10% off your order on all non Pre Order items.Rugged Road: Gear up for your next adventure with Rugged Road Coolers - Your ultimate outdoor companion! Head to http://ruggedroadoutdoors.pxf.io/ALLCITY and use code PHNX for 10% off!When you shop through links in the description, we may earn affiliate commissions. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I think Yamamoto is the much safer bet there. He did his first rehab start this past week. He's going to do another one next week. I think some point here, maybe two or three weeks down the road, he'll be back with the major league team and built up to four or five innings. Tyler Glass now is the bigger problem. Welcome into another edition of On the Record. As always, my name is Jesse Freepin, and we are here to preview one of the bigger series that the Diamondbacks have played this year against the Los Angeles Dodgers. and joining me today to discuss the series

is the one and only Jack Harris from the LA Times. Jack does a great job covering the Dodgers, and he's also an Arizona native and a Cronkite alum. So Jack, welcome back to the surface of the sun, I guess. Yeah, I mean, I'm crossing my fingers for at least double-digit heat, like in the middle of the night this week. So that would be, I'll take that. Well, let's go ahead and jump into things here.

The Dodgers coming off a series win over obviously a pretty good Orioles team. The Diamondbacks just dropped two out of three to the Mets. This division race has gotten a lot closer than maybe people thought it would be at this point in the season. But it still stands at four games right now. So the Diamondbacks facing sort of long odds in that regard. They do have a really good chance to make the playoffs. They're in good position there. The division race may be a little bit less so.

I guess my first thing, Jack, is just, are you surprised at all that at this point in the season, and the Dodgers have not, you know, locked away the NL West like they've done the past few years? I mean, maybe a little bit. You know, they were up on eight or nine games at one point in June and in July. But I think if you look at the Dodgers season, all the pieces that they've been missing, the way they played for a lot of the summer, they definitely left the door open for something like this to happen. Now, you maybe weren't expecting the debacks and the Padres to go on the kind of runs that they went on the last month to really make this a competitive race.

You know, the Dodgers last couple years have dealt with similar issues without the NL West ever getting this tight. But, you know, you have two teams in this division in Arizona and San Diego that have some postseason pedigree against the Dodgers, you know, kind of know what their identities are. And I think once they started playing well, you know, the Dodgers allowed them to get kind of close with how they played for a while. Now, the way the Dodgers have played in August is why they still have a four-game lead right now, is why they still, you know, look relatively safe in the division race. But it makes this series really important. And, you know, for the Dodgers, they're trying to play it as like it can kind of be a good thing. You know, they're not just running away with the division. They're going to be playing meaningful games in September this year as opposed to the last couple years.

But at the same time, you don't want this race to get too close to where you're having to, you know, stress and already kind of banged up and shorthand. roster down the stretch of the season. So it makes this weekend really important and really interesting, I think, and just how the rest of the season is going to look for the Dodgers and the division at large. It seems like the last time these two teams met at the beginning of July. It was out at Dodgers Stadium. The Diamondbacks took two out of three, nearly swept a series.

Christian Walker did some remarkable things, to say the least. But it feels like the Dodgers team that the Diamondbacks are facing this time is a little bit different. They've gotten a lot of pieces back. Max Muncie is back. Miguel Rojas. Mookiee Betts is back as well. It feels like just in general, this Dodgers team on the lineup side in particular just has maybe more depth than it did a month ago, guys like Gavin Lux really kind of coming back and turning into more productive players. I know they've made some other moves as well. How do you think this lineup just sort of compares to what the Diamondbacks might have seen last month? Yeah, it's exactly what you said.

It's not nearly as top heavy as it was for a lot of the first half, first hundred games of the season. You know, Gavin Lux, I think, was the first key part of this and how well he's played since the All-Star break. Somebody like K.K. Hernandez has been really good since the All-Star break. And then, yeah, you add Max Muncie back. You add Mookie bets back. They got Tommy Edmund at the trade deadline, who's kind of helped settle down some of the positional flexibility and moving of pieces around that they had to do earlier. in the year. And then you still have Shohei Otani, who's kind of the bulwark for this all leading the offense from the leadoff spot. And then this weekend, the Dodgers are going to get

Freddie Freeman back, too, after he missed the three games against Baltimore while he's been nursing this finger fracture. So yeah, early in the year, you know, for the Dodgers, it was really, okay, can they get a big game from Mukie or Shohei or Freddie? And if not, they probably weren't going to be able to do much of the plate. But right now, you know, a game like last night, they had three guys at the bottom of the lineup get two hits. You know, Miguel Rojas has been a guy at the bottom of the lineup who's been pretty good all year. So this is about as well-rounded and dangerous as the Dodgers have been offensively, probably all season long.

And yeah, it goes to just the fact that they're healthy. They added some pieces at the deadline. And they have more guys at the bottom of the lineup playing well than they did, really at any point of the season up until the last couple weeks. Looking at the pitching matchups tonight is a pretty interesting one. Zach Gallen, of course, the Diamondbacks. ace going up against Clayton Kirshah. The last time the Diamondbacks faced

Clayton Kirshah, I think you could argue it was the worst start of his career. Of course, in game one of the NLDS, he did not get out of the first inning and gave up six runs. But it seems like coming back from a pretty major shoulder injury that Kirshah has sort of found

ways to get out. He comes in with a 3.72 ERA. What can you say just about sort of this iteration of Kirshah at this stage in his career? Yeah, it's a little bit better than the one you saw at the end of last year when he was trying to pitch through the shoulder injury. You know, last year he couldn't even really get the fastball up to 90 very consistently. And right now he's up around 90, he can get up to 91, 92. So that helps. I think this is the consistency of his stuff has been better. You know, the slider still plays. He's been using the

curveball more. He's been mixing in more change up. So you're seeing a relative evolution from a guy who, you know, at this stage of this of his career has to rely on good command, has to rely on. on deception and outsmarting guys and being unpredictable on the mound. And yeah, not many guys can have the diminishing of stuff that Clayton Kershaw has had and still be effective. But not many guys are Clayton Kershaw. So, you know, if he's off a little bit, you can still get to him. He had a pretty rough start in San Diego, I think his second start back from injury.

But a couple of his other ones have been pretty solid. And that's kind of similar to last year where he would have some good ones. He would be able to pitch around guys and, Again, you would look at the stuff and be like, how is he getting through five or six innings, only giving up a couple runs. But then he would also have a game like the NLDS, where teams could ambush him. And when he's a little off, he's definitely getable. So that's kind of where things are at with him right now is, yeah, some nights he can be pretty productive and serviceable and go deep into games.

But other nights, he can be vulnerable. And it kind of, you know, on a start-by-start basis, just with where his stuff is at right now, that's kind of the reality of the situation he's facing. other pitching matchups for the weekend. We have Merrill Kelly against Gavin Stone going in game two. Merrill certainly had his struggles against the Dodgers in his career, but he was very good. And the DS last year hasn't faced them yet this season.

The Diamondbacks seem to be one of few teams. It's actually gotten to Gavin Stone in a couple of times that they've seen him this year. Looking at that Sunday game, we've got Brandon fought for the Diamondbacks. And then the Dodgers have TBA, I believe, listed right now. What do you expect the Dodgers to do there? Sunday. Yeah, they're going to drop in a spot starter. I think Justin Rebleski, who's been a AAA arm, who's come up a couple times, is probably

the most obvious option. He's lined up to pitch in AAA that day. They can maybe do some other things like Landon Nack pitched on Wednesday. He could come back. But you're going to see some sort of minor league arm most likely coming up to pitch that game, which is a reflection for the Dodgers of the fact that even though this division race is tighter, even though this is a really big series for them, they're not. changing the urgency level of which or of how they manage the roster.

So they wanted to get everybody else in the rotation an extra day of rest, starting with Jack Flaherty, who's going to pitch on Monday after he took a comebacker off his wrist this past weekend. You know, so the Dodgers look at it like, you know, it is a close race. Yes, we want to win games, but we also want to keep the bigger picture in mind. We want to be able to give guys rest the way we've been giving them rest all year.

So that's why you're going to see on Sunday probably a less than ideal pitching plan for them and what is a big series. They've been able to make something like that work before. They've been able to get some good starts out of a Justin Roblowski if he's the guy who comes up. But yeah, at this point, I think they're also going to see how these next couple of nights go, see where the bullpins at going into that game and make a decision then. You mentioned kind of the big picture there. I guess big picture-wise for the Dodgers, they have gotten a lot healthy on the position player side.

But Tyler Glass now is now out with injury. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, of course, a key part of that rotation that's been missing for a long time. I guess my big question here is, do you think we're going to see Glassnow and Yamamoto pitch for the Dodgers again this season and eventually in the playoffs? I think Yamamoto is the much safer bet there. He did his first rehab start this past week. He's going to do another one next week. I think some point here, maybe two or three weeks down the road, he'll be back with the major

lead team and built up to four or five innings. Tyler Gladys now is the bigger problem. He went down with an elbow tendonitis injury about three weeks ago now. Initially, they made it sound like no big deal. He said he was fighting to stay on the active roster and keep pitching.

But since then, he hasn't been throwing, he's only played catch once in the last three weeks. He's scheduled to do it again today. And that's going to be a pretty important thing for the Dodgers because if he comes out of that session, still not feeling good, you really start to worry about if he's going to have enough time,

not just to get built back up fully by the time you get to October, but if he has any more significant setbacks in this injury, it might be tough for him to come back at all. And for a team that spent $400 million plus on those two pitchers in Glasgow, to have both of them be this big of question marks at this point of the season has really cast some doubt over the Dodgers' event. as a team to be a true World Series contender and progress through a postseason. I mean, these are the same issues they faced the last couple years.

They thought they addressed it by spending big in the winter. And yet they're right back in the same spot where we're going into September asking Dave Roberts every day, not about how well his team's playing and, you know, the small ways they can improve going into October, but whether they're going to have integral pieces, maybe requisite pieces of their pitching staff available once they get to the postseason. And so, you know, for Dodger fans, like that storyline is probably as big of one as they're following, maybe even more so than the division race in some ways. Because if you don't have those guys in some sort of capacity, it gets really hard to envision, you know,

how this team's going to piece together enough pitching to make a deep October run. The Diamondbacks just saw Francisco Indore, of course, here the last few days. He worked in 11 pitch at bat and hit a home run that wound up proving the difference in the finale of that series against the Mets for the last. them. Of course, now they see sort of the other frontrunner in the MVP conversation in the National League with Shohei Otani coming into town. Jack, I imagine you maybe leave the MVP discourse to the pundits to say what they want to say about this. But Otani comes into the series, 42 homers, 42 stolen bases. I think he's basically right on track for a 50-50 season. To me, it feels like he's probably the safe front-runner in that regard. I know the wins above

replacement numbers would maybe point at Lindor. The OPS gap there is maybe a little bit too big for me. I'm curious what your perspective is on this whole situation. Yeah, I think unless of Tani really struggles over the last month, it's going to be hard for anybody else to win that award this year. His numbers are going to be, even just as a DH, are going to be so overwhelming on their own. And then you add in the fact that he's had a 40-40 season,

he might have the first 45-45 season. And if he has a 50-50 season, I think it's going to be kind of like people viewed the NL race with Ronald Acuna Jr. last year where, you know, it's not just the numbers, but you start to account for the historic milestones and just the way that the season went. You know, other guys are going to have compelling cases. I think Catea was making a pretty compelling case before he went on the aisle a couple weeks ago. But unless another player, I think, really separates themselves from a little. Otani in multiple ways statistically and with what their team does. I just think the numbers, the storylines, and the overall momentum, you know, which matters a lot and how people, you know, view MVP races and kind of go into voting sometimes. I think it's hard for me to envision, again, short of Otani having a bad September and falling behind other guys significantly in some of those offensive categories.

it feels like it's his award to lose at this point. I mean, he has the better dog, right? And from what we saw the other day, that has to be a difference maker, right? Yeah, I mean, maybe that's like the tiebreaker is the dog training category. Not just, I was rewatching it. I missed in the press box.

He didn't just deliver the pitch, but then he, like, did the high five part too. Yeah. It's pretty impressive all the way around. Yeah, Tani just apparently is amazing at everything he does. in life. No huge surprises there. Well, Jack, thanks again for hopping on. We really appreciate it. Four games series should be fun to watch what happens this weekend, the final series of the year between these two teams. So we'll see how it all unfolds. And yeah, Jack, thanks again.