Yeah.

I literally have watched every game, and they've been awesome.

You realize how far away they are, and how many pi- how many pieces they're missing, and that's, that's gonna be the struggle.

Let's listen to John's Laverne & Shirley.

Give us any chance, we'll take it.

Read us any rule, we'll break it.

We're gonna make our dreams come true.

Doing it our way.

Yeah.

And they ended up going to the World Series that year.

I think this is...

I, I know they're older, I know this and that, I know this, the odds are stacked against them, but there's just something about this unit.

And it's not, I said on the post-game show last night, it's not lip service.

These guys don't just, "Oh, we really believe, what, you know, we, we, we never give up outs.

We, we go to the last out.

Yeah

Yeah.

And they got, they got it done.

It was, um...

I think it's definitely that, something that, I could be [laughs] completely wrong, they could go out and lose tonight.

Who should get the ball? Who will get the ball?

Well, I think, and nothing against Aaron Nola, I think Zach Wheeler should get the ball.

Um, whether that happens or not, I don't know.

But I, I just think his stuff matches up better for the Braves.

Very.

Very frustrated.

And, you know, it...

I just want them to hit the baseball.

That's all I want.

And I said on the pre and post the other night, I said, if they fall out of the playoffs, if they get in and they fall out, it's not going to be because of the pitching.

You can say whatever you want about the last couple years about the bullpen.

Is it that Bryce doesn't like guys stealing while he's at the plate?

Yep.

That's all I want.

And they just...

And I said on the pre- and post the other night, I said, "If they fall out of the playoffs, you know, if they get in, they fall out, it's not gonna be 'cause of the pitching." You can say whatever you want about the last couple years about, oh, the bullpen or b- the bullpen's not been great, we know that, but they don't hit the baseball.

Go ahead, John.

Is the rest of this team making Luis Arraez worse now? Like, I thought initially that it, it, all boats were rising to his level offensively, and now, I don't know, maybe it's some bad luck sprinkled in.

You know, like the seventh inning yesterday when you had runners on second and third base, and he lined it, lined it, laser down the first baseline, caught, end of the inning.

Uh, that was bad luck.

Yeah.

Very.

Yeah.

Very frustrated.

And, you know, it...

I just want them to hit the baseball.

That's all I want.

But, Ben, what's your take on that?

I

don't know either.

That's a great question.

It'd be hard to go against Luzardo.

So he's our one.

In his last seven starts, he's got like a 1.08 ERA.

I mean, that would be good in Little League.

It just feels like he has a lot of answers to the test, the

I

don't know either.

That's a great question.

Man.

It'd be hard to go against Luzardo.

So he's our one.

In his last seven starts, he's got a 1.08 ERA.

test,

Ben, go

ahead.

There's not enough time in the day.

Honestly, it's just...

It's theater.

It's not theater.

It's being an ass.

So how viable is he out of the bullpen in the first round best of three?

Great question.

And I have no idea the answer.

I don't know either.

That's a great question.

Man.

It'd be hard to go against Luzardo.

So these are one.

It just feels like he has a lot of answers to the test, the

Yeah.

I stayed after the game in Cincinnati last year.

He had a concert.

The stadium was sold out in Cincinnati.

I'm sure.

And I stayed, and a couple of us did.

T-Mac stayed.

What do you got? And why? I'm going to say they

I don't

know either.

That's a great question.

Man.

It'd be hard to go against Luzardo.

So these are one.

In his last seven starts, he's got a 1.08 ERA.

It just feels like he has a lot of answers to the test, the questions

Where are you at?

I'm extremely frustrated.

And you know me.

I like to stay as positive as possible with this ball club.

I think the pieces are there.

They're just not performing.

And I look at the big three and Luzardo and Wheeler.

It's a team, right? Why don't they play like a team,

Where are you at?

I'm extremely frustrated.

And you know me.

I like to stay as positive as possible with this ball club.

I think the pieces are there.

They're just not performing.

And I look at the big three and Luzardo and Wheeler.

It's a team, right? Why don't they play like a

Where are you at?

I'm extremely frustrated.

And I, I, you know me, I, I like to stay as positive as possible with this ball club.

club.I think the pieces are there, they're just not performing.

And I, I look at, you know, I, I look at the big three in Luzardo and Wheeler and Sanchez, and they're doing their job.

Uh, Nola's been pitching better.

Painter looked great the other night.

Mm-hmm.

It was all kind of weird.

Yeah.

Well, he said, "I wanted..." You know, he signed a two-year contract, and, you know, so he'll be here maybe n- next year.

I don't know how that whole thing is gonna play out.

I, I do think the Cora thing could be a factor, and I think that relationship between Dombrowski and Cora is a thing.

Uh- Why does it seem like the changeup has become a bigger part of our pitchers' repertoires?

Well, it's always been a big part of, of Christopher Sanchez.

But, um, you know, Painter said, "You know what? The hell with the splitter.

Uh, why does it seem like the changeup has become a bigger part of our pitchers' repertoires?

Well, it's always been a big part of, of Christopher Sanchez, but, um, you know, Painter said, "You know what? The hell with the splitter.

I'm going back to my circle change.

It's been great." Um, Nola's throwing his more.

The, the best pitch in baseball is a well-located fastball, okay? The second-best pitch, in my opinion, is a, is a well-located changeup.

Because you read-

Exactly, yes.

Yeah, you read fastball out of the hand, but you're way out in front of it, 'cause it has the same, comes out of the hand the same way.

Mm-hmm

... which turns into the, I guess, the Indiana Turnpi- eventually it's taking you right through Iowa.

It takes you the whole way to ...

The, the PA Turnpike dead ends in San Francisco, uh, across the Bay Bridge.

Like, it just goes straight, and probably the worst part of that whole stretch-

One week, that's all.

I agree, Rick.

And, and then I said it in the pregame show yesterday.

But, um, you know, if you're peaking in October, November and getting ready for the playoffs, uh, that might not be a bad thing.

Yeah, I think the, the timing is definitely developing.

You can see that, uh, the West Coast offense, everything being based off the quarterback's feet, Jalen is not bleeding out to the left...

Uh, to the, to the right.

You know, rolling right as, you know, things are developing downfield, which we saw, you know, geez, for the last four years it feels like.

It's great to see him dropping back, one, two, three, four, five, boom, ball is gone.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, boom, ball is gone.

I just feel like from the moment he got there, uh, to now, just being a guy who every player he played with, I feel like he has 100% approval rating, and that's something that's, uh, you know, really unique in the NFL.

Where are you at?

I'm extremely frustrated, and I, I, you know me, I, I like to stay as positive as possible with this ball club.

I think the pieces are there, they're just not performing.

And I, I look at, you know, I, I look at the big three in Luzardo and Wheeler and Sanchez, and they're doing their job.

Uh, Nola's been pitching better.

Painter looked great the other night.

You-

... because it really felt like we hit it out of the park again, like we did for the NFL Draft.

Where are you at?

I'm extremely frustrated.

And I, I, you know me, I, I like to stay as positive as possible with this ball club.

I think the pieces are there, they're just not performing.

And I, I look at, you know, I, I look at the big three in Luzardo, and Wheeler, and Sanchez, and they're doing their job.

Uh, Nola's been pitching better.

Painter looked great the other night.

Do you feel that that's still true?

Well, he gets

hits.

That's the bottom line.

The big knock on him is he's not fleet of foot.

He doesn't walk.

I don't care.

This guy just hits.

Is that something where, because I want to ask you about Bryce in right field in a second, but is that something where you would hope that Trey Turner goes up to Don Mattingly and says, hey, I just want you to know that I'm willing to do this? Or is that something you would hope he would do, or do you think that's not

Well, he gets hits.

That's the bottom line.

The big knock on him is he's not fleet of foot.

He doesn't walk.

I don't care.

This guy just hits.

And I like the guy.

Is that something where, because I want to ask you about Bryce in right field in a second, but is that something where you would hope that Trey Turner goes up to Don Mattingly and says, hey, I just want you to know that I'm willing to do this? Or is that something you would hope he would do, or do you think that's not even going through

Rich get richer.

I mean, that's obviously great for the Dodgers.

Is it great for the game in its entirety? Probably not because it makes them, I mean, they're already a superpower.

But I give the Dodgers all the credit in the world for creating this.

I mean, you talk about an evil empire.

I mean, they've become almost unbeatable.

I mean, to win two in a row and have a great opportunity to win a third in a row, it's something else.

be

Well, he gets hits.

That's the bottom line.

The big knock on him is he's not fleet of foot.

He doesn't walk.

I don't care.

This guy just hits.

And I like the guy.

Is that something where, because I want to ask you about Bryce in right field in a second, but is that something where you would hope that Trey Turner goes up to Don Mattingly and says, hey, I just want you to know that I'm willing to do this? Or is that something you would hope he would do, or do you think that's not even going through his mind right now?