In your mind's eye, can you think of that situation on the mound, maybe as recently as your last start, where you're 2-2 against a hitter and you're thinking, should I throw this pitch? And then does that ever click in the back of your mind?

It's usually when I get to 2-2, it's usually kind of one of the first thoughts that goes through my mind is like, all right, what am I going to throw here? What do I think is going to be the right pitch? For me, it's not always the same pitch, which generally it's your out pitch.

So you have to be able to throw.

Basically the saying means you have to be able to throw your out pitch for a ball and for a strike.

So for me, I don't have a definite out pitch, so it's whatever the situation kind of is.

calls for for me so it changes from count to count but generally if I throw it and miss and I like it or I see how he took it I'll throw it again or I'll you know audible off of that based on either how they take it how they swing and foul it off whatever that might happen kind of changes the next pitch regardless.

Are you at the point of your career where you can read swings and that will tell you what you need to do?

Yeah, yeah, I think that's kind of that's always kind of been my what I like to do more than, you know, scouting reports and numbers and stuff like I'll look at them.

In your mind's eye, can you think of that situation on the mound, maybe as recently as your last start, where you're 2-2 against a hitter and you're thinking, should I throw this pitch? And then does that ever click in the back of your mind?

It's usually when I get to 2-2, it's usually kind of one of the first thoughts that goes through my mind is like, all right, what am I going to throw here? What do I think is going to be the right pitch? For me, it's not always the same pitch, which generally it's your out pitch.

So you have to be able to throw basically the same means you have to be able to throw your out pitch for a ball and for a strike.

So for me, I don't have a definite out pitch, so it's whatever the situation kind of is.

calls for for me so it changes from count to count but generally if I throw it and miss and I like it or I see how he took it I'll throw it again or I'll you know audible off of that based on either how they take it how they swing and foul it off whatever that might happen kind of changes the next pitch regardless

are you at the point of your career where you can read swings and that will tell you what you need to do

Yeah, yeah, I think that's kind of that's always kind of been my what I like to do more than, you know, scouting reports and numbers and stuff like I'll look at them.

But for me, it's more I treat the game as a living thing.

I'm gonna let him roast me for this show.

He said I get to, I get to have it.

He's-

Do you wanna roast me for repeating the fake news that was out there about you being traded?

Nah, I can't...

I mean, I can't be too mad at you for it, because it was out there.

It was kinda like everybody saw it, everybody knew it.

It was kind of a, a real thing.

Where are you at today as we get closer to Monday? How are you handling all that?

Um, I'm trying to stay off social media as much as possible because I know my wife's on top of that, and she's telling me everything that's being said and all the thoughts and predictions and whatnot out there.

And I mean, I knew coming in, like I said, it was...

I wasn't doing great to begin the year, and I wasn't in a great spot when I came over here.

So I think if I wasn't able to accept that, you know, this might be the situation, they might, you know, be testing me out, see something that they think that they can help me with, and they definitely have, um, to just get me back to where I should be.

And, you know, my goal was to come in and, you know, make the decision really hard for them.

If that was their plan all along, it was, it was to make the decision really hard and being like, "Are we actually willing to give up this guy?"

Yeah.

Yeah.

Was that the, was that the comment that I made? It was, yeah, I think it, honestly, that's really been the most freeing thing for me, is that I can, I feel like I can speak my mind to the pitching coaches and they'll understand it.

And that's, like, the hardest thing for me is, you know, getting my feel and my point across of what I'm feeling versus what I'm doing, and then them being able to recognize exactly what I'm trying to say and speak to that rather than just going off on their own tangent and their own thoughts and feelings.

And-

Where are you at today as we get closer to Monday? How are you handling all that?

Um, I'm trying to stay off social media as much as possible, because I know my wife's on top of that, and she's telling me everything that's being said and all the thoughts and predictions and whatnot out there.

And I mean, I knew coming in, like I said, it was, I wasn't doing great to begin the year, and I wasn't in a great spot when I came over here.

So I think if I wasn't able to accept that, you know, this might be the situation, they might, you know, be testing me out, see something that they think that they can help me with, and they definitely have, um, to just get me back to where I should be.

What was that conversation like, and how did you

tell him that? Shoot, when was that? That was when we were discussing the opener that we used the one time, and I had just mentioned to him, I was like, listen, we're 4-0 when I start the game, so...

But no, I think...

It was more of a joke than anything.

It was more so just, you know, like, let's keep this thing rolling.

Like, things are going well.

You know, we're scoring runs, throwing the ball well, so making great defensive plays.

Are there any cues that you used tonight that you've learned since being here to stay regrouped kind of? And what are the cues that you've been helped with since getting here?

Let's hear from Lauer on Sportsnet LA.

Yeah, that's actually a pretty good way of putting it.

I felt like it was just getting singled to death, which, I mean, it'll happen, but you just try to make pitches and make sure that you're executing good pitches.

Sometimes that kind of stuff happens, but as long as they're not...

As long as you're keeping soft contact in play, I think it's, you know, eventually it'll work out in our favor.

And I think it did overall.

How much pride do you take in in knowing that you've been able to give them exactly what they needed?

um i think that's it's a big it's a big point for me to make sure that i'm going out there and doing my job every day um it's what i try to do every time and you know just making sure i'm putting the team in a position to win the game is you know pretty much my job and i think so far i've done a good job of that and you know making sure that i'm able to stay in the game long enough to you know save the bullpen a couple innings is always a positive and I've been really happy with the way I've been executing pitches, especially with the adjustments that I've made after coming here.

That's a great plan.

I mean, I think that's the plan I should go with.

But I think when you get in that situation, you know you're still keeping the team in the game.

And the goal at that point becomes, all right, how long can I go in this game to keep us in it? And luckily enough, I was able to go the six innings that I needed to get to.

you know keep just the big the biggest part is just keeping the team in the game and i know that that big three run homer you know put us right back within striking distance so at that point it was just a matter of you know making sure that i was going out there and executing pitches and making sure that i was staying on top of guys and that i wasn't letting my pitch count run up too high um But, you know, it's a matter of, you know, just really focusing and making sure that you're taking care of what you can take care of and, you know, executing pitches the best you can.

yeah no doubt eric lauer is our guest before i let you go here's the million dollar question guys that come from different organizations and find success with the dodgers you've had success but you're rediscovering success again this year everybody wants to know what is it about the dodgers how do they do it have you found out what makes guys successful here

That's a really tough question.

I think that's the million-dollar question for a reason because it's not one thing that you can particularly point to and say, like, this is what the Dodgers do that make them better or help guys get better.

That's a great plan.

I mean, I think that's the plan I should go with.

But I think when you get in that situation, you know you're still keeping the team in the game.

And the goal at that point becomes, all right, how long can I go in this game to keep us in it? And luckily enough, I was able to go the six innings that I needed to get to.

you know, keep just the big, the biggest part is just keeping the team in the game.

And I know that that big three run Homer, you know, put us right back within striking distance.

So at that point it was just a matter of, you know, making sure that I was going out there and executing pitches and making sure that I was staying on top of guys and that I wasn't letting my pitch count run up too high.

Everybody wants to know, what is it about the Dodgers? How do they do it? Have you found out what makes guys successful here?