How does that feel to have you, Alex Vessia, team up for another big night?

Yeah, you know, we're trying to be smart down there in the bullpen, protect our guys as much as we can, and, you know, workload plays a big part into that, and thankful that Doc trusted me enough to get back out there and finish off a win for us.

Great game for us, you know, playing from behind.

Burns is a tough starter.

You know, guys battled.

Teo coming up with a big hit, attacking on a couple more throughout the game, and the bullpen just going in, doing our job, and finishing the game.

Does it feel like the bullpen dogs are hitting their stride?

Yeah, you know, I think each individual guy has their own, you know, challenges ahead of them.

What do you feel about the team and where it's at right now, and how encouraging is it to have, uh, the starting pitchers that you guys have now in the rotation?

Yeah, I mean, not just our starters, but, you know, what our lineup's capable of doing.

I think, uh, even within a stretch like this, everybody knows what we're capable of.

Uh, it's 162 game season and we've got, you know, bigger aspirations beyond that as well.

So I think little ruts like this are just, you know, part of, uh, the long season.

So, uh, it's kinda magnified right now 'cause I think every facet of the game is having a moment or two of struggling.

Uh, base running, fielding, starting pitching at times, or relievers at times.

Evan, can you take us inside a little bit? Obviously not too inside, but the Dodgers are the only team in baseball that has a players only plane where you guys fly to these different cities, players only Do you guys talk the game on those flights or is it no baseball talk? Is that where you guys can actually hammer out whatever is going on in these type of situations?

What do you feel about the team and where it's at right now, and how encouraging is it to have, uh, the starting pitchers that you guys have now in the rotation?

Yeah, I mean, not just our starters, but you know, what our lineup's capable of doing.

I think, uh, even within a stretch like this, everybody knows what we're capable of.

Uh, it's 162 game season and we've got, you know, bigger aspirations beyond that as well.

So I think little ruts like this are just, you know, part of, uh, the long season.

So, uh, it's kinda magnified right now 'cause I think every facet of the game is having a moment or two of struggling.

Uh, base running, fielding, starting pitching at times, the relievers at times.

Do you guys talk the game on those flights, or is it no baseball talk? Is that where you guys can actually hammer out whatever is going on in these type of situations?

What was it like being away that long in Oklahoma City, trying to get fine-tuned for your return?

Yeah, you know, I mean, uh, physically speaking, being Ok- being in Oklahoma City, I tried my best just to really immerse myself with the team and, and lean into those teammates down there that I have and, you know, be a soundboard for guys, answer questions as needed.

Um, if they wanna ask questions, I tried to open myself up to that.

Um, and then, you know, on my side of things, the rehab-wise, just trying to stack good days.

You know, just one thing after another.

Once I started getting into games, my mindset was just, you know, initially really focused on recovery and keeping my arm in good shape.

And then at about the halfway point, really started to flip the script into, you know, starting to dominate outings and execution and, uh, scouting hitters to a certain extent, getting ready for what I'm gonna have to do here.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

I didn't think it was true.

I just, uh, think I needed to see it and then, you know, see it 10 times over to really start believing it.

But, uh, I had a couple of, um, you know, moments that really stood out to me as like, all right, like, now I've, you know, really solidified myself.

I remember we were in, um, San Francisco and I got out of back-to-back, uh, bases loaded, nobody out jams on consecutive days.

And I was like, all right, if I can do that on consecutive days, I can probably hang out for a while.

But for you, like, what would you say to people around the league? Like, why was returning to the Dodgers such a priority for you, do you think?

Well, you know, it's a championship organization for, for one, right? Um, we were talking about, you know, the, the nature of my rehab.