Three-Inning Save: A Los Angeles Dodgers Podcast · Three-Inning Save

Dodgers start September in first place, barely

·35 min·3 clips

Tanner Scott's middle-middle fastball led to a three-run homer that tied the game and enraged Dodgers fans.

This episode of Three-Inning Save focuses on the Los Angeles Dodgers' inconsistent performance as they begin September with a narrow division lead. Hosts Eric Stephen and another discuss the team's recent struggles and upcoming roster changes. They also share personal anecdotes, including a review of a baseball-themed movie. The Dodgers entered September only two games ahead of the San Diego Padres despite preseason expectations of dominance. The team's offense was shut out by Arizona Diamondbacks pitchers Zac Gallen and Eduardo Rodriguez over a weekend series. Manager Dave Roberts described the team as "an unrecognizable ball club" and pointedly noted outfielder Teoscar Hernández needs to improve against right-handed pitching. Reliever Tanner Scott, who signed a $72 million deal, has a 4.40 ERA and has allowed nine home runs this season after giving up only six total in the previous two years. Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered an excellent seven-inning, ten-strikeout performance in a recent game. Will Smith hit a pinch-hit, walk-off home run on Sunday, his fourth such home run in Dodgers history, which is a franchise record. The hosts note the Dodgers' playoff seeding is volatile, as they could finish anywhere from the second to the sixth seed in the National League. Rosters expanded on September 1, with the Dodgers activating utilityman Kiké Hernández and reliever Michael Kopech from the injured list. Michael Kopech has a bizarre statistical split, posting a 0.00 ERA in eight major league games but a 13.89 ERA in 16 minor league appearances this year. Former Dodger Walker Buehler was released by the Boston Red Sox and signed a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. A trivia segment reveals Clayton Kershaw's best single-season win streak in consecutive starts is eight, which he achieved in both 2014 and 2017. Eric shares a detailed review of the movie "Caught Stealing," which features a character obsessed with the 1998 San Francisco Giants. A scene references a real 1998 game where Dodgers pitcher Carlos Pérez threw a shutout after being angered by an 18-4 loss to the Giants the previous day. The hosts also discuss Dodgers prospect Kendall George, who has stolen 92 bases in the minors this season. The episode has a conversational and informal tone, blending baseball analysis with personal stories and lighthearted trivia. The style is meandering, often digressing into movie reviews, historical anecdotes, and minor league updates. Dodgers fans seeking a casual, insider perspective on the team's late-season push and roster dynamics would enjoy this episode. Listeners preferring tightly structured, statistics-heavy analysis or those with no interest in the hosts' personal movie reviews might want to skip it.

As heard by us

A tense September Dodgers check in with roster notes, a movie detour, and a quiet remembrance.

This Dodgers segment keeps the focus on September pressure, with the club only two games up on the Padres and the math still unsettled. The roster talk has the most weight: Heisung Kim's rehab work in left, center, second, and short gives the Dodgers some room to move, and…

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Why you'd press play

You want a Dodgers September check-in that treats every roster move like it can swing a tight division race.

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