Joel: What’s up guys, welcome to Trash Talk. This is an MLB podcast, my name is Joel Carpio.

Emily: And I’m Emily Maciel.

Joel: Today we’re just gonna be talking about the recent news and the postseason of the MLB. First and foremost, we’re gonna talk about the Dodgers and how trash they played this past Saturday. I’m a Dodgers fan and it’s annoying because every single year, it’s the same outcome where we play good in the regular season, and then in the postseason, we’re absolutely horrible.

There’s everything the fans that are not Dodgers fans say is true. We’re chokers. I’m sad to admit it, but in our 2020 ring unfortunately and I don’t wanna say it, maybe Mickey Mouse.

Emily: All right, y’all not gonna like this but I’m an Astros fan and yes, I do wanna trash on the Dodgers but it really is just ridiculous. It’s kind of sad to see. When I knew Kershaw was gonna be game one starter, I was like ‘something gonna happen.’ but I didn’t expect it to be that bad, that fast. Maybe probably the third inning something, but it was just arguably the worst start ever in his career, maybe like postseason. I don’t know, but it was just really bad.

They need to do an evaluation on this team and how can you have multiple 100-win seasons and then have like nothing to show for it. How do you flip the script so bad, so fast? I feel like they can’t say, ‘we’ve never been to the postseason. This is our first year,’ cause it’s not. You’ve been here. You’ve been in this moment. You know [that] it’s gonna get intense so what is making you play this way?

Joel: Ever since I guess 2020, we haven’t been the same team. 2017, we got cheated out. 2018, the Red Sox were better than us. In 2019, we lost the nationals. 2020, we finally won it all but it was a shortened year so can you count it? LA fans can.

Emily: It wasn’t even half a season. It was like 60 games so…

Joel: That’s what sucks. It was just such a happy moment and such a bad year for everyone in LA. I don’t know. I don’t know what’s wrong with this team. Every single year is the same, same thing.

Emily: I didn’t expect [the Astros] to win a division but it happened. I just feel like no matter what, you can’t count us out. It was a weird season. We lost opening day to the White Sox like, what the f**k. It hurt but I was like, ‘ok whatever, it’s just a game,’ and then we lost a few games to the Angels and Seattle the entire time. I was like, ‘just a few games, whatever.’ Towards the end, I’m like, ‘ok those games could’ve really made an impact on… like the division not being so close kind of thing.

We won the division so we got buy for the Wild Card and the first game against the [Minnesota] Twins for the division series. It was doing good and then it was kind of hectic at the end cause they were catching up a little and the second game.. I didn’t even wanna watch it. I watched it anyway and it’s just nerve-wracking. I can’t really complain just because we made the playoffs.

I didn’t expect us to [make the] playoffs because we were performing so badly in the regular season. It could’ve gone either way. Either we didn’t make playoffs or if we do make playoffs, we’re gonna make a big run. We always do good in October. It feels like whenever we have our backs against the wall, we perform our best and it makes people mad. That’s what I like. It makes people mad because we’re still doing good. We had a lot of injuries. I know the Dodgers did too or just people that weren’t able to play for you guys. We’re still going at it.

Joel: I’m not gonna lie, I was really praying that the Astros didn’t make it into the playoffs. Obviously cause I’m a Dodgers fan and I hate the Astros. Credit where credits due, every single postseason, they find a way to make it deep. I’m pretty sure their gonna beat the [Minnesota] Twins and I’m pretty sure their gonna go to the World Series again. How many years have you guys been to the World Series?

Emily: Without counting 27 tenants, 3 in the last 4. 2019, ‘21 and we won it all in ‘22.

Joel: Sometimes I wish the Dodgers were the Astros. It hurts to say. Trust me, it hurts to say. Nobody expected the Astros to win a division. I know people wanted the Astros to lose. People expected the Astros to be a former team of what they were. Jeremy Pena wasn’t the same player as he was. I know you guys lost Carlos Correa 2 years ago.

Emily: He left after 21. It was very bittersweet. Don’t quote me but we had three RBIs against us yesterday. Good for you but I mean, wish you were doing it with us.

Joel: You guys almost lost Springer.

Emily: Yeah we did. I miss him the most.

Joel: At least you guys got Verlander back.

Emily: I was conflicted about it at first. I was like I don’t know because how much longer is he really gonna play in the majors after this season? I feel like even with getting him back, one pitcher is not gonna make everything better. Our pitching is still not consistent and it just wasn’t the same as it was last year or the past year. We could for example, Framber Valdez, he’ll go out there and throw a f**king no-hitter but then the next start he’ll let off three home runs or whatever.

It’s kind of hard to watch because it’s a rollercoaster of emotions being like, ‘oh yeah, we’re like so back’ and then the next day we play, it’s like what happened. Since he’s been back and I don’t know the correct stats but I think he’s 5-0 with us. Even though in the beginning of the game one, it was a little rocky. He had twenty pitches in the third inning and it was a little scary but he got through it. He did what JB does.

Joel: Alright so Ontani future Dodger, what are we thinking?

Emily: I don’t see him playing anywhere besides for the Angels, but I know he doesn’t want to stay. He probably would want to stay. I think he really likes it there but he wants to win and it’s not gonna be with them obviously. I really have no idea on where he would go.

Joel: I don’t even think it’s just Ontani. I think Mike Trout, as loyal as he is, the Angels even said if he wanted to get traded, they would trade him. Ontani I’m biased so I think he’s coming over to our team.

Emily: I mean if he wants to come to a winning, he’s more likely to come to us than you guys. You guys win but not when it matters.

Joel: I feel like if he came to our team, he’d be a difference-maker.

Emily: But can one guy change the entire team?

Joel: He’s Ontani. He’s the greatest baseball player that has ever been…

Emily: I’m so happy I’m living in a time where I get to experience this and see this. I got to shake or a fist pump him the other day.

Joel: You were employee of the month.

Emily: Employee of the year. In case you guys don’t know, I work at Angels Stadium. Just seeing him in real-time or going to watching him play. I went to one game where he had a career-high thirteen strike with lighting in the background. It was so cool. It’s just really cool to get to experience seeing him play.

Joel: I mean he is our generation Babe Ruth. I know that whatever team he goes on, he’s gonna change the team completely. His pitching is wicked good. His hitting is incredible.

Emily: This is unreal.

Joel: Even if he went to the Giants, I know that team would probably become a contender. Ontani is just in another world right now. It doesn’t help that they did win the WBC Japan.

Emily: That was really cool to see. I was really happy for him to win something.

Joel: That hurt because he beat my team, Mexico. We should have won that one but you know, respect to Japan.

Emily: As for Mike Trout, he is loyal and I feel like I remember him making a comment and someone asked him, “how are you feeling right now? You guys didn’t make the playoffs,” and he just said something like, “I’m doing what I do every October, just getting ready for next season.” I just have a feeling he’s gonna stay. I don’t know why.

Joel: I feel like every October he expects not to be in the playoffs because of how bad the Angels have been these past few years. He’s only been to the playoffs once in his career. It just doesn’t help that his team is full, I guess you can call them cancers. Anthony Rendon.

Emily: Wait wait, what do you mean cancers?

Joel: So they’re not good clubhouse presence is what cancer is. Kind of like Yasiel Puig was but Anthony Rendon, that dudes a clown. I don’t know what happened to him.

Emily: I liked him before but then when he came to the Angels, I was like I don’t know. He does stuff that’s stupid and it’s like you don’t even play. You don’t have this shit to back it up. It’s kind of cringe to be honest.

Joel: I’m not sure if you saw the video where he tried to…

Emily: Swing at a fan, yeah. That was lame.

Joel: And then he tries to avoid the media too. You’re not that big of a player to be doing that anymore.

Emily: Exactly.

Joel: So the Orioles, Braves and the Dodgers are currently all in the same boat right now. They’re all 100-win teams expected to go far in the playoffs, all lost their first games and the Orioles are actually on the verge of elimination after losing to the Rangers in game two. What do you think about that?

Emily: Honestly when I made my little playoff prediction, I had Tampa beating the Rangers but lowkey I think I was just being biased because I didn’t want the Rangers to move on. I feel like they’ve been annoying. Yeah they’ve been doing good this season but a lot of their fans are saying, ‘we’re the better team in Texas,’ like bro, one season does not define all these past years of the actual success.

They’ve been playing good. I feel sad for the Orioles if they go home just because I feel like they’ve been having such a good season. I like the team. I think it’d be really good for them to move on. Even though I’m an Astros fan, I was kind of thinking there would be an Orioles, Braves World Series.

I thought that would be really cool to watch but it’s not looking good right now and it might be because they’re such a young team. They haven’t experienced the postseason like this so that might get to them, get in their head. The Rangers haven’t been to the postseason in a while either so you could say the same about them.

Joel: I feel Astros fan’s sentiment when it comes to the Rangers saying, ‘oh we’re a better team than Texas after one good season.’ It was kind of like that with us in the Padres. Man, you’re an annoying fan base.

Emily: The one thing we agree on.

Joel: The only thing probably. I mean yeah, I feel bad for the Orioles because I wanted the Orioles to go deep too and I thought their whole splash zone thing was fun, where after they hit extra-base hits, they kind of squirt water out of their mouths.

Emily: They’re a fun team. Just seeing them play this entire season and being able to turn it around. Last year, I thought like, ok they could be a contender. Even the year before that, they were still the team that was like, ‘oh you like the Orioles? That’s f**king trash.’ Now it’s like, ‘oh you like the Orioles? Respect,’ you know.

Joel: We’ll see what happens. Hopefully, I’m praying for a comeback because I saw the game yesterday and the problem with the Orioles is their pitching. They scored eight runs which I don’t know how much the Rangers scored.

Emily: I think it was 11, 11 to 8.

Joel: The game was definitely in reach. We’ll see what happens on Wednesday. I think that’s when they play again. I’m hoping for an Orioles comeback. An Orioles miracle.

Emily: As for the Phillies and the Braves. The Braves got shut down by the Phillies. If the Braves were gonna get shut out, I feel like it would have been by the Phillies. They’re not just a regular team. They’re a good team. They play again tonight and they can either tie it up one apiece or the Phillies can go up and the Braves will be in danger of elimination.

Joel: Going back to my cursed Dodgers and the Diamondbacks. I’m not gonna lie, when the Brewers and the Diamondbacks were playing, I was hoping we played the Diamondbacks because that’s the team we’re used to seeing and we usually beat. We’re 8-5 against them in the regular season. I feel comfortable going into the postseason match-up. As you can see now, that didn’t turn out well for us.

Emily: I went to a game in the regular season, Dodgers and Diamondbacks and it was Zac Gallen on the mound. I thought like, ok they probably have a really good chance. Pretty good matchup. He’s a great pitcher. I don’t remember what the final score was. I just know that the Dodgers shit on them. Expected but also not expected because you can’t really count on the Diamondbacks either. I also went to the last game of the season, Diamondbacks vs. Astros.

They had already made it to the postseason so they weren’t really playing hard. I feel like the Astros played a little bit harder because we still had that division title on the line. It was still cool to see that team just play. I definitely think that they’re playing hard and that they want to make a long run in the postseason. I like the Diamondbacks.

I obviously don’t want the Dodgers to move on for obvious reasons. When we were playing the Diamondbacks, I was glad that both of us had already made the postseason that way. It didn’t have to be one of us or the other. I like the team. I think they’re a fun team to watch.

Joel: They’re definitely an underrated team, that’s for sure. They have so many pieces that can become huge for them and can play really well if they’re really on Corbin Carroll, Gil Moreno Lourdes Gurriel Jr, and Alec Thomas. Their pitchers are actually pretty good too. Merrill Kelly, Zac Gallen.

They’re all pretty pretty good which surprises me because the Dodgers were actually really good against Merrill Kelly. He hadn’t won a game against the Dodgers at all until Saturday, which is embarrassing to say the least. The problem with the Rays is their location being in Saint Petersberg and not in Tampa. That showed evidently when they played against, who did they play against?

Emily: The Rangers.

Joel: They uncovered the top deck, which is usually the part that’s covered because they don’t get a lot of fans and it did not bode well for them. They ended up getting about 19,000 fans and for a postseason game that’s unbelievable because there’s usually a lot of fans and it’s packed and it’s loud. Considering it’s the Rays, I’m not too surprised

Emily: I don’t really have much to say about it but it’s disappointing to see. You think this is the postseason, not all teams go. You’d think this is when all fans, even bandwagons or whatever, people will show up and be like, yeah we’re going to the postseason. They couldn’t even do that.

Joel: They are getting a new stadium which just got to prove. I don’t think it’s gonna change anything because it’s gonna be in the same city. Right next to where the old stadium was.

Emily: If they’re gonna do that, they might as well remodel the stadium. They don’t have to completely move but there’s that. Another thing I thought it was funny that the Rangers scored 11 runs and they had more, I guess you can say points than the Cowboys.

Joel: They played against the 9ers?

Emily: Yeah they have a score of 10. How does a baseball team outscore a football team? That’s just funny and they share a parking lot.

Joel: That’s sports for you.

Emily: That’s all we have for you today. Make sure to be on the lookout for our next episode. We’re gonna try to get another one out probably after the first game on the Championship Series. Go Astros.

Joel: No, go Dodgers.