Podcast: ‘Dugout Blues’ episode 212 – Kershaw, Bellinger, Wood, Verdugo

On this episode of Dugout Blues, Jared and I panic as the Dodgers now suck and we don’t know what to do with ourselves.

But it isn’t all doom and gloom. Clayton Kershaw is back! And he looked like vintage Kershaw. Things will get better from here on out.

Cody Bellinger is also back. He hit two home runs over the weekend to break Mike Piazza‘s (happy birthday!) rookie record of 35 set back in 1993. Bellinger has a legit shot to get to 40 or more.

Alex Wood, continuing a theme, is also back. His return wasn’t as good, but he turned in probably the second-best start of the last week or so, which is saying something.

Alex Verdugo was promoted and has started every game since then. It seems he’s going to get a legit chance to make the postseason roster. Joc Pederson will be back, but not quite yet. He’s not hitting in Triple-A, either, which is a bit concerning.

Corey Seager has a bum elbow. He has been limited to pinch-hitting over the last week. Here’s hoping some extended rest gets him right for the postseason.

Brandon McCarthy‘s rehab is going adequately, but we’re not expecting much from him the rest of the season.

Some unsurprising call-ups were Wilmer Font and Fabio Castillo — both of whom throw hard. The surprise call-up (so far) has been O’Koyea Dickson. Congrats to him.

On the farm, Matt BeatyYusniel Diaz, DJ Peters, Will Smith and others are heading to the Arizona Fall League. Font was named PCL Pitcher of the Year. Four Dodger affiliates have clinched a playoff spot, with the Raptors still attempting to do so. Both of the Dodger Dominican Summer League teams made it to the championship game. Related, here’s a cool video from J.P. Hoornstra.

To close, a Q&A session. Please keep them coming.

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Look for new episodes of “Dugout Blues” every Monday. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and review us on iTunes. We want to make this the best podcast we can so we’re always looking for suggestions and ways to improve.

If you have questions you’d like us to answer or certain topics/players you want to hear more about, feel free to email us ([email protected]) or send us messages on Twitter (@JaredJMassey or @DustinNosler). You can also “Like” the podcast on Facebook. We always welcome audience participation.

About Dustin Nosler

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Dustin Nosler began writing about the Dodgers in July 2009 at his blog, Feelin' Kinda Blue. He co-hosted a weekly podcast with Jared Massey called Dugout Blues. He was a contributor/editor at The Hardball Times and True Blue LA. He graduated from California State University, Sacramento, with his bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in digital media. While at CSUS, he worked for the student-run newspaper The State Hornet for three years, culminating with a 1-year term as editor-in-chief. He resides in Stockton, Calif.