Dodgers Nation Podcast Network

On this Thursday edition of Dodgers Dougout Live, Doug McKain reacts to the news that Will Smith is set to go on the IL, Shohei Ohtani giving up 3 runs and LA blowing a 6-1 lead to the Pirates.

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Register and learn more at https://www.bajablasthomeruns.com Subject to complete offer terms & restrictions. Offer activates at 9 AM ET for 24 hours the day after at least one 420 ft home run is hit. Limited to 1 offer per day and 5 redemptions per person all season. Ends 9/26/26 or when 500,000 redemptions have been reached, whichever occurs first. 

 

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0:00 Intro 

1:50 Poll: Will Ohtani Have the Best Season in Baseball History? 

3:28 Tarik Skubal Trade Rumors & Jeff Passan's Package 

6:18 Anonymous GM Breaks Down the Skubal Deal 

8:18 How Roki Sasaki's Emergence Changes the Trade Calculus 

12:09 Blake Snell Update & Rotation Health Check 

14:20 Roki Sasaki's Splitter Breakdown & Ace Potential 

16:36 River Ryan: When Does He Get Called Up? 

22:36 Emmet Sheehan's Struggles & Rotation Watch 

27:48 Dodgers All-Star Projections 

32:39 7th Inning Stretch: DMAC Answers YOUR Questions 

40:36 The Walk Off: Which Actors Would Play the Dodgers? 

 

Tarik Skubal Trade Buzz. Jeff Passan identified the Dodgers as the top destination for Skubal, proposing a package of Emmet Sheehan, Zyhir Hope, and Aiden West. An anonymous GM echoed the framework but preferred Justin Robles over Sheehan due to his left-handedness and extra control years. Host Doug DMAC notes he floated this same package weeks earlier on-air. 

 

Dodgers Farm Depth Debunked. DMAC pushes back on the narrative that acquiring Skubal would "empty the farm," pointing out LA has 6–7 top-100 prospects across multiple lists and would only need to move two or three, not the whole system. 

 

Roki Sasaki's Emergence. Sasaki has posted a 148 ERA+ over his last four outings, with his improved splitter (thrown at 93 mph off the seam, tunneling off a 100 mph fastball) being the key development. DMAC argues Sasaki may now leapfrog Tyler Glasnow as a postseason starter. 

 

Sasaki's Rise Makes River Ryan More Expendable. With Roki locking in a rotation spot, Ryan becomes a more movable trade chip. DMAC also frames a Skubal acquisition as a "suffocating" move, keeping him away from rivals like the Brewers (who also have Misérable) in a playoff series. 

 

River Ryan Overdue for a Callup. Ryan recently threw 94 pitches in Triple-A and is "built up" per DMAC, who has spoken to Ryan directly. DMAC argues keeping him in the minors at 27 hurts both his development and the team, and puts Emmet Sheehan on "rotation watch" once the team gets healthy. 

 

Emmet Sheehan Struggling. Sheehan posted a 4.70 ERA and 86 ERA+ on the season (14% below league average), with his shortest outing of the year against the Angels. DMAC sees him as the odd man out once the rotation is at full strength. 

 

Shohei Ohtani on Historic Pace. Since May 10th, Ohtani leads MLB in wRC+, hitting .379/.469/.653. DMAC contends he's on pace for the best season in baseball history and is headed for a fifth unanimous MVP — the only player ever to win it more than once. 

 

Dodgers All-Star Outlook. Locks include Ohtani, Andy Pages (leads CF in HR and RBI), and Max Muncy (leads NL 3B in HR). Yoshinobu Yamamoto is likely in. Freddie Freeman, Wrobleski are on the bubble. Mookie Betts, Kyle Tucker, and Will Smith are currently not tracking toward a selection. 

 

Skubal Re-Signing Possibility. DMAC dismisses the idea that LA can't retain Skubal post-trade, noting he's a West Coast native (born in Hayward, CA, raised in Arizona) and that the Dodgers have re-signed rental acquisitions before.

On this Friday edition of Dodgers Dougout Live, Doug McKain is joined by Jerry Hairston Jr. to break down the possibility of the Brewers getting Tarik Skubal, how serious Mookie Betts' struggles really are, Shohei Ohtani's place in the Cy Young race and more!

Register and learn more at https://www.bajablasthomeruns.com Subject to complete offer terms & restrictions. Offer activates at 9 AM ET for 24 hours the day after at least one 420 ft home run is hit. Limited to 1 offer per day and 5 redemptions per person all season. Ends 9/26/26 or when 500,000 redemptions have been reached, whichever occurs first.

Register and learn more at https://www.bajablasthomeruns.com Subject to complete offer terms & restrictions. Offer activates at 9 AM ET for 24 hours the day after at least one 420 ft home run is hit. Limited to 1 offer per day and 5 redemptions per person all season. Ends 9/26/26 or when 500,000 redemptions have been reached, whichever occurs first. 

  

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0:00 Intro 1:44 Ohtani's Latest Dominant Start 

3:04 Ohtani's Historic Offensive Tear 

4:32 Pitching Breakdown 

6:49 Dodgers' Standings 

10:07 Shohei Ohtani Postgame Scrum 

16:04 The Cy Young Conversation 

23:17 Historical WAR Pace 

24:03 Kyle Tucker Finds His Swing 

26:15 Tarik Skubal/Trade Talk 

28:45 Shopify Ad 

30:10 Mountain Dew Ad 

31:28 DMAC answers YOUR Questions 

36:58 The Walk Off 

 

Shohei Ohtani went 3-for-4 with two walks at the plate and threw six shutout innings on the mound, dropping his ERA to an astonishing 0.74, continuing his run as arguably the greatest baseball player ever.

 

Since May 12th, Ohtani has led all of MLB in OPS, slugging, and weighted runs created. He carries a .301 batting average, a .420 OBP, and a .941 OPS — all elite marks by any era's standards. 

 

Shohei Ohtani's sweeper was his best pitch on the day. He navigated minimal trouble — a two-out double in the 5th and a walk in the 6th — but induced a game-ending double play to finish six clean innings on just 86 pitches. 

 

The Dodgers have won 16 of their last 20 games and sit 7 games ahead of the Padres and 7.5 ahead of the Diamondbacks, firmly establishing themselves as baseball's best team. 

 

In post-game remarks, Shohei Ohtani credited mechanical adjustments (not rest or two-day breaks) as the primary reason for his recent upturn. He noted his posture work directly affects his vision, which impacts both hitting and pitching. 

 

Despite a 0.74 ERA, Ohtani doesn't currently qualify for pitching leaderboards (needs one more inning in 62 Dodgers games played). 

 

Cy Young voters confirmed his offensive contributions won't factor in; pitching-only merits matter. Christopher Sanchez and Jacob deGrom currently lead the race in innings pitched and WAR. Ohtani is on pace for 13.6 WAR in 2026 — the highest single-season mark since Babe Ruth's 14.1 in 1923, a season played during baseball's segregation era. 

 

DMAC argues Ohtani's season is already the greatest in baseball history. Tucker went 3-for-5 with a home run and said it was the best his swing had felt all season. He described trying to drive a low line drive to left-center, which resulted in a quality homer — a potentially encouraging sign for the struggling Dodger outfielder. 

 

Jeff Passan reportedly identified the Dodgers as the best fit for Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. McKain argues LA doesn't need to blow up the farm — a package including River Ryan and James Tibbs could get a deal done. 

 

Lastly, DMAC highlights Emmett Sheehan's ALS awareness efforts (honoring Pete Frates of the Ice Bucket Challenge) and previews Miles Garrett throwing out the first pitch at Dodger Stadium on Friday.