With the final month of the regular season underway, MLB.com Dodgers beat reporter Sonja Chen took questions from fans in an r/Dodgers AMA on Wednesday. The full conversation can be viewed here, but below is a sampling of the best questions and answers.
Questions and responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
How do you think the team will approach the starting rotation in the postseason? Do you think Clayton Kershaw will be a starter or come out of the bullpen?
I see the most likely four-man rotation for the National League Division Series being Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani, in some order. That would mean Kershaw comes out of the bullpen.
If the Dodgers advance beyond the NLDS, I think there's actually a good case to go with a five-man rotation from there. The way the schedule is for both the NL Championship Series and the World Series, the starters for Games 1 and 2 would have a full week of rest ahead of potential Games 6 and 7. And if the Dodgers were to use five starters in those latter series, they would still have the same number of bullpen arms as teams using four-man rotations because of Ohtani's two-way roster designation. In this scenario, it would make some sense for Kershaw to be part of the rotation.
Now that we’re in September, are you sensing any added urgency among the players and coaches to clean up their game to win the division and to pass Philly for the first-round playoff bye?
I think the urgency is certainly there. Falling into second place a couple of times was a wakeup call. But from what I'm seeing, I wouldn't say that they're playing with urgency every night just yet.
Case in point, the previous series against the D-backs, who have played the Dodgers the best out of every NL West opponent. They don't want to say that they're playing down to sub-.500 teams, but their quality of play just hasn't been the same in those games.
I think the farther we get into September, the more the deadline pressure, so to speak, will rise. But as manager Dave Roberts has said, relying on flipping a switch can be a dangerous way to live. It's probably time to flip that switch now.
My general question is, what is it like when you travel with the team? That's got to be one of the coolest perks to the job.
On a related note, what can you share with us about Hyeseong Kim's delayed travel to Pittsburgh?
Some TV and radio reporters travel with the team, but the majority of reporters covering the Dodgers (and pro sports teams in general) travel separately. I book my own flights and hotels, and figure out where to eat in road cities. Press dining is an option at ballparks, so that's one meal taken care of out of the day.
I tend to take a lot of red-eye flights -- by choice, and against the advice of my fellow beat writers, haha. Going from California to anywhere on the East Coast, it wastes fewer waking hours, even if my sleep schedule suffers.
Kim had quite the nightmare travel day. After leaving Oklahoma City, I believe he missed his connection, and then his new flight was delayed. He and his interpreter had to spend 14-15 hours at the airport. Kim said he had all three meals there and eventually found a place to lie down and rest. He also passed the time by playing League of Legends (Teamfight Tactics) on his phone. Despite all that, he was in good spirits yesterday!
What's the most fun, exciting or joyful story you've covered? If it were me, I think it would be so cool to cover a locker room celebration in the postseason!
I actually haven't been in the clubhouse for a postseason clinch celebration yet, so I'm looking forward to checking that off my list!
Some of my favorite stories have been more about player personalities. I wrote about Jack Dreyer making crossword puzzles recently. Back in Spring Training, I worked with my coworkers who cover the Giants and Rays on a story about the friendship between Blake Snell and Ha-Seong Kim, and how that has led to Snell helping other Korean teammates (Jung Hoo Lee, Hyeseong Kim) adjust to life in the big leagues. I love finding stories like these, and I can't wait to tell more of them in the future.