Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
If you’re freaking out over last night’s bullpen implosion, know two things: 1) yes, the bullpen without Kenley Jansen is thin and scary, and 2) if you were expecting to have nothing but 100% perfect, then your expectations were sorely miscalibrated. Of course the bullpen was going to blow a game. Obviously.
|
Padres
|
Dodgers
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
7:10 p.m.
|
Los Angeles, Ca.
|
|||
|
CF
|
Myers
|
SS
|
Rollins
|
|
|
C
|
Norris
|
RF
|
Puig
|
|
|
RF
|
Kemp
|
1B
|
Gonzalez
|
|
|
LF
|
Upton
|
2B
|
Kendrick
|
|
|
3B
|
Middlebrooks
|
C
|
Grandal
|
|
|
1B
|
Alonso
|
LF
|
Crawford
|
|
|
2B
|
Solarte
|
3B
|
Uribe
|
|
|
SS
|
Amarista
|
CF
|
Pederson
|
|
|
P
|
Cashner (R)
|
P
|
McCarthy (R)
|
Now, I’ll be there with you in saying that it would have been nice if it hadn’t happened in the second game of the season, and not against the only team that looks like it might have a prayer of challenging in the NL West now that the Giants are already getting killed by injuries, but still. It’s just one game. Today’s another game.
While the Dodgers roll out the same lineup as last night, this is mostly interesting because it’s the debut of Brandon McCarthy. He’s paired with Yasmani Grandal, who drew some pretty high praise from Zack Greinke last night:
“He’s been unbelievable back there,” Greinke said. “His catching is better than advertised, and working with me individually, he’s been as good as you could expect. I don’t think, from what I’ve seen so far, you could ever have expected anything more.
“He’s done everything. His hands are great. He’s blocked everything I’ve thrown. People stole on him last year, but he’s had some really good throws in games I’ve thrown in spring training. And then his game calling’s been good.
“I couldn’t draw up a better catcher at the moment.”
That’s not a dig on A.J. Ellis, who is beloved by the staff. It does go a long way towards patching up Grandal’s perception, which was hurt by reports that San Diego starters Tyson Ross, Ian Kennedy, and Andrew Cashner all didn’t want to work with him last year. (Though I have no insight into Grandal’s relationship with his pitchers, my first thought upon hearing that was “well, what pitcher wouldn’t want to work with Rene Rivera?”) That doesn’t make Grandal’s misplay on that bunt last night sting less, but if you were worried about “personal catchers,” well, Greinke’s endorsement helps.
* * *
In news that, I don’t know, maybe one or two of you might care about, Eric Stephen passes along the note that Red Patterson had Tommy John surgery following last season. That’s right: Patterson is so important that he’s already halfway through his rehab and we didn’t even know it had happened. Apparently, I half-jokingly predicted this last year:
Don Mattingly says Red Patterson will “probably” pitch tomorrow, which I assume means he’s scheduled for Tommy John surgery.
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) May 1, 2014
Too real. Too real.
[table id=5 /]