Dodgers’ Blake Treinen Unpacks Poor Performance Against Royals

It seemed like nothing went right for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 7-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night.

It began when starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto exited after just two innings, the team announcing an initial diagnosis of triceps tightness. It went downhill from there.

Reliever Blake Treinen eventually took over in the sixth inning but didn’t have his best stuff. He lacked command and walked the bases loaded, struck out pinch-hitter Adam Frazier, then saw his earned run average balloon from 0.00 to 2.63 with one swing of M.J. Melendez’s bat.

“The biggest thing is with the walks,” Treinen told reporters, including SportsNet LA’s Kirsten Watson. “I don’t walk people and when I walk people, this league makes you pay no matter who the hitter is in the league. You can live with solo shots, you can live with a couple of knocks but when you give them free bases, it never bodes well.”

Melendez drove the 12th pitch over the wall in right field for a grand slam, ending an epic battle that turned a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 Kansas City lead. Treinen hung a full-count cutter over the heart of the plate.

“It was probably the pitch I had the most feel for tonight,” Treinen said about his cutter after the game. “But it also handcuffed me because I can’t keep throwing the same pitcher over and over again.”

Treinen’s night ended after two-thirds of an inning. He allowed four earned runs on three walks and one hit. He struck out one and was tagged with the loss.

Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

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