Dodgers’ Dave Roberts Defends His Decision to Use Michael Grove Late Against Padres
With Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol, and Joe Kelly all on the injured list, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts opted to use Michael Grove in the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres on Friday. Roberts hoped Grove’s success against right-handed batters would carry over.
Los Angeles went on to lose the game 2-1 on a walk-off hit by Padres’ Luis Arraez.
“It’s tough,” Roberts said. “I hate trying to use that as an excuse. But when you have three leverage guys not participating you’re trying to give guys opportunities. I thought Blake was great today and I felt good where Michael was at with that part of the lineup, bleeding into the top. It just didn’t work out.”
Grove gave up a leadoff double to Luis Campusano, struck out Ha-Seong Kim, and then surrendered a single to the left-handed Luis Arraez who scored pinch-runner Tyler Wade. It was a gamble for Roberts to stick with Grove against the two-time batting champion rather than walk him and take his chances against Fernando Tatis Jr. or Jake Cronenworth.
“You have to kind of think about Arraez versus Tatis and (Jake) Cronenworth,” Roberts said of the next two hitters in the Padres’ lineup. “You’ve got to make a decision. For me, I just felt that, if we could pitch Arraez carefully, we get a chance to get to Tatis. I wasn’t going to concede Arraez to get to Tatis and bring (up) Cronenworth. Both those guys were swinging the bats really well and are really good hitters. You kind of pick your poison right there. Just didn’t work out.”
Arraez lined the first pitch he saw from Grove up the middle and was celebrated as a hero in his first home game as a member of the Padres. Los Angeles will look to even up the series in the second game with the first pitch scheduled for 5:40 p.m. PT.
Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
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they should NOT have ever pitched to Arraez! 1B was open — walk him! sets up the DP or at least forces, and avoids pitching to the batting champ! worse, he was served up a cookie — center cut. huge mistake.