Dodgers News: James Outman Takes Blame for Crucial Misplay in 9th Inning of Monday’s Loss
Dropping another winnable game in the month of September, injuries in the rotation aren’t the only concern for Dave Roberts’ team headed into October.
In the ninth inning of their series opener against the Padres, the normally surehanded Dodgers defense fell apart with miscommunication in the outfield between Chris Taylor and James Outman leading to LA’s embarrassing loss.
“Yeah, I mean, I think I went a little out of my territory, so the blame is on me,” Outman said. “The error should have been on me. It’s kind of like nonverbal communication, just peeking. I kind of had my eyes locked on the ball and didn’t peek or anything, so it’s 100% on me.
via Mike Digiovanna, LA Times
On a routine flyball from Trent Grisham, Outman inexplicably ran in front of Taylor and dropped what would’ve been the first out of the inning after the team had already given up five unanswered runs up to that point in the game.
On the mound at the time was normally shut down closer Evan Phillips who had a birthday he’d soon like to forget.
After the misplay in the outfield, Phillips elicited a grounder from Fernando Tatis Jr. but failed to field the comebacker for what would’ve been a crucial second out of the inning.
What came next was Juan Soto depositing a pitch into the right field bleachers to give the Friars a three run lead that they wouldn’t relinquish in a devastating comeback win at the hands of LA.
On a night where Mookie Betts hit his 39th home run and 12th leadoff bomb of the season and collected four RBIs total, the Dodgers simply couldn’t execute down the stretch in all facets.
Rookie call-up Gavin Stone gave up six runs in his five innings and change and Caleb Ferguson relieved him but not before giving up the lead to tie the game at seven in the sixth inning.
Questions still linger across the board for Dave Roberts’ roster and failing to beat who you should in the regular season raises major red flags for a championship push in just a few weeks.
Photo Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
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both fielders called for the ball — that can happen anytime. the best solution is to use a “3rd party call”: an infielder goes out and makes the call which everyone must obey. also, it helps to use visuals, such as waving — which other fielders should watch for.