Dodgers Open to Replacing Craig Kimbrel? Could Closer Cost LA World Series?
We all knew this day would come, didn’t we?
After eight straight scoreless and hitless appearances from Craig Kimbrel, we knew he had to come back down to earth at some point.
And unfortunately, that day came. And even more unfortunately, he did so by giving up a walk-off three-run dinger on Wednesday to a guy hitting .217 on the year.
With the postseason quickly approaching, fans took to Twitter to share their trust levels in Kimbrel. Our Doug McKain broke it all down right here:
On a scale of 1-10, what is your trust level in Craig Kimbrel for the postseason?
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) September 15, 2022
The good news is Kimbrel has looked much better over the course of the last month. And, to his credit, Sergio Alcantara put an impressive swing on that walk-off home run on a pretty tough pitch to hit.
So from that outing alone, I don’t think we can say Kimbrel has lost it just yet.
But there are still major concerns regarding Kimbrel that fans have worried about all season long.
Here are some fan takes following Kimbrel’s most recent blown save:
I’ll say 6.
That last pitch wasn't a bad pitch, actually. Lucky swing.
I did like seeing him rebound as the inning went on. His command was a bit wild to start off but he got it under control. Earlier in the season, when his control wasn’t there, it was downhill.— Dylan (@JD30506989) September 15, 2022
It was getting better but now back to -47 unless it’s a 5+ run lead. Use treinen and Phillips please and thanks
— Terese ?? (@teresec22) September 15, 2022
If he uses "let it go" then 8
— Jorge Diaz (@jorgediaz123) September 15, 2022
With the postseason in less than a month, Kimbrel will probably need a few more solid appearances to have an opportunity to close games in October. If not, he could find himself in more of a setup role or as a middle inning reliever.
What are your trust levels in Craig Kimbrel right now on a scale of 1-10? Do you think he should close games in October? Leave a comment below!
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Just let Evan Phillips close.
3. I have little to no faith in Kimblow to close. Especially with better options available.
No and yes!
I m rating krumble is a “2” I don’t think he should close in September unless dodgers have 7 runs or more and the opponent has 4 or less
And his very next outing, he had a perfect, YES PERFECT, INNING.
How can we convince Roberts NOT to use Kimbrel as a closer?