Several Dodgers Bitten By Injury Bug In San Francisco

Friday night in San Francisco proved to be costly for the Dodgers. There was the fact that the Dodgers blew a 4-2 lead in one fail swoop to lose 6-4. But the real repercussions could have a ripple effect seen for weeks to come. Matt Kemp left the game early with a tight left quad, and Tony Cingrani has suddenly developed a cast of “dead arm”.

We’ll start with Kemp, who has easily been one of the most productive Dodgers offensively. Kemp is hitting .308 and slugging .554 with a .904 OPS. He has been a dependable middle of the order bat, despite losing some plate appearances to Joc Pederson of late. Per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:

Dodgers starting left fielder Matt Kemp was removed from Friday night’s 6-4 loss to the Giants with left quad tightness in the fourth inning.

Kemp said he’s never had a quad injury, so he couldn’t tell the severity.

“This has never happened, so I don’t know,” Kemp said. “Just a little sore right now. I got treatment and tomorrow I’ll see how I feel and go from there.”

It sounds like a wait and see situation, but there’s a chance this could become a disabled list stint for Kemp. It’s a good thing that Andrew Toles is on the mend, and a door could open for Alex Verdugo. If I had my choice – it would be to see Kemp remain on the roster as a healthy contributor.

The injury bug didn’t stop biting there. Tony Cingrani was chosen as the guy to get bridge the game from Hyun-Jin Ryu to Kenley Jansen, trusted with a 4-2 lead. The problem was that Cingrani faced a run of right-handed hitters, and his arm is fatigued.

#Dodgers Dave Roberts said Tony Cingrani described having "dead arm" to explain loss of velocity in 7th. Will also be re-evaluated tomorrow

— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) April 28, 2018

You know what happened. Cingrani allowed four earned runs and was pulled after getting one out for Pedro Baez. His ERA in the wake of the appearance is now 6.52, and he could be looking at some time on the shelf.

Analysis

The last thing the Dodgers need right now is more injury to their roster mainstays. These two players aren’t a Kyle Farmer or Max Muncy, not that you want to see anyone get hurt. But these are players who are integral parts to the Dodgers winning ballgames. To lose a middle of the order hitter, and a key late-innings pitcher when things already aren’t going well would be further bad luck. The Dodgers have shown a propensity to battle back from adversity before. They’re going to need that quality more than ever in the near-term.