Dodgers Interview: Scott takes responsibility for coughing up lead
“Just Too Much on the Plate”
LOS ANGELES — It’s never easy being the guy standing on the mound with the game hanging in the balance. For Tanner Scott, Monday night at Dodger Stadium nearly turned into a nightmare.
Tasked with preserving a one-run lead in the ninth inning after Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s masterclass start, Scott instead surrendered a game-tying home run to Gabriel Moreno on a belt-high fastball. He came back out in the tenth and gave up another long ball to Corbin Carroll before running out of gas in the tenth. The Dodgers eventually won the game 4–3, but Scott was visibly frustrated with his performance afterward.
“You never want to see the ball go out of the park, especially late in the game,” Scott said postgame. “And what Yama was doing out there was incredible. And then (Alex) Vesia and then (Anthony) Banda saving me. So, I mean, yeah, just too much on the plate and leaving good pitches dead.”
Scott didn’t dodge accountability. His stuff has looked electric for most of the season, but location was the issue this time—particularly with his fastball. “For both those fastballs, were you wanting those more glove side or were you wanting those more up?” he was asked. Scott replied: “I was just trying to get it up and in. I mean, Carroll—I don’t want to make him comfortable and I left it out over. And the Moreno one, left too much on the plate.”
When asked whether the outing felt like an outlier in what has been otherwise a strong season, Scott didn’t hesitate. “Feel good. I feel good. I mean, stuff’s good. It’s just too much on the plate today.”
Still, there’s no denying the pressure of the moment. The Dodgers were reeling from a tough stretch, the bullpen was gassed, and the team desperately needed a win. “Oh, definitely. I mean, we needed a win bad,” Scott said. “And we have a pretty good lineup, so [they] saved us.”
It’s a credit to the rest of the bullpen—and the lineup—that Scott’s tough night didn’t cost the Dodgers the game. As Dave Roberts put it, “You just can’t lose on nights that Yamamoto throws. Those ones really stink.”
Scott has been a key piece for the Dodgers this year and one tough outing doesn’t change that. But Monday night served as a reminder of how thin the margins can be, especially in the late innings of a close game. The good news? The Dodgers got the win, and Scott owns the moment, not runs from it.
He knows what needs to be sharper. Now, it’s about turning the page—and getting back to what’s made him one of the team’s most reliable arms so far this season.
Have you subscribed to the Bleed Los Podcast YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows & promotions, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
