Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — Dave Roberts finally confirmed what we’ve all known for weeks now, maybe even months: when it comes to crunch time in the playoffs or World Series, Craig Kimbrel’s not going to get within a mile of the 9th inning in a tight ballgame.
He didn’t say it in as many words. He didn’t have to. Anybody who has taken a class in “Reading Between the Lines 101” knows what he meant. Kimbrel’s out. Time for Plan B.
“The 9th inning is unlike any other inning,” Roberts said before Friday’s game with the Cardinals. “Having guys that finish games for us is a good thing. It’s something that I’m going to think through and figure out what’s best for the ballclub.”
Kimbrel has been pretty much a bust throughout the entire season. He had a good April, but his ERA in May was over 6.00 and even when he saved games, there was far, far too much traffic on the basepaths, caused mostly by a lack of command. When you’re essentially a two-pitch pitcher, and you don’t really have a lock on either of your pitches, bad stuff happens.
There was a brief moment in late August where it looked like Kimbrel might have started to put things together, and he had a two week stretch of solid, even great outings. But even Princess Elsa couldn’t save him. In the last couple of weeks, it has reverted to the mean. In Kimbrel’s last seven outings, he has a 5.40 ERA, and has given up two critical late home runs to the Arizona Diamondbacks: a 3-run walk-off to Sergio Alcantara in Phoenix, and a solo blast to give the Snakes a short-lived 9th inning lead in Thursday’s game at Dodger Stadium.
The only solace one can take is that AJ Pollock, for whom Kimbrel was traded, has been a disappointment for the White Sox as well.
So the question is what does one do with a deposed closer? If there were any real justice, the Dodgers would DFA him and go with the many arms that have put up good numbers in 2022. Of the relievers who’ve thrown at least 20 innings for the Dodgers this year, only two have worse ERA’s than Kimbrel: Reyes Moronta (now a Diamondback) and Phil Bickford. By my count, there are eight relievers ahead of Kimbrel on that list, which doesn’t even include Tommy Kahnle or Blake Treinen. Plus, there are the wild card starters like Dustin May and Andrew Heaney that will be vying for a spot on the roster. Hard to make an argument for Kimbrel’s inclusion on the roster over any of those guys.
Stay tuned, Dodger fans. It might be bumpy ride!
