The LA Dodgers are pretty much inventing ways to lose games. The Boys in Blue were leading the Padres 6-5 in the 9th inning on Saturday night and needed just one strike to seal the victory when the Padres pulled off a crazy play to win the game.
Closer Kenley Jansen had just thrown a strike to Alexi Amarista to make it 2-2 with runners on second and third and two outs. As his back was turned, Everth Cabrera, who pinch ran for Yonder Alonso earlier in the inning, made a run for home and slid in safely. A good throw would have had him, but Jansen fired the ball to the backstop, and Will Venable alertly made his way home from second on the play giving the Padres a 7-6 lead.
The Dodgers failed to score in the bottom of the inning and lost 7-6, dropping to second place in the NL West behind the Giants by a half game. Jansen made about three mistakes in the sequence, and hopefully he’ll learn from all of them. He had his back turned, made a bad throw, and then he failed to cover home for the second runner. He almost deserved that fate for not paying attention. As long as he’s learned his lesson things should be fine, but if the Dodgers end up missing the playoffs by one game, this pathetic ending will stand out.
