Following his nightmare outing against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Tuesday night during which he blew his fourth consecutive save when entering a game with only a one run lead, there wasn’t a Dodger fan on the planet who didn’t want to see 34-year-old Dodgers closer Craig Kimbrel take a very long walk on a very short pier.
But true to his word that he would continue to use Kimbrel as his closer “…in one-run games, even if it’s a one-run game tomorrow night,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts did exactly that on Wednesday night, when he brought the struggling Huntsville, AL native and third-round draft pick in 2008 by the Atlanta Braves out of Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, AL in to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning for a second consecutive night with the Dodgers holding onto a precarious 2-1 lead over the Milwaukee Brewers – long walks notwithstanding.
This time, however, Kimbrel actually did save the game for Dodgers right-hander Tony Gonsolin to secure Gonsolin’s MLB-best 15th win of the season (against only one loss) and to notch his 21st save of the season; albeit with the tying run on second base and the winning run on first.
Take that, Dodgers fans!
Play Ball!
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