LATIMES.COM/SPORTS S SUNDAY, AUGUST 25, 2019D7
BASEBALL
After sending him to the
minors to rectify his offen-
sive woes, the Dodgers re-
called catcher Austin
Barnes from triple-A Okla-
homa City on Saturday after
placing catcher Russell
Martin on the bereavement
list.
Barnes’ return likely is
temporary. Martin must
miss at least three games
but can’t miss more than
seven while on the bereave-
ment list. Dodgers manager
Dave Roberts said the plan
is for Martin, whose grand-
mother died recently, to
miss the minimum three
games and rejoin the team in
San Diego on Tuesday. The
Dodgers plan to then option
Barnes back to Oklahoma
City. He would be recalled
again when rosters expand
Sept. 1.
“He just really felt if it
weren’t for his role now as
more of a backup, to be able
to miss essentially, it’d be
one game that he would
miss,” Roberts said of Mar-
tin. “He really felt he wanted
to be with his family and so
we supported that.”
Barnes is back after bat-
ting .250 with six home runs
in 20 games for Oklahoma
City. Five of the home runs
came in his first five games in
August. In 70 games for the
Dodgers, the 29-year-old
was one of the least produc-
tive regulars in the majors,
batting .196 with five home
runs.
Roberts said Barnes will
start Sunday and catch
Clayton Kershaw in the se-
ries finale against the New
York Yankees.
“Austin’s been good,”
Roberts said. “I think when
he got [to Oklahoma City],
he started off really well, hit
some homers, and cooled off
a little bit. But I think the at-bat quality has been consis-
tent throughout.”
The 36-year-old Martin is
batting .207 with four home
runs in 69 games. He has
served as the Dodgers’
backup catcher throughout
the season, first for Barnes
and, over the last month, for
Will Smith.Ryu workload
Roberts said the Dodgers
could have Hyun-Jin Ryuskip a turn or shorten an
outing in September to
avoid fatigue. Ryu has
logged 152^2 ⁄ 3 innings this sea-
son, his most since throwing
198 innings in the 2014 regu-
lar season and playoffs. Ryu
totaled 232^2 ⁄ 3 innings over
the last four seasons, each of
which included time on the
injured list.
Ryu has been a front-run-
ner for the National League
Cy Young Award all season,but his candidacy has taken
a hit recently. He’s given up
11 runs and five home runs in
10 innings across his last two
outings. Ryu had given up
two earned runs and no
home runs in his previous six
starts.
Roberts, however, said
the club believes fatigue is
not the reason for his strug-
gles.
“The command has been
kind of compromised a little
bit, but I think, talking to the
player, the staff, there’s no
fatigue,” Roberts said. “We
all know it’s more than he’s
pitched since ’14, but he’s
done a great job of keeping
himself strong.”Hill’s bullpen ‘good’
Rich Hill threw a 20-
pitch bullpen session Sat-
urday, his first time throw-
ing off a mound since going
on the injured list with a
forearm strain in June.
Hill tossed all fastballs.
He said he will mix in
curveballs in his next ses-
sion.
“It was good,” Hill said.
The left-hander said he is
scheduled to throw two
more bullpen sessions be-
fore logging a live batting
practice session. He could
then return to the Dodgers.
Hill estimated that will be in
about two weeks.Stripling’s next step
Ross Stripling said he
would log three innings or 45pitches Tuesday. The ques-
tion is where.
He said it will either be in
a game in the Arizona Sum-
mer League or in a simu-
lated game facing Dodgers
on the injured list in San Di-
ego.
Stripling hasn’t pitched
since exiting a start July 24
because of neck stiffness. He
threw a bullpen session a few
days later, but his neck re-
mained a problem.
He has thrown two
bullpen sessions since that
setback, including a simu-
lated inning against four hit-
ters Friday.Short hops
Roberts said outfielder
Alex Verdugo has begun
baseball activities in Arizo-
na as he recovers from an
oblique strain. Verdugo has
taken dry swings and played
catch. Despite the progress,
the Dodgers don’t expect
him to be ready to return
when rosters expand Sept. 1.
... Julio Urias will throw a
bullpen session in Arizona
on Sunday, Roberts said.
It will be Urias’ first time
throwing off a mound since
Major League Baseball sus-
pended him for violating the
league’s domestic violence
policy. Urias will build
up to three innings and
could be extended further in
games. The Dodgers plan
on Urias returning to the
club when he is eligible
Sept. 3.DODGERS REPORT
Barnes back, Martin on bereavement
By Jorge Castillo
DODGERS CATCHER Austin Barnes, left, congratulates Matt Beaty after a win
against the Miami Marlins on July 20. Barnes was recalled from triple A Saturday.Jayne Kamin-OnceaGetty Images“I definitely don’t think
that was stressful,” Dodgers
manager Dave Roberts said.
“That was fun.”
The eventful ninth inning
began with Kenley Jansen
emerging from the Dodgers’
bullpen for his first appear-
ance since blowing a save
against the Toronto Blue
Jays on Wednesday. His out-
ing started with a gift of an
out. The right-hander fell
behind 3-and-1 against Didi
Gregorius. The Dodgers (86-
45) shifted third baseman
Justin Turner to the second-
base side of the infield, leav-
ing a huge hole on the left
side. Gregorius tried to bunt
the pitch to third, but the
ball rolled foul.
“If they’re going to give it
to me and I’m trying to get
on base for the team,” Gre-
gorius said, “I don’t think it’s
a bad idea.”
The Dodgers’ infield re-
mained shifted for Jansen’s
full-count pitch. Gregorius
said he had “no hesitation at
all” about bunting again, but
his two-strike tapper rolled
foul again, and he struck out.
“I had no issue with it,”
Yankees manager Aaron
Boone said. “I would never
tell someone in that spot [to
bunt], but I thought it was a
good play. He almost had a
leadoff double. Didi felt like
he could execute it. He was
really close to executing it,
and he was confident in his
ability to do it.”
Gleyber Torres singled to
right, and Brett Gardner
reached on an infield single.
Gio Urshela hit a slow rollerto Turner, who fired to sec-
ond, where Gardner up-
ended second baseman Max
Muncy with a hard but clean
slide. The initial out call at
second was eventually over-
turned by a replay review.
While Muncy was on the
ground with the ball in ap-
parent pain, Torres broke for
home, easily scoring what
appeared to be the tying run.
But home-plate umpire
Gabe Morales ruled that
Jansen had called timeout
before Torres broke for
home. Torres was sent back
to third. Boone said he saw
the replay after the game
and was certain Jansen did
not signal in time.
“I don’t know what’s
wrong with the umpires to-
day,” Torres said. “We can’t
control that.”
The Yankees (84-47)
probably won’t have
grounds to protest because
it was a judgment call, “but
we’ll certainly inquire with
everyone and try to get a
good explanation,” Boone
said.
Instead of tying the score,
the Yankees had the bases
loaded with one out for Mike
Tauchman. Jansen swiftly
shut the door, striking
Tauchman out on three
pitches and Gary Sanchez
on four pitches to earn his
27th save.
Jansen’s velocity was
higher than in recent games.
His cutter sat between 94
mph and 95 mph, while
touching 96 and delivering
movement reminiscent of
vintage Jansen.
“Ninth innings are stress-ful enough as they are and
you add that in there, it was
like ‘Whooo,’ ” Muncy said.
“But Kenley persevered. He
found a way to get through it.
And that last batter, he
looked really, really good.”
For the second straight
day, a vibrant, October-like
environment developed at
Dodger Stadium. The Yan-
kees had taken the first
meeting between champi-
onship contenders Friday,
treating the Dodgers like the
Dodgers have treated many
opponents this season in a
10-2 drubbing. Saturday’s
game proved more competi-
tive between the teams with
the best records in the ma-
jors.
The starting pitching
matchup was one between
hurlers at the opposite ends
of their careers. Tony Gon-
solin is a 25-year-old rookie
who grew up idolizing CC
Sabathia and the Yankees
growing up in Northern Cali-
fornia. Saturday was his
fourth career start. The
Dodgers are confident he
will become a mainstay on
their pitching staff for years
to come.
Sabathia’s best years are
behind him and, after this
one, he doesn’t have any left.
The 39-year-old left-hander
has already announced he
will retire after this season,
his 19th in the majors. As a
rookie in 2001 with the Cleve-
land Indians, Dodgers man-
ager Dave Roberts was his
teammate. Sabathia, how-
ever, has taken a step back in
his last hurrah. He entered
Saturday’s outing, perhapshis final in a National
League ballpark, with a 5.01
earned-run average and
baseball’s highest home run
rate. His homer problem
surfaced in the third inning
when Justin Turner lofted a
ball just over the left-field
wall for a two-run home run.
It was Turner’s 23rd this sea-
son. Sabathia has given up
26.
Those were the only runs
Sabathia surrendered on
five hits and a walk in his
four innings. He struck out
seven and lined out on a 97-
mph fastball to right field in
possibly his final career
plate appearance.
Gonsolin outpitched his
veteran counterpart. He
held the Yankees hitless
through three innings, until
Aaron Judge smashed a 3-2
fastball to the batter’s eye in
center field to lead off the
fourth.
It was Judge’s second
home run in as many days.
Gonsolin exited after throw-
ing 76 pitches with the Dod-
gers leading 2-1, shifting the
game’s balance to the scruti-
nized bullpen.
Joe Kelly was summoned
first and Pedro Baez fol-
lowed. They combined to log
three scoreless innings be-
fore the ball was given to
Jansen. It is the succession
the Dodgers envision and
the result they need in Octo-
ber.
“You just got to trust
yourself in that situation
and compete,” Jansen said.
“And that’s what I did. I
don’t lose confidence in my-
self.”KENLEY JANSENgets a visit to the mound by Dodgers catcher Will Smith in the ninth inning. It was
Jansen’s first appearance since blowing a save against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday.Victor DecolongonGetty ImagesDodgers win Part 2 do-over
[Dodgers,from D1]nings, mixing in his im-
proved changeup to strike
out the side in the eighth
inning.
But as much as their
ticket-buying customers are
calling for Roberts and the
front office to make a
change, there won’t be one.
And there shouldn’t be.
Jansen has to remain the
team’s closer.
This isn’t as much about
loyalty as it is about practi-
cality.
This isn’t about what
Jansen deserves as the
franchise’s all-time saves
leader as it is about the
number of innings for which
the Dodgers have to ac-
count.
The bottom line is this:
Without Jansen, the Dod-
gers can’t win the World
Series.
Even if a high-octane
arm such as Julio Urias or
Dustin May is moved into a
relief role for the postsea-
son, Jansen will have to
pitch in critical late-game
situations if the bullpen has
to cover as many innings as
anticipated. Games like
Saturday’s, in which their
starter pitched five innings,
will be the norm in October.
If Jansen isn’t pitching
the ninth inning, he will be
pitching the seventh or the
eighth.
Regardless of how the
Dodgers brain trust chooses
to deploy him, he will have
to perform like the pitcher
he was in previous seasons.
The best chance for that
pitcher to reemerge is if
Jansen stays in a role he is
most comfortable, not if he
is demoted and has to deal
with the emotional and
psychological aftereffects of
such a move.
When Jansen slumped
early last season, team
officials privately acknowl-
edged they feared he could
mentally check out if he lost
his job. They presumably
have similar concerns now.
Jansen’s six blown saves
were tied for fourth-most in
the National League enter-
ing Saturday. His 3.62
earned-run average is the
highest of his career.
However, the Dodgers
have no choice but to allow
him to pitch his way back
into form. They are the rare
team that has the luxury to
permit to him to do so under
ideal conditions, as their
victory over the Yankees
increased their lead in the
National League West over
the second-place Arizona
Diamondbacks to 21 games.
And though his latest
save was more dramatic
than the Dodgers would
have liked, the appearance
moved him in the right
direction.
Taking the mound with a
2-1 lead, Jansen started the
ninth inning by striking out
Didi Gregorius, who fouled a
two-strike bunt.
Jansen forced Gleyber
Torres to bounce a ground-
er to where the second
baseman ordinarily stands,
only for the ball to reach the
outfield because the infield
was shifted to Torres’ pull
side.
Brett Gardner also hit a
grounder, this one knocked
down by diving first base-
man Matt Beaty. Gardner
reached base on an infield
single.
Gio Urshela then
reached base on a fielder’s
choice in which the Dodgers
failed to record an out at
second base.
The bases were loaded
with only one out. Dodger
Stadium held its collective
breath.
Jansen could have buck-
led. Instead, he responded
how any team would want
its closer to respond.
“It’s like, ‘It’s OK, pick
your teammates up,’ ”
Jansen said. “They’ve been
picking me up the whole
year. It’s not the first time
I’ve been in that situation.
At that moment, it’s not
about yourself. It’s about
your teammates.”
Jansen went on the
attack.
He struck out Mike
Tauchman on three pitches.
He struck out Gary
Sanchez on four.
“That last batter, he
looked really, really good,”
second baseman Max
Muncy said. “He looked like
his old self.”
One of Jansen’s trade-
mark cutters was clocked at
96 mph. But it was more
than that.
“From where I was
standing, the movement
was really, really sharp,”
Muncy said. “If he can find a
way to get that going, we’re
going to be in pretty good
shape.”
Jansen is aware of how
the fans perceive him, how
their trust has evaporated.
“I love our fans,” he said.
“Listen, man, as frustrated
as they are, I am, too. I am
with them.”
He went on to make
them a promise.
“I’m going to continue to
get better,” he said.
He has to. The team’s
success depends on it. Ei-
ther he pitches well or an-
other season will end with
someone else capturing the
trophy the Dodgers have
dreamed of lifting.Classic Jansen
must show up in
order to win title
[Hernandez, from D1]