Tanner Scott can’t seem to do anything right these days.
After a weekend from hell in Baltimore, the much-maligned Los Angeles Dodgers closer’s struggles continued when he was booed by the huge crowd at Dodger Stadium for giving up a potential no-hitter in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies on Monday.
Luckily Scott locked down his 21st save of the year in a 3-1 win, which kept LA narrowly atop the National League West by one game. The Dodgers lead the San Diego Padres, who scored a 4-3 walk-off win over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday down the coast at Petco Park.
Why Did Dodgers Fans Boo Tanner Scott?
It’s not like LA fans to boo their own, but Scott’s struggles have made him public enemy No. 1 among Dodgers fans this year.
Scott still is tied for seventh in the National League in saves, with Ryan Helsley of the New York Mets, this season. Yet, he also is tied with Helsley for the major-league lead in blown saves (9), a dubious distinction considering LA signed the left-hander to a four-year, $72 million contract to shore up the back end of its bullpen.
But Scott’s done anything but that, especially lately, since he has two blown saves and a loss in his past four appearances. Entering tied at 1 against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night, Scott served up a walk-off homer to catcher Samuel Basallo with two outs in the ninth.
Then after Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw 8 2/3 of no-hit ball on Saturday, Scott took the loss by giving up Emmanuel Rivera’s walk-off single with the bases loaded in LA’s 4-3 defeat.
So with the Dodgers just three outs from a combined no-hitter, and clinging to a two-run lead against the Rockies, Scott gave up a double to Ryan Ritter — ironically on a nasty slider down and in — to blow what would have been the first Dodgers no-hitter in seven years.
That prompted those remaining among the crowd of 48,433 to take out their unease on Scott before he shut the door.
What Did Dave Roberts Say About Tanner Scott’s Struggles?
Dave Roberts can’t have a lot of confidence in Scott these days, especially with his minus-0.3 bWAR and the fact he has a 7.45 ERA with more blown saves (4) than games saved (3) since July 9.
But Roberts surely knows Scott is going to be important to the Dodgers‘ potential repeat championship, and the manager came to Scott’s defense on his execution after the game.
“The double he gave up was a slider down below [the strike zone],” Roberts said. “[Ritter] did a good job riding it out but getting a couple soft-contact outs.”
Still, when asked if any angst crept in when Scott surrendered the 102mph, 343-foot rocket of a double on the closer’s second pitch, Roberts couldn’t help but crack a little.
“I try to not think like that,” Roberts said, a wry smile crossing his lips. “I’ve got to show belief in my players. I really do. I believe in him. I’ve got to continue to show — but they’ve got to continue to do their jobs too.
“It was a good night.”
Dodgers Struggling $72 Million Closer Tanner Scott Booed After Giving Up No Hitter